The Attendees of the George & Mildred (Chin) Lee Wedding March 28, 1945

Note: This photograph depicts an event of a branch of the Chin (陳) clan belonging to the Wong Village (潢村), in Toisan County, Guangdong Province. In identifying the persons in this photo, Romanized spellings are used for Chinese names. Because of variations in dialects and in Romanization systems, no attempt has been made to use one consistent Romanization system throughout this document. Instead, the spellings of names used more closely represent the spellings used by individuals or their families so they might be more easily identified by those who knew them. Therefore, in some cases the clan surname is represented by Chin (a more common Toisanese spelling) and in some cases, Chan (a more common Cantonese spelling). Furthermore, some individuals are of the Chin clan, but have taken other surnames due to the system of taking “paper names” to immigrate during the period when the Chinese Exclusion Act was in effect.

Explanation: To understand this photograph, it is best to know the major family groups who are present and how they are related. The common ancestor of these family groups is Chin Ak Sein 陳德成. Chin Ak Sein (1799-1860) lived and is buried in the Wong village (潢村), the ancestral village. He had five sons. These major family groups each descend from one of these sons. Here are the five sons and the corresponding families:

Son No. 1: Chin Mein Du (陳明梓) – The son of Chin Mein Du, Chin Gong You (陳光耀), migrated from China to Oroville, California. He became a successful merchant there, establishing the Fong Lee Store. Four of the grandsons of Chin Gong You are present in this photo. They are Wing On Chan (陳永安 – son of Chan Sun Hee 陳純熙), and the three sons of Chan Wing Hee (陳榮熙) -- Chack Wing Chan (陳永卓), Wee Wing Chan (陳永偉), and Gaing Wing Chan (陳永建).

Son No. 2: Chin Mein Tan (陳明燦) – The son of Chin Mein Tan, Chin Hem Gong (陳添光), was adopted. Chin Hem Gong was the second son of Chin Mein Yuk (陳明煜), the younger brother of Chin Mein Tan. This was a common custom when a brother had no male descendant, that a brother would give one of his sons to that brother. Two sons of Chin Hem Gong and their families are present in the photo. They are Chin Uk Jiu (陳篤周) and Chin Hon Jiu (陳漢周).

Son No. 3: Chin Mein Yuk (陳明煜) – Other than the descendants of Chin Hem Gong, it does not appear that any descendants of Chin Mein Yuk are present in the photo.

Son No. 4: Chin Mein Non (陳明煖) – Chin Mein Non’s oldest son was Chin Gong Mee (陳光美). Three of his sons and their families are present in the photo. They are Chin Wing Jock (陳榮澤), Chin Wing Quong (陳榮廣), and Chin Wing Hon (陳榮汗). A younger son is Chin Gong Que (陳光喬). He is the father of the groom, George Lee. He and his family are present in the photo.

Son No. 5: Chin Mein Von (陳明煥) – The son of Chin Mein Von, Chin Gong Ji (陳光珠), is present in the photo. He is the only representative present from this branch of the family.

Attendees: Keyed to the numbers in the photo

1. Linda Tong (daughter of Genevieve Chin Tong, granddaughter of Chin Uk Jiu)
2. Genevieve Lee (daughter of Chin Gong Que)
3. Lily Wong (wife of Chin Wing Jock)
4. Billy Wong (son of Chin Wing Jock)
5. Chin Wing Jock, (paper name Quong W. Wong, son of Chin Gong Mee)
6. Chin Gong Ji (son of Chin Mein Von)
7. Wing Lowe (father of the bride, Milly Lowe Lee)
8. Timothy Lee (son of Chin Gong Que)
9. Rose Kim Yuk Chee (wife of Chin Gong Que)
10. Chin Gong Que (paper name Tung Lee, son of Chin Mein Non)
11. Dickie Lee (son of Chin Gong Que)
12. Milly Lowe (bride, wife of George Lee)
13. George Lee (groom, son of Chin Gong Que)
14. Sue Que (wife of Chin Wing Quong)
15. Nancy Gee (daughter of Chin Wing Quong)
16. Chin Wing Quong (paper name Raymond Gee, later changed to Raymond Chin. Son of Chin Gong Mee)
17. Betty Gee (daughter of Chin Wing Quong)
18. Mary Kwong (wife of Chin Wing Hon)
19. Sophie Kwong (daughter of Chin Wing Hon)
20. Chin Wing Hon, (paper name S. N. Kwong, son of Chin Gong Mee)
21. Doris Kwong (daughter of Chin Wing Hon)
22. Wing On Chan (son of Chin Sun Hee, grandson of Chin Kong You)
23. Mrs. Wing On Chan
24. Victoria Chan [wife of Chack Wing Chan, aka Moy Keng Ting (birth name), Lee Thew Oy (paper name)]
25. Raymond Gee (son of Chin Wing Quong)
26. Tommy Gee (son of Chin Wing Quong)
27. Helen Chin (daughter of Chin Wing Jock)
28. Gladys Chin (daughter of Chin Uk Jiu)
29. Raymond Chin (son of Chin Uk Jiu)
30. Walter D. Chan (son of Chack Wing Chan)
31. Josephine Lee (daughter of Chin Gong Que)
32. Leon – friend of George Lee
33. Stella Lowe (sister of Milly Lee)
34. Margie Chin (daughter of Chin Uk Jiu)
35. Gladys Lee (daughter of Chin Gong Que)
36. Sue Wong (daughter of Chin Wing Jock)
37. George Kwong (son of Chin Hon Jiu)
38. Suling Wong (daughter of Chin Wing Jock)
39. Chin Uk Jiu (son of Chin Hem Gong)
40. Tai Joan Chin (wife of Chin Uk Jiu)
41. Chack Wing Chan (grandson of Chin Gong You, 3rd son of Chin Wing Hee)
42. Lily Chin (daughter of Chin Uk Jiu)
43. Lon Goo, a cousin of the Chin Uk Jiu family from North Pratt, Nebraska
44. Dorothy Chin (daughter of Chin Uk Jiu)
45. Ruby Chin (daughter of Chin Uk Jiu)
46. Wyman Tong (son of Genevieve Chin Tong, grandson of Chin Uk Jiu)
47. Ginger Loretta Chin (daughter of Chin Uk Jiu)
48. Genevieve Chin Tong (daughter of Chin Uk Jiu)
49. Wee Wing Chan (4th son of Chin Wing Hee, grandson of Chin Gong You)
50. Winslor Tong (son of Genevieve Chin Tong, grandson of Chin Uk Jiu)
51. Gaing Wing Chan (6th son of Chin Wing Hee, grandson of Chin Gong You)
52. Ben Kwong (son of Chin Hon Jiu)
53. Chin Hon Jiu (paper name Sik Lon Kwong, son of Chin Hem Gong)
54. Kwong Lee Shee (wife of Chin Hon Jiu)
55. Emily Kwong (daughter of Chin Hon Jiu)
56. Alice Kwong (daughter of Chin Hon Jiu)
57. Bill Kwong (son of Chin Hon Jiu)