John Olson and Jurys | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

John Olson and Jurys

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Submitted by anonymous-01 on Fri, 2010-07-16 20:00

After a quicK look through the records, John Olson first appears as Manager of the Oriental Restaurant in the 1867 Jury List. I have scanned through the lists too fast but his last entry is in 1891 as Manager of the Stag Hotel. Between times he was Proprietor of the National Tavern. There is also mention of his brother Olof in the late 1870s as manager of the National.

So the question is why does he suddenly get dropped off in 1891 and yet lives on until 1918?

I have not had time to ckeck if he appears as Jons Jakobsson - his real name - which he anglicised obviously befor 1867.

All ideas welcome.

Sean

 

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2010-07-17 12:07.

In case you missed my comment elsewhere, just type the name Olson in the HKGRO search engine, and he's on most of the Jury Lists till about 1918.

Submitted by annelisec on Sat, 2010-07-17 13:32.

1906 - Olson, John, Contractor, E.E.Warren & Co, 30 Des Voeux Rd Central

But is it the same man?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2010-07-17 14:06.

I'm assuming there's a fair chance, mainly because it says he worked for EE Warren, and the name Warren appears about 100 times in the Hongkong legacy website.

Submitted by anonymous-01 on Sat, 2010-07-17 19:25.

As I said in the original posting John Olson first appears in 1868 as manager of the Oriental Restaurant and last appears in 1891 as Manager of The Stag Hotel. I have now also had time to check pre 1869 in his real name Jons Jakobsson - he anglicised it to John Olson - but to no avail.

He figures in every jury list between those dates and is then heard of no more.

Assuming other Olsons are him means that he lived until 1927 when the last Olson is mentioned. That is C.W.Olson named as a broker of C.W.Olson who lived at 13 Broadwood Road.

The other John Olson who first appears in 1906 from memory and was a partner in C.E.Warren and Co is the son of John Olson who first appeared in 1869.

In ten years searching for my family on various government and non government sites in HK and in America, Canada and Sweden I have found that the most dangerous thing you can do is assume anything.

Cross checking is the name of the game Anonymous.

This still leaves the question of why John Olson 1 dropped off the Jury List in 1891 yet lived until 1918. He was 53 years old when he is no longer mentioned so age cannot be the reason.

If anybody can provide viable clues I would be very grateful. For the record the John Olson of 1869 - 1891 lists was my great grandfather and the John Olson of 1906, my grandfather and the Charles Olson my grand uncle.

I hope that clears the matter up a little. More detail at www.thehongkonglegacy.com if you are interested.

Thanks

Sean

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2010-07-17 20:33.

Yes, assuming is dangerous, that's why I only said I assumed there was a 'fair chance', and not that it was him for sure. I was just trying to help, like when I found the supposedly unlisted John Olson on the 1876 to 1878 jury lists yesterday and you were, to use your word, 'indebted'. Good luck with your ongoing search.

Submitted by anonymous-01 on Sun, 2010-07-18 23:51.

Assuming is dangerous. But I do thank you for pointing up the other lists where John Olson appears.

There is I'm afraid a tendency to link all Olsons together, because it is not a very common name. If I had a gin and tonic for every new Olson discovery proferred to me over the years that had nothing to do with my lot I'd be a raving alcoholic by now.

Sean

Submitted by annelisec on Mon, 2010-10-04 19:31.

So John Olson took the pledge in 1888, and starting running the Temperence Hall.  And by 1891, he was back at the Stag Hotel ?  No AA back then to help keep him on the wagon.

Submitted by anonymous-01 on Mon, 2010-10-04 23:00.

Certainly that is a possibility. Only trouble is that there is no proof opne way or the other and certainly the granting of a licence to him from 1867 onwards is unlikely if he had a problem with the booze he was selling.

I have a hunch he may have got a bit of religion. His wife, Ching Ah Fung , was baptised in 1891 and John made his will in 1890 in which he called her his wife and left her everything. She seems to have been very devout aswhen, in 1906, her son John was getting married to Annie Louisa Moore Bourke, she  seems to have been close to another Missionary and his wife who sent her a present to be passed to her son. It was a bible which I still have.

He also lived a very long time for somebody who drank too much. He was 80 when he died. Very old for those days.