Tracing relatives in Macao | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Tracing relatives in Macao

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Submitted by anonymous-01 on Mon, 2012-07-30 18:15

I am in the process of trying to find out how my great grand father John Olson arrived in HK in the early 1860s. He died there in 1918 without, to my knowledge ever leaving again.

I know for certain that he was in Lisbon in 1858 aboard a Swedish trading ship and surmise he probably found passage to another Portuguese possession and thus onward to HK. However, I wonder if it is possible to establish whether he landed originally in Macao and then decided on HK as a better bet! Did Macao bound ships stop at HK on the way? I am assuming he was coming from what was then Portugal's East Timor.

He first appears in the HK Jury lists in 1867 as the Manager of the Oriental Restaurant so I assume he had been in the Colony for a few years by then. But he left Karlshamn in Sweden in 1858 so he could not have taken more than a couple of years to work his way as a seaman to HK. His real name was Jons Jakobsson but he anglicised it when he arrived in HK.

Any thoughts, facts, musings would be most appreciated.

Sean

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Submitted by David on Mon, 2012-08-20 11:50.

Hi Sean,

Nothing concrete, but a few ideas:

  • I don't think a ship heading east to Macau would stop at HK first. HK is further east past Macau, so you'd be going out of your way.
  • Lisbon - Timor - Macau also seems a long route. Why do you think he'd have visited Timor?

The Blue Books include a list of "Number [...] of vessels of each nation cleared at the ports in the colony of Hongkong". I only have 1870 to hand, which lists only one Portuguese vessel arriving. There were many more from other countries, including:

  • Danish - 30
  • Norwegian - 11
  • Swedish - 7
  • North German - 177

Regards, David

Submitted by anonymous-01 on Tue, 2012-08-21 02:43.

Hi David,

Quite frankly I am guessing old John may have taken such a route.

1: The Portugues empire was huge and they had colonised several parts of the world on their way East. So it's a sort of stepping stone process.

2: John was declared a non existent person in Sweden which means he either, jumped ship in Lisbon/Sebutal where he sailed to in 1958 to take on a cargo of salt.

3: No records exist of him in Sweden after 1858 so it seems logical that he might have picked up a berth in a trip travelling East.

I suspect that, no matter what the route, he probably ended in Macao and then decided to try his luck in HK. For what reason is a mystery.

Can see why Portugues ships would not have called in to HK first but he could have jumped ship in Macao, fallen for a local lady, drunk too much or simply thought I will give the Brits a try because this language is hard to understand and English is easier.

It would be nice to think he came direct from Sweden on one of those seven ships. But . . .

The more I look the more the mysteries grow.

Regards,

Sean

Submitted by cflobo on Wed, 2012-08-29 01:20.

Does anyone know where I can trace my husband's family in Hong Kong - HYNDMAN - and Macau - LOBO - ? I would appreciate any ideas on when and how the old General (Captain?) Hyndman came to Hong Kong. In Macau the most important person in the Lobo family was PEDRO JOSE LOBO who married BRANCA HYNDMAN. Any tips and information would be welcome. Thanks.

Submitted by C on Wed, 2012-08-29 09:54.

Please see the posts "How to research people who lived in Hong Kong" and "1946 - Harry Hyndman".