David Albert Goldhill ALISON [1872-1926] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

David Albert Goldhill ALISON [1872-1926]

Names
Given: 
David Albert Goldhill
Family: 
Alison
Sex: 
Male
Status: 
Deceased
Birth
Date: 
1872-08-14
Birthplace (town, state): 
Islington, London
Birthplace (country): 
Death
Date: 
1926-01-30

I am trying to locate the burial location of my grandfather (David Albert G. Alison) who died on 30 January 1926 in Hong Kong. The only burial reference I have is Church of England Cemetery. I would appreciate any assistance in locating the burial location as we will be visiting Hong Kong for a few days from 14 October.

Comments

Hi,

That will be the Protestant cemetery in Happy Valley, named the "Hong Kong Cemetery". See map.

Your grandfather isn't mentioned in Patricia Lim's list of gravestone inscriptions, but then many graves were exhumed when the Aberdeen Tunnel was built.

I looked at the Register of Interments (Foreigners, by alphabetical order), 1908-1947, and found him on page 4 as D. A. G. Alison, with a note "To Ossuary No. 14". (It also shows his date of burial, 1st Feb 1926).

So his was one of the graves that has been exhumed, and his remains moved to the ossuary. 

If you go to the office near the cemetery entrance, they'll be able to direct you to the ossuary. I'm not sure if they can tell you which niche he is in, but worth asking. Please let us know how you get on, as I haven't looked at the ossuary before.

Also if you can add any background about how your grandfather came to be in Hong Kong, and details of his life, it'll be interesting to read. I'm always interested to read what brought people here to live from overseas.

Regards, David

Hi David,

Thanks for the data regarding the burial location of my grandfather, I will let you know how we get on at the Happy Valley cemetery regarding the ossuary.

We are currently travelling around Australia seeing family so do not have all my data with me regarding my grandfathers movements, but when I get back to the UK I will email you with a short history of my grandfather and how he ended up in Hong Kong.

Regards Doug 

Hi David,

Further to the data you managed to locate regarding my grandfather I am wondering if you have any data on the burials of my grandmothers parents who were Joseph and Elizabeth Grimble both of whom I believe died in Hong Kong after 1914 and they were probably born before 1874. Joseph Grimble may have been a policeman.

Regards, Doug Reeve 

Hi Doug,

A search for "Grimble" on Gwulo turns up lots of matches. Are they all relatives of your grandmother? See: http://gwulo.com/search/node/grimble

If you don't find anything there, I recommend you try the documents I linked to above and see if they help.

Regards, David

PS Also see the resouces listed at How to research people who lived in Hong Kong

Hi David,

Unfortunately I am unable to determine if any of the Grimble members you have listed are related as the only reference I have is from my grandparents marriage certificate which gave her fathers name only at that he was alive in 1914 when my grandparents were married in Hong Kong. The story in the family was that my grandmother and her sister were bought up in a convent after their mother died and their father was a trader in the East Indies, but I have no way of knowing how much truth there is this as a lot of what we were originally told was subsequently found to be incorrect. I will check using your recommended How to research people who lived in Hong Kong and let you know if I find anything relevant.

Regards, Doug

Born 14 August 1872 Islington London

Married  Elizabeth Alice Grimble 14 March 1914 in Hong Kong

Burial St Johns Cathedral 1 February 1926 (Carl Smith Card)

Age at death 52 (Carl Smith Card)