Verification of Sibling-ship
In the 1923 interrogation, Gong Gong was asked two times about his siblings and his step-mother. Hom Sing Yik, his brother is dead and his half sister Hom Gue (Doo) Hai 23 years of age, was married and living in Berkeley.
His half-sister (step-sister) Hom Gue Doo was Florence Ruth Tom known also as Jia Di Lee according to the records. However, her given name was Tom Poy Lim1. She was born in the town of Kirkville, Sutter County, California on June 28th 1901 to Tom Loy ( Ah) Sue (father) and Tom ( Lee) Yoke Ying (mother) and adopted by Hom Gim and his second wife (concubine) Tom Yook Kim (aka Tom Gar Oy). She was one of 14 children: 5 daughters and 9 sons.
She would initially be given away two times. On one occasion Florence was given to another woman to fool the evil spirits/Gods from who they believed made her ill. Once in the hands of another matronly figure she was cloaked from the dangers of the Xie’e (evil) Qi. It was the Chinese spirit bait-switch and hide. Once Florence was cured of the illness and the “fooled” evils gone she was handed back to her adoptive Tom family in Hom Gim and Tom Yook Kim.
Racism cloaks Fear of the unloved self
In 1917 Florence would make her first of many pivotal firsts. Up until her arrival, Colusa High School was all white. Florence became the first Oriental to attend there. This occurring long before the Brown vs Board of Education ruling in 1956 that led to
the rioting, hate fueled vitriol and senseless de-humanization of the first nine African Americans who formed the penetrating tip of the spear in desegregation at Little Rock Central High School.
Deeply troubling, still today.
There is a well of sadness that flows through our intergenerational-ethnic tracks that cross paths with each other in excessive multitudes. It is this, the unspoken and deeply understood connection through the glance of an eye to the travesty of hate for simply being mis-understood and mis-identified. Different-unequal, 3/5ths non white male has yet to be fully undone. Though, I remain optimistic for our youth to bring us home to our only true race of humanity.
Florence was born in the year of the metal Ox. The cosmogny of Chinese fortune.
Metal Ox characters abound with fierceness, rigid strength in thought, forthright, logical, stubborn, motivators for others, and impenetrable to external circumstances. Florence appeared to manage racism like she was never to be denied a voice and not one would cross her for they would get lesson one:
“Dragon whips tail. Ox impales”
Florence and other Chinese kids were taunted and chased across the railroad tracks which divided White Colusa from Yellow Colusan's. Territory lines, family and community was everything when one grows up in a minority life. According to Ms. McCunns book2 Florence took care of the racists boys of her age by “beating them soundly” when they crossed the tracks. She and others were to never to be bothered again.
After graduating from Colusa High she attended UC Berkeley and graduated with a Public Health degree. In 1920, she married Tang Tso Yam by arrangement and in doing so had to renounce her American citizenship. By renouncing she would lose all right to buy land.
Section Three of the Cable Act, passed on Sept 22, 1922, stipulated that ANY female citizen who married an alien ineligible for citizenship “shall cease to be a citizen of the United States.” Non Chinese women were able to apply for and regain their citizenship if they divorced or became widowed. Women of Chinese ancestry would never be able to regain their original legal status since Chinese were ineligible for citizenship during Chinese Exclusion Act period.
It was noted that she “is possessed of considerable property in Colusa.” She owned a building housing 5 merchants. A fire consumed it and records show that she was intent on building a two story hotel in its aftermath. Records also reflect her passing on a parcel to her sister prior to her marriage. She also owned the original property with a building where the Transamerica building now sits. Acording to her granddaughter she was not compensated well enough for it and I was told was “stolen from her.”
In her young teens it was first evidence for her acumen for business sense. She won a car by selling the most magazine subscriptions. When she figured out that it would cost less to purchase the necessary number of subscriptions to obtain the car she bought all the subscriptions instead. Smarts, class, style, would endeavor her into her next phase of life and she would find great success in community and business.
Two Marriages and a Family
Tang Tso Yam, who was born in China in 1899 immigrated to the States on a scholarship to VMI ( Virginia Military Institute) and they moved there for a brief time. It wasn’t long before they returned to the Bay Area as it was found that “the military regime was not conducive to his style of living.” according to the newspaper clipping.
By the time Florence was 23 she was married, was a successful landowner and had two children, Blossom ( Bernice) 1922 and Sharmaine ( Carmione) 1923. Florence would go on to have Wawona, 1924, Theodore, 1925 and Josephine, 1929.
She lived and owned a two story live work building beginning her garment business on the ground floor where the famous Transamerica building now sits. It is uncertain how the City and she decided on the handover.
Instilling Chinese Civic Pride
She and Tso Yam became fixtures in the San Francisco Chinese Community, where he enjoyed a post as the General Secretary for the Chinese Commerce and then as Executive Secretary for the Chinese YMCA. They were instrumental in the growth of Chinatown from the mid twenties to the early forties. Their daughters were initiated into the “Court Our Lady of China” branch of the Catholic Daughters of America where they played basketball and studied music and religion.
16 year old Blossom Tang would lead the Chinatown brigade/float as Drum Major in the Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta on its grand opening in May of 1937. “A Lass as beautiful as her name…” the news clipping read.
Their family life in public was multifaceted. They helped to grow and build legacy by their work to bring other Chinese to America in part as paper sons. Among other entities Tso Yam was also President of The Hop Wor Benevolent Society, and a shadow Chinatown government called the “Chinese Six Companies” ( aka. Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association) that was run by six ruling families3 to provide support for Chinese to travel to and from China, care for the sick and starving and bring their dead back home to Mainland China.4 They also formed as a protectorate against the abuses of racism within their community that encircled what is now 24 city blocks today.
One aspect of this Tom legacy is the forty three 2750 lb Dragon lanterns adorning the streets in Chinatown along Grant and Bush St. Tang was heading up the Chamber of Commerce and spearheaded the development and curating these mythical creatures that are said to have created heaven and earth in Chinese Cosmology.
With all the successes of a privileged public life, the weight, in contrast to community responsibility to shoulder bore “chinks” in the armor in their the private life. Their paths began to diverge. It’s ending in part due to Tso Yam’s gambling ways. They would divorce.
Florence would eventually marry Jack Lee and with that a new found partner to travel the world with. He was a better match and life fit for her and would become Grandpa or Uncle Jack to the family.
Florence had a close sisterly love toward Gong Gong. She, Jack and the kids on occasion came to visit him in Colusa when the house emptied of his children. In speaking to my Auntie Mary Lou she mentioned this affection warmly between them. “She was very good to Ba Ba.” When he had kidney stones and was in the hospital in Colusa she drove to see him and pay the hospital bill and drive back to the City. “That was unheard of really in those days to make such a trip” Mary Lou would go on, “She took care of all his funeral expenses and arrangements.”
Her generosity is what stands out. In my conversations with others it is noteworthy. It is first and foremost in their minds. She provided good employment for women in her clothing line factory. She came back bearing gifts from her travels. It appears her own thoughtfulness was her rule. And so, it does not come to anyones surprise that her untimely death was felt deeply by many. She was considered the living matriarch of her family, until in 1983 at the age of 82, when she was struck by a drunk driver while driving to a restaurant to have a meal with her brother.
Through the Eyes of Others
In my phone conversation with Lisa Tang, Theodore Tang’s daughter,5 son of Florence, she mentioned that “there are two side to a story.”
I thought this to be quite prophetic as I considered the initial question that got me started with “The Lost Matriarch.”
What had transpired during those times where one matriarchs loss into dependent care was occurring at the same time as one was fully ensconced in a life of privilege and freedom?
There is certainty that love pervaded both lives deeply and from both of these women they were responsible for creating the roots of the family tree of Tom’s. They carried us, nourished us, kept us safe as infants and young ones and imbued Chinese culture within each and everyone of us in these two Tom Clans generations forward over two century lines. It continues to remain alive in each new child born into this clan.
We are never without this essence in our lineage
It is our birthright and our attracting force toward one another especially in times of upheaval. It is the tethered cosmology and thousands of years of primal-feudal history in our ethnic culture. It is largely unspoken and unseen. Through this research I have come to see our history by the brush of all things Oriental.
Uncle George stated in his memoir: “somebody decided it was time for me to go to San Francisco and study Chinese and at the same time serve as houseboy and care for “Aunt” Florence’s children since husband and wife had to work. This leaves the concubine wife to live as a queen. I went to Sacred Heart High School on a scholarship from St Marys Chinese Mission and went to Chinese school after school was out.”
Grace wrote “It was also good that Aunt Florence and Uncle Jack came to Colusa in the latter years. They enjoyed listening to the Chinese music that Florence brought to Colusa and all the cooking Florence use to do. It was good for all three. A chance to get away from the City for Florence and Jack and company for father.”
Another memory she had: “Aunt Florence…would bring a box of clothes her children had outgrown for us to wear. They were always sent to the laundry first and were stiffly starched. The best thing about them then to me were the fact that they all had matching panties. How I looked forward to wearing them… these beautiful clothes….”
And here was the only evidence of ill will from Po Po.
Grace would go on to write “After Aunt Florence and her family left to San Francisco, mother told me to take the box of clothes and throw them out in the garbage can.”
Mary Lou mentioned that mother never wanted charity.
Florences biological family would have ten in total siblings and their families would go on to connect in their 30 plus years of annual Tom reunions in different California cities hosted by family members. Po Po and Gong Gong would have 8 children here in America and one left back in China. Our Tom reunions would go on for more than three decades as well and would descend on cousin Dana and Steves houses and parks in Vacaville.
Lastly, after my mothers death in March of 2017, I found a letter Florence penned to her. In it was written that she and George had ordered the headstone with the Chinese inscription for her brother Tom Sun Tsue and that it would be installed after Memorial Day. Two “snaps” of him the year prior were enclosed and she felt them good pictures to have hold of him.
The letter was dated March 31, 1969,
954 Cedar St, Berkeley Cal.
and signed:
May God Bless all of you, Your Aunt Florence.
From Raymond Tom’s ancestral documents on the Tom Family reaching back 3000 years
Portraits of Chinese in America, Ruthanne Lum McCunn. mccunn.com
The six families: See Yup, Sam Yup, Ning Yuen, Yuen Wo, Hop Wo and Hip Kat ( for the Chinese Beatniks)
https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Six_Companies
Gratitude goes to Julie Ayala, Cynthia and Lisa Tang for their generous time and answering my myriad of questions, without them I would not have been able to get a greater glimpse into the other Tom family.