The Chronicles of Chow King Leong & His Family

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In October of 1900, the Reverend Gam Sing Guah established the first mission of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in San Francisco at 1108 Stockton Street. The site eventually became the home of H. William and Co., the Chow family’s garment factory. In addition to preaching the Gospel, the missionaries offered lessons in English to adults. Every evening after work, hastily gulping down a bowl or two of rice, Chow King would dash across the street to attend the classes. He was a proficient student and quickly caught on, but in the process he added something more important to his life, he had found God. When the mission was upgraded to the status of a church, Chow King was very proud to be the fourth person to take up membership. During the first twenty years, the church moved three times, although always within the same area of Stockton and Jackson Streets.

Ribbon Cutting Cumberland Church Click to view larger

In 1921, construction of a permanent church building began on the present site of Jackson Street and Stone Alley. The total expense of building was twenty-eight thousand dollars. Chow King was the most generous donor, giving five hundred dollars to furnish the pulpit and alter. Fifty-eight years after the birth of the San Francisco Chinese Cumberland Presbyterian Church and thirty-seven years after the first construction, another building campaign fund was initiated to build a new sanctuary to be added to the existing building. The total cost of the addition was more than a million dollars, of which one tenth of it was pledged by and paid for by Chow King. Truly, the man found peace and job when he found God’s love in himself. Throughout his lifetime, he remained a staunch Christian, adhering firmly and unswervingly to the teachings of the Bible. During the last five months of his hospitalization at Stanford Hospital, now the Pacific Presbyterian Hospital, the Bible was his constant companion.
Around the turn of the century, Chow King’s employer wanted to return to China to live out his retirement in comfort and ease. He had amassed a good sum of money from a successful, growing business, making working men’s clothing. Sensing that among his many employees, Chow King was the most capable, industrious, and trustworthy one to continue the operation, Dong Yin offered the sale of his shop to him. What could Dong Yin be thinking of, soliciting him who had barely been seven years in this foreign land, hardly sufficient funds saved for his own well-being, and just beginning to learn the ropes of a new vocation? But Dong Yin, like Lau Yung’s father before him, had seen the potential of his prized apprentice. “The production end I can manage, but the business function, I’m not so sure” protested Chow King. Dong Yin’s answer was, “I’ll teach you the routine and not leave the States until your mind is at ease.” “But I don’t have the means to buy you out.” Dong Yin quickly stopped the arguments, saying “I’ll loan you the money.”

Dong Hin (aka Dong Yin) was also from Luzhou Click to view larger

Too good to be true, Chow King seized the opportunity and in 1902, with his older brother and a first cousin as equal partners formed H. William and Company, Wholesaler and Manufacturer of Work Clothing. In view of the prevailing anti-Chinese sentiments in the early 1900’s, American names were often used in businesses dealing with Caucasians.
In the early morning of April 18, 1906, the earth beneath the streets of San Francisco rumbled and shook waking up Chow King and others. The earthquake and fire destroyed much of the city and most of Chinatown. Chow King, his brother and his cousin hurriedly carried as much of the stock as they could from the shop to the wharf at the foot of Sacramento Street. They were preparing to escape the fire by fleeing to Oakland across the bay. The bolts of denim, duck twill, and shirting chambray were extremely heavy on their shoulders and bulky and awkward to grapple. Piling their possessions on the ground, one sat watch while the other two returned again and again to the shop for more. In divulging his experience of the day to us, Chow King chuckled, seemingly appreciating the recollection. He thought their behavior on the day of the earthquake was the most ridiculous, dumb and senseless maneuver on their part: weighting themselves down with the hefty textile while leaving behind the more portable and many times more valuable pearlized buttons and the specialized cutting shears.
With multitudes clamoring for passage to reach Oakland, the shortage of watercrafts left the men with no alternative but to accept the offer of an Italian fisherman who, like all the others, was on the alert to make capital from the catastrophe. Racing against time in relays, most of the merchandise had been ferried across and now it was up to Chow King to execute the last task: to pay of the boatman for the entire assignment of transporting men and goods upon completion of the last run. Chow King was holding the money bag, and the fisherman was aware of it. At the last minute before pushing off, a young white man begged for a lift. Without regard to the boatman’s objection, Chow King heartily subscribed to the request. The wharf was becoming deserted and he suspected that the final run was to be the fisherman’s last business of the day. The two men sat silently in the back of the boat; Chow King was relieved that the long and exhaustive day was coming to an end. Half way across the bay, the boatman motioned for Chow King to move to the front, the explanation was to lessen the load on the backside. Seeing apprehension and anxiety on Chow King’s face, fear of imminent danger, his companion opened his trench coat to disclose the gun he was carrying. Manifesting assurance for his safety, the young man gestured to Chow King to comply with the order so as not to rock the boat. The voyage ended happily without incident. Chow King found out the young man was a reporter for the Oakland Tribune, but unfortunately his name faded into oblivion.
When news reached Wing Him that his brother, accompanied by the two women, was returning to San Francisco, he rented two rooms at a rooming house nearby the shop. The Wai Lay Building is a two-story brick structure, still standing today, near the present location of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance. The CACA is on the east side of Stockton Street between Jackson and Washington Streets. On August 1, 1910 Lau Yung gave birth to her fist born. He was named Willie after the name of the building. Wai Lay in Chinese means majestic happiness, and throughout his life, Willie was all of that to his parents. For his Chinese name, the parents chose Chow Ying Leong, the middle name being the prescribed designation of all male members of his generation; Leong to conform phonetically to the immigration surname. Three months after the birth of Willie, Wai Shee gave birth to her first born, a son. He was named Chow Ying Lum. A year earlier in China, Mun Foo, the youngest of the three brothers, and his wife named their first son Chow Ying Chee. At the time, Mun Foo had not yet come to America. Thus he was not concerned with naming his son to conform to anything. However, when he finally did come, he had to choose Lau as his surname. To that end, the three sons of Chow Kwong Chui and their families each bore a different surname: Lum, Leong, and Lau.
In the early years, few Chinese men were willing to bring their wives to America. Their one thought was to earn the good wages available here and then, taking advantage of the good exchange rate, send funds to their homeland to support their families. Chow Wing Sing, the cousin, and Chow Mun Foo, the younger brother, both made that decision.

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