The Chronicles of Chow King Leong & His Family

Page 6

In 1912, there were only three garment manufacturers in Chinatown, all producing similar items: George Bros. and Company, Henry Bros., and H. William and Company. The latter was established and operated by Chow King, his older brother and their first cousin, Wing Sing; all equal share holders. Business was doing well and operation was running smoothly when word came to them from New York, that Wing Sing’s younger brother was borrowing money from village clansman and not paying off his debt. He was running up credit without discharging obligations. Ever protective of the Chow name and its reputation, the three partners encouraged the black sheep of the family to return to San Francisco; to get married and settle down. The bait was shareholdership in H. William and Company, a gift of fifty percent from his brother’s one-third share. When Mun Foo immigrated to the States, Chow King and Wing Him could do no less than to give one third of their total shares to their younger brother. For the remainder of the life of the business, the three brothers each owned one-eighteenth share of H. William and Company, more than their two cousins. However, when the business terminated in 1961, the younger generation wiped out the differences. The families of the five partners received equal proceeds from the sale of inventory and equal distribution of real property owned by H. William and Company.
When Wing Low returned from New York, the three families moved to larger quarters. Chow King leased a two-story brick dwelling at 821 Jackson Street next to the present Chinese Hospital and half a block from W. William.

This is 821 Jackson Street today Click to view larger

Except for Ying Leong and Ying Sum, the older boys, all the other thirteen children of the three families were born in the Jackson Street building.
Never having to lift a finger while living at home, both Lau Yung and Wai Shee were unaccustomed to setting up house keeping. But fortunately for them, they had it made. Until the late twenties, the labor force in Chinatown was comprised of men living single lives; men who for one reason or another, had chosen to leave their families in China. It was the practice of employers to furnish three meals a day to their employees as part of their wages. H. William and Company had a full time chef, one who knew how to whet the appetite of the workers. Such being the case, the two families benefited from this fixed procedure. Meals were carried daily from the kitchen of H. William to the dining room at 821 Jackson Street daily. Wai Shee and Lau Yung were lucky indeed, to be spared the strain of planning menus, preparing food and cooking it.
For over twelve years, the two brothers and their families, four adults and ten children, lived harmoniously under one roof, ate jointly in a common dining room, and shared all provisions and supplies. It was their belief and conviction that to dwell together in unity for the sake of mutual support would be to their advantage. Payment for community belongings was disbursed from their share of the business earnings.
To clear some inventory from the factory, but more subtly, to gain access to wholesale houses, the two brothers ran a merchandise store adjacent to H. William. The retail store carried everything from shoes to sheets, underwear to umbrellas. While Chow King carried on the business of H. William, wholesaler, Wing Him saw to the selling at Wo On, retailer. Hence, supplying the family needs and outfitting eleven boys and four girls did not present such a big deal! After all, they could get it for wholesale! Could it be that expression originated form the Chow Boys?
At least three times a year, one day was set aside for replacing fifteen pairs of worn-out shoes. The special occasion always took place in the living room of Chow King’s unit, probably because of more space or better lighting to examine the flaws as well as the fitting. What a rip-roaring day! Fifteen boisterous and high-spirited kids clamoring intensely for the first preference. With regards to the boys, the noisy tussle was much ado about nothing. After all, the whole lot, of the twenty or more pairs of shoes laid out before, them were exactly alike: the same style and the same color, excepting, of course, the sizes. All they needed to do was to try them on for size. On the other hand, the girls had to exercise judgment and making decisions, painstakingly choosing among the shining black patent leather Mary Janes, or the white soft kidskin pumps or the elegant Roman sandals with four or five ladder-rung straps. Our father must have been carried away by the adorable styles, but how loving he was to allow us to select for ourselves, and how wise he was in dealing with the boys, withholding that option. To try to arrive at the eleven just, proper and unchallenged decisions would have been hopeless and devastating!

Page First 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 Last Next