Esther Lam
Archives of Childhood
Biography of Sing Kum
Sing Kum
As suggest to me, I decided to try and do a biography on a Chinese-American
child. However, since the Chinese had only started to immigrate to America during the
19th century, I settled on trying to research on a Chinese immigrant child, as finding
Chinese-American children was a bit difficult. However, this also proved to be difficult
to find many sources about Sing Kum. Of the little that I found, I made assumptions and
speculations about her. The reason for the little I found may be because during the
period in which Sing Kum lived was when Chinese immigrants were not as accepted as
fellow citizens in America. Also, it was during the time when the Chinese were just
beginning to arrive in America.
While searching AncestryLibrary in hopes of finding Sing Kum, I found one
match that seemed to match up with the Sing Kum I had read about in terms of time of
birth. However, in terms of location, it did not fit her as well. If I were to assume that the
Sing Kum I found through Ancestry is the same one I had read about, the following
would be her biography:
Born: around 1859, Sin Lam, China1
Immigrated to US: Around 1871, San Francisco11
Race: Chinese
Gender: Female
Sing Kum was born in China around 18592 to a weaver and his wife. She also
had two younger siblings, a sister and a brother. Being born during a time in which foot
binding was still allowed, Sing Kum did not have hers bound since she was born into a
Chinese American Voices, “Letter by a Chinese Girl (1876)”
AncestryLibrary.com- 1880 census, family history, Los Angeles
I use the word “around” because it is unclear whether or not she was exactly the age of 17 in
1876; she could be approaching 18 years old, or some Chinese go by the Lunar Calendar. Even in the
census from 1880, it states that her “estimated” birth year is “abt” 1856.
1
2
poor family1. Footbinding was a practice for status. It is meant for Chinese women to be
able to marry into money: the tinier the feet, the more “beautiful” a woman3.
Interestingly, Sing Kum’s mother’s feet were tiny, hinting at the fact that she had had
her feet bound as a child. Unfortunately for Sing Kum, because her family was poor, she
was sold as a possible slave/servant girl by the age of seven1. Her father had not sold her
as a means of just trying to survive and alleviate poverty. It was once an acceptable
practice for parents to sell their children, especially girls, to also try and save their lives4.
Her first mistress told her to deny her father as her father, which she did1. When she did
so, her father seemed sad, but still sent her away with some money and wishes of
prosperity. This would be the last time she would ever see her family. Since then, she is
sold four times1.
Amongst one of the times that she was sold, Sing Kum arrived in San Francisco
around 1871, at around the age of 121. She went through a lot of abuse as someone’s
“property.” She was whipped, had her hair pulled and the insides of her cheeks pinched1.
During her time as a slave/servant girl, Sing Kum was very likely sold and forced to
work as a prostitute. In the 1870 census, about 61% of the 3,536 Chinese women in
California were listed as “prostitute” for their occupation25. After having to go through
such an ordeal for about 2 years, Sing Kum managed to escape from her harsh life after
her friend pointed out to her the Methodist Mission Home founded by Reverend Otis
Gibson in 18701. She arrived at the home, immediately rushing in as soon as the doors
were open to her, asking to let her go to a school for Chinese girls. It was there that she
learned to read and write in English and Chinese1.
Chinese American Voices, “Letter by a Chinese Girl (1876)”
NPR.org: “Painful Memories for China’s Footbinding Survivors”
4
Children in Slavery Through The Ages
Girls in China are usually seen as unwanted, so buying them was deemed a charitable practice
5
Journey to Gold Mountain
6
University of Virginia Library, Historical Census Browser, Country-Level Results for 1870
1
3
Around 1870, there were around 23,714 people attending school in San
Francisco. Of those, only about 1,742 were foreign-born6. Considering that not all
foreign-born persons are Chinese and males greatly outnumbered females at the time,
Sing Kum was amongst the fortunate females to receive education. During her time of
education, she also became a Christian, thanking God and Jesus for bringing her to the
Mission Home. Even before the age of 17, Sing Kum acknowledged that she gambled,
lied, and stole1. Within the 3 years that she had been in the Home before the age of 17,
she had learned to read and write in proper English, as seen in her letter to a “Miss B.”
She eventually also became an assistant teacher in the Mission Home1.
By around the age of 24, Sing Kum had married Ah Sou7. According to the 1880
Los Angeles Census, her household also consisted of a child of around the age of 10 by
the name of Ah Kow. Since she had arrived in America around the time that Ah Kow
was born, it can be assumed that she is not his biological mother, especially since there
is not mention of him in her letter to Miss B or in Rev. Otis Gibson’s recollection. Both
Ah Sou and Ah Kow are listed as laborers, while at the same time Sing Kum is listed as
a “keeping house”2. It is possible that she worked as an assistant teacher for a while
before getting married and moving to a different location. This is the last record that
could be found about Sing Kum.
Briefly looking at the children and families hat were in living around Sing Kum
in 1880, it appears that by time, although no one is listed as having gone to school
during the census year, no one is listed as illiterate either. Most females in that district
stayed at home, and all males ranging from the age of 10 and up worked outside the
house2. Everyone living in the same area were also Chinese immigrants.
Chinese American Voices, “Letter by a Chinese Girl (1876)”
AncestryLibrary.com- 1880 census, family history, Los Angeles
7
AncestryLibrary, 1880 Census
This is assuming that the Sing Kum found here is the same one who wrote the letter to Miss B
1
2
Sources used
Yung, et al. Chinese American Voices. “Letter by a Chinese Girl (1876).” London,
England. Regents of the University of California, 2006. Print. Pages 15-16.
1
2,7
AncestryLibrary.com. Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 1880 Census. Roll: 67;
Family History Film: 1254067; Page: 159B; Enumeration District: 022; Image: 0020;
4th and 5th June, 1880
http://search.ancestrylibrary.com/iexec?htx=View&r=5542&dbid=6742&iid=423997900022&fn=Sing&ln=Kum&st=r&ssrc=&pid=14225118
Lim, Louisa. “Painful Memories for China’s Footbinding Survivors.” March 2007.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8966942
3
Spicksley, Judith. “Reviews in History.” Children in Slavery Through the Ages. Book
Review. Jan 2012. http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/893
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5
Takaki, Ronald. Journey to Gold Mountain: The Chinese in 19th-Century America.
New York, NY. Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. Print. Page 101.
6
University of Virginia Library, Historical Census Browser, Country-Level Results for
1870. Focus on California: Total Females, Persons Born in China, Females 5-18 years of
age, Foreign-Born Persons who Cannot Write, Total persons attending school, Foreignborn persons attending school. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/php/county.php