Ng Hon Kim (or Gim), a.k.a. Ah Kim, was born on September 23, 1852, in Loong On Village, Sheung Ping Bo, Toishan County, Guangdong Province, China (today the village is located in Choong Tau Township, Sze Kau Town, Toishan City). He was the third son of Ng Ming Chak and Yun Shee and a 23rd generation descendant of Ng Gai Sahn, the founder of the Hon Yuen house of the Ng clan of Toishan.
As a teenager, he left China and traveled to Melbourne, Australia, where he learned English and converted to Christianity. He arrived in San Francisco around 1869. Endowed with an industrious and entrepreneurial spirit, he involved himself in a number of enterprises, working as a cigar maker, a rice importer, a supplier of general merchandise, and a labor contractor. As a labor contractor, he provided Chinese workers for mining operations and construction projects throughout the state of California, including the expansion of the railroads.
Nicknamed “Jesus Kim” because of his Christian faith and his efforts to preach the gospel to other Chinese immigrants while standing on the streets of Chinatown, he caught the attention of Chin (or Chun) Mooie, a.k.a. Ah Mooie, a former child slave who had been rescued by Presbyterian missionaries and was one of the first residents of their home for homeless girls. Ah Kim and Ah Mooie married on March 9, 1883, at the Mission Home.
In the early 1890s, Ah Kim and his family lived in Santa Barbara, CA, for a short time, then moved to Bakersfield, CA, around 1894. Like his ancestors in China, he became a farmer, selling produce to oil field workers and their families, as well as to residents of Bakersfield’s New Chinatown.
Ah Kim was the father of ten children: Benjamin, Mansie, Lena, Pearl, Yoke Teng, George, Mae, Hazel, Henry, and Ruth. Lena, Yoke Teng, and Henry did not reach adulthood. When on April 6, 1917, Ah Kim was the victim of a murder that is still unsolved to this day, he was survived by his wife, Chin Mooie; his sons Benjamin Kim and George Kimm; daughters Mansie Young, Pearl Louie, Mae Kim, Hazel Kim, and Ruth Kim; grandsons Clarence, Warren, and Carroll Young; and granddaughter Bernice Louie.
As a teenager, he left China and traveled to Melbourne, Australia, where he learned English and converted to Christianity. He arrived in San Francisco around 1869. Endowed with an industrious and entrepreneurial spirit, he involved himself in a number of enterprises, working as a cigar maker, a rice importer, a supplier of general merchandise, and a labor contractor. As a labor contractor, he provided Chinese workers for mining operations and construction projects throughout the state of California, including the expansion of the railroads.
Nicknamed “Jesus Kim” because of his Christian faith and his efforts to preach the gospel to other Chinese immigrants while standing on the streets of Chinatown, he caught the attention of Chin (or Chun) Mooie, a.k.a. Ah Mooie, a former child slave who had been rescued by Presbyterian missionaries and was one of the first residents of their home for homeless girls. Ah Kim and Ah Mooie married on March 9, 1883, at the Mission Home.
In the early 1890s, Ah Kim and his family lived in Santa Barbara, CA, for a short time, then moved to Bakersfield, CA, around 1894. Like his ancestors in China, he became a farmer, selling produce to oil field workers and their families, as well as to residents of Bakersfield’s New Chinatown.
Ah Kim was the father of ten children: Benjamin, Mansie, Lena, Pearl, Yoke Teng, George, Mae, Hazel, Henry, and Ruth. Lena, Yoke Teng, and Henry did not reach adulthood. When on April 6, 1917, Ah Kim was the victim of a murder that is still unsolved to this day, he was survived by his wife, Chin Mooie; his sons Benjamin Kim and George Kimm; daughters Mansie Young, Pearl Louie, Mae Kim, Hazel Kim, and Ruth Kim; grandsons Clarence, Warren, and Carroll Young; and granddaughter Bernice Louie.
Ng Hon Kim (or Gim), a.k.a. Ah Kim, was born on September 23, 1852, in Loong On Village, Sheung Ping Bo, Toishan County, Guangdong Province, China (today the village is located in Choong Tau Township, Sze Kau Town, Toishan City). He was the third son of Ng Ming Chak and Yun Shee and a 23rd generation descendant of Ng Gai Sahn, the founder of the Hon Yuen house of the Ng clan of Toishan.
As a teenager, he left China and traveled to Melbourne, Australia, where he learned English and converted to Christianity. He arrived in San Francisco around 1869. Endowed with an industrious and entrepreneurial spirit, he involved himself in a number of enterprises, working as a cigar maker, a rice importer, a supplier of general merchandise, and a labor contractor. As a labor contractor, he provided Chinese workers for mining operations and construction projects throughout the state of California, including the expansion of the railroads.
Nicknamed “Jesus Kim” because of his Christian faith and his efforts to preach the gospel to other Chinese immigrants while standing on the streets of Chinatown, he caught the attention of Chin (or Chun) Mooie, a.k.a. Ah Mooie, a former child slave who had been rescued by Presbyterian missionaries and was one of the first residents of their home for homeless girls. Ah Kim and Ah Mooie married on March 9, 1883, at the Mission Home.
In the early 1890s, Ah Kim and his family lived in Santa Barbara, CA, for a short time, then moved to Bakersfield, CA, around 1894. Like his ancestors in China, he became a farmer, selling produce to oil field workers and their families, as well as to residents of Bakersfield’s New Chinatown.
Ah Kim was the father of ten children: Benjamin, Mansie, Lena, Pearl, Yoke Teng, George, Mae, Hazel, Henry, and Ruth. Lena, Yoke Teng, and Henry did not reach adulthood. When on April 6, 1917, Ah Kim was the victim of a murder that is still unsolved to this day, he was survived by his wife, Chin Mooie; his sons Benjamin Kim and George Kimm; daughters Mansie Young, Pearl Louie, Mae Kim, Hazel Kim, and Ruth Kim; grandsons Clarence, Warren, and Carroll Young; and granddaughter Bernice Louie.
As a teenager, he left China and traveled to Melbourne, Australia, where he learned English and converted to Christianity. He arrived in San Francisco around 1869. Endowed with an industrious and entrepreneurial spirit, he involved himself in a number of enterprises, working as a cigar maker, a rice importer, a supplier of general merchandise, and a labor contractor. As a labor contractor, he provided Chinese workers for mining operations and construction projects throughout the state of California, including the expansion of the railroads.
Nicknamed “Jesus Kim” because of his Christian faith and his efforts to preach the gospel to other Chinese immigrants while standing on the streets of Chinatown, he caught the attention of Chin (or Chun) Mooie, a.k.a. Ah Mooie, a former child slave who had been rescued by Presbyterian missionaries and was one of the first residents of their home for homeless girls. Ah Kim and Ah Mooie married on March 9, 1883, at the Mission Home.
In the early 1890s, Ah Kim and his family lived in Santa Barbara, CA, for a short time, then moved to Bakersfield, CA, around 1894. Like his ancestors in China, he became a farmer, selling produce to oil field workers and their families, as well as to residents of Bakersfield’s New Chinatown.
Ah Kim was the father of ten children: Benjamin, Mansie, Lena, Pearl, Yoke Teng, George, Mae, Hazel, Henry, and Ruth. Lena, Yoke Teng, and Henry did not reach adulthood. When on April 6, 1917, Ah Kim was the victim of a murder that is still unsolved to this day, he was survived by his wife, Chin Mooie; his sons Benjamin Kim and George Kimm; daughters Mansie Young, Pearl Louie, Mae Kim, Hazel Kim, and Ruth Kim; grandsons Clarence, Warren, and Carroll Young; and granddaughter Bernice Louie.
Inscription
Note: Although "Kim" appears to be the surname, the true Chinese surname is Ng and the personal name is Hon Kim (also written Hon Gim). However, the name that is inscribed on the marker is Hon Wing, which was his married name. His birthplace is mentioned as Loong On Village, Choong Tau Bo, Guangdong Province, (China).
Family Members
Spouse
