Friday 20 March 2015

Abdul Majid Cassim Lebai & Sophia Abdullah

FAMILY TREE #1

Generation 1 (G1)

Sheikh Shahib
  • He could be from India. 
  • He could have arrived with the British Army as a dhobi or tailor. 
  • Who was his wife? 
  • Was she from India or Malaya? 
  • Was this couple from India or Ceylon?
  • Whom did he marry?
  • Who were his children?
------

Generation 2 (G2)

Cassim Lebai
  • Cassim Lebai in written English, is Lebai Kasim in spoken Malay. 
  • He maybe attached to a masjid.
  • Was he attached to any masjid?
  • Which masjid was Cassim Lebai attached to?
Hawa
  • Who is Hawa?
  • Is she Hawa bt Jelani? 
  • Is she the great-grandmother of Syed Mohamad bin Syed Omar?
-----

Generation 3 (G3)

Abdul Majid Cassim Lebai
  • He is Abdul Majid bin Lebai Cassim
  • Was he an Indian Muslim? 
  • What was his occupation?
  • He was a businessman in Kuala Lumpur 
  • Where was his business located in KL?
  • Was his business the famed Majid Satay in Kg Baru? ... they became rich and famous
  • Was his son the famous Malay singer, Zain Azman in the 1950s, 1960s?
  • He married Sophia Abdullah.
Sophia Abdullah
  • Who was Sophia Abdullah?
  • Was Sophia a Chinese lady?
  • Sophia Abdullah probably had fair complexion.
  • Was her relative (Ende) Mahani bt Hj Khalil?
  • Sophia was active in the Malaysian Muslim Women's Welfare Board (LKPIM), which Datuk Lily later joined.
  • When did Datuk Lily Majid join LKPIM?

Abdul Majid bin Lebai Cassim married Sophia bt Abdullah and had 8 children:
  1. Datuk Lily
  2. Dr Ruby
  3. Ismail
  4. Rozina
  5. Dato' Hamzah 
  6. Ann
  7. Datin Paduka Profesor Emeritus Siti Zuraina Abdul Majeed
  8. Zain (deceased) .
----

FAMILY TREE #2

Generation 1 (G1)

Abdullah (Taukeh)
  • His name seems like a businessman or trader. 
  • What did he trade in? Pepper? 
  • If he was Chinese, did he trade in things Chinese?
  • He married Raden Fatimah
Raden Fatimah
  • Who was Raden Fatimah? 
  • Where was she from? 
  • Was she from Java or Sumatra? 
  • How did Abdullah (Taukeh) meet her? 
  • Under what circumstances was she married off to Abdullah (Taukeh)? 
  • Was it an arranged marriage?
Abdullah (Taukeh) married Raden Fatimah, and their daughter is Chik bt Abdullah (Taukeh).

----

Generation 2 (G2)

Chik
  • She was Chik bt Abdullah (Taukeh)
  • Her mother was Raden Fatimah
  • Was Chik the only daughter of Abdullah (Taukeh)? 
  • Was Chik the only daughter of Raden Fatimah?
  • Did Abdullah (Taukeh) have other children? 
  • Did Abdullah (Taukeh) have other wives?
  • Chik married to Abdullah
Abdullah
  • Abdullah was the husband of Chik. 
  • Where was he from?
  • What was his full name?
  • What was his occupation? 
  • Was he Abdullah Chik the famous Malay chef?

Chik bt Abdullah (Taukeh) married to Abdullah. Who are their children?

-----

FAMILY TREE #1 ... continued:

Generation 4 (G4)

Update on 25 April 2015

The Majeed siblings
  1. Datuk Lily Abdul Majeed (eldest)(born 14 March 1921, KL-died 8 Jan 2010, PJ), aged 88; 3 grandchildren.
  2. Datuk Paduka Dr Ruby Abdul Majeed (1924-2013), aged 89 (m. Dr Syed Mahmood) - 3 kids = 1 girl + 2 sons (1 son died, left 2 - 1 girl in Australia, 1 son in PJ). Dr Sharifah Sorayya in Australia. Dr Ruby died in Australia and is buried in Australia.
  3. Ismail Majeed
  4. Rozina Majeed
  5. Dato Hamzah bin Abdul Majeed (m. Datin Freida Mohd Pilus)
  6. Ann Majeed
  7. Prof Datuk Dr Siti Zuraina Abdul Majeed (m. Prof Vincent Lowe, 2 kids)
  8. Zain (deceased)

Dr Lily Majid is deceased.
Dr Ruby Majid is deceased.
Zain is deceased.
The remaining 5 sibs are still alive, but are elderly.

Zain
  • Who was Zain?
  • Was he the famous Malay singer, Zain Azman of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s?
  • When did Zain/Zain Azman pass away?
----

Family photos

Thursday 12 March 2015

Mohd Amin @ Mat Amin Pasar (Chow Kit)

I have a photo of a man named Mohd Amin but none of his descendants know his surname. He could be Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud or some other surname.

According to historical record, a British Police Sargent Hayes had re-located a Malay community from Malacca to Kg Baru, to keep law and order in Kuala Lumpur, and to balance the largely Chinese community that resided in Kuala Lumpur.

Mohd Amin lived in Jalan Stony, Kg Baru, Kuala Lumpur and worked as a market supervisor at Pasar Chow Kit before the war. He was popular by two call names, Mat Amin Pasar and Mat Amin Chow Kit.

According to Mohd Amin's granddaughter, Salmah Ahmad, Mohd Amin had opened Jalan Stony and therefore Kg Baru. He had built his house according to Malay tradition, much like the Chinese use feng shui. Mohd Amin had used chickens to indicate the direction of his house in Jalan Stony, Kg Baru.

Mohd Amin's house was in front of the Sultan Sulaiman club house.

From his grandson-in-law Pak Cik Hassan bin Mohd Rasid (married to Mak Cik Jamilah bt Mohd Salleh), Mohd Amin probably died in 1936 (my Bapak would have been 5 years old).

Mohd Amin's portrait showed him in baju Melayu and with the Johor type of neckline - telok belanga. I suppose he was originally from Johor or belonged to a Johor family? He was a Javanese Malay man. His hometown in Java is unknown by his existing descendants.

Mohd Amin married 4 wives and had 21 children by 3 wives; a fourth wive was barren after her marriage to Mat Amin (however, she had children from a previous marriage).

An interesting article I found. It bears the names of 2 early Malay doctors who graduated from the King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1930 - Dr MJ Che Lah and his colleague, Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohamad. Both were Penangites but worked in Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley. Dr Che Lah was from Jelutong and Dr Abdul Ghani was from Bayan Lepas side. Dr Abdul Ghani's daughter is Fadzilah Ghani, a retired nurse in Melbourne.

Majlis, 1 Dec 1932, p.6
General Article.
Majlis Perbahasan di Sultan Sulaiman Club.
Perbahasan (Debate) atas Adakah Perempuan Melayu Patut diBebaskan, telah dilangsungkan di Sultan Sulaiman Club Kampung Baru pada malam semalam, mulai dari pukul 7.20, sampai pukul 9.15, dihadiri oleh kira-kira 50 orang member-membernya termasuk Dr. Che Lah, Dr. Abdul Ghani, Encik Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud, Yusuf, Mahmud Amir, Muhammad Yusuf bin Ahmad, Ahmad bin Muhammad, Fateh Akhir, Tuan Haji Muhammad Sidin, Tuan Zainal Abidin, Encik Amrah Haji Abdul Rashid, dan lain-lain. Engku Raja Uda menjadi Pengerusi. - Taken from MCP, 21 July 2012,
http://mcp.anu.edu.au/N/SK/79.html

The British officers in Malaya had a separate club that did not accept the "lesser" Malays, including the Malay Sultan at the time. The Sultan Sulaiman Club accommodated Malay members of the community. Members of the Sultan Sulaiman Club were Dr MJ Che Lah, Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohamad, Encik Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud, Yusuf, Mahmud Amir, Muhammad Yusuf bin Ahmad, Ahmad bin Muhammad, Fateh Akhir, Tuan Haji Muhammad Sidin, Tuan Zainal Abidin, Encik Amrah Haji Abdul Rashid and others. Engku Raja Uda chaired the club - he later became the first Governor of Penang.

Sultan Sulaiman Club of Kg Baru in Kuala Lumpur
(rebuild in 2007-2009 after the 1932 model).
Courtesy of Jafri Merican Architects and Associates Sdn Bhd

An interesting name in the above article is Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud. Who was Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud? He was a member of the Sultan Sulaiman Club in 1932. Was he Mohd Amin @ Mat Amin Pasar (Chow Kit), the famous market supervisor who lived right across the club house? Does anybody know more about him?


Other links to related Majlis articles:
http://mcp.anu.edu.au/N/SK/M_index.html

Wednesday 11 March 2015

Encik Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud (1)


An interesting article I found.

Majlis, 1 Dec 1932, p.6
General Article.
Majlis Perbahasan di Sultan Sulaiman Club.
Perbahasan (Debate) atas Adakah Perempuan Melayu Patut diBebaskan, telah dilangsungkan di Sultan Sulaiman Club Kampung Baru pada malam semalam, mulai dari pukul 7.20, sampai pukul 9.15, dihadiri oleh kira-kira 50 orang member-membernya termasuk Dr. Che Lah, Dr. Abdul Ghani, Encik Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud, Yusuf, Mahmud Amir, Muhammad Yusuf bin Ahmad, Ahmad bin Muhammad, Fateh Akhir, Tuan Haji Muhammad Sidin, Tuan Zainal Abidin, Encik Amrah Haji Abdul Rashid, dan lain-lain. Engku Raja Uda menjadi Pengerusi. - Taken from MCP, 21 July 2012,
http://mcp.anu.edu.au/N/SK/79.html

It bears the names of 2 early Malay doctors who graduated from the King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1930 - Dr M. J. Che Lah and his colleague, Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohamad. Both were Penangites but worked in Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley.

Sultan Sulaiman Club, Kg Baru in Kuala Lumpur.
Courtesy of Jafri Merican Architects and Associates Sdn Bhd

I have a photo of a man named Mohd Amin but none of his descendants know his father's name. Mohd Amin lived in Jalan Stony, Kg Baru, Kuala Lumpur and worked as a market supervisor at Pasar Chow Kit before the war. He was popular by two call names, Mat Amin Pasar and Mat Amin Chow Kit. His house was in front of the Sultan Sulaiman club house. He probably died in 1936. His portrait showed him in baju Melayu with the Johor type of neckline, telok belanga. I suppose he was originally from Johor or belonged to a Johor family? He was a Javanese Malay man. He married 4 wives and had 21 children. Does anybody know more about him?

Another interesting name is Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud. Who was Muhammad Amin bin Haji Mahmud? Does anybody know him?

British historian, J. M. Gullick wrote the name Mohd Amin bin Hassan in one of his books, A History of Kuala Lumpur 1856-1939. Who was Mohd Amin bin Hassan? Does anybody know him?

Search for books by J. M. Gullick:
Google Search results
Sejarah Malaysia topic
MBRAS monographs
Pasar Chow Kit search results

Image taken from Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia (PNM) website 

A History of Kuala Lumpur 1856-1939, J. M. Gullick

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Nenek Alang Kg Baru meninggal dunia

Full name: Sum bt Ahmad
Call names: Bapak called her Mak Lang. I called her Nenek Lang or Nenek Alang Kg Baru.
DOB: ?
Date of demise: Saturday,14 February 2015 at 5.30 pm (waktu Asar)
Place of demise: Prof Hamzah's house at Kg Nakhoda (Selayang), Batu Caves, Selangor
Her husband: Mohd Salleh bin Muhammad Amin @ Mat Amin Pasar @ Mat Amin Chow Kit
Her husband's call names: Bapak called him Pak Lang. I called him Tok Alang or Tok Alang Kg Baru.
Children: 7

Nenek Lang is Mak Cik Jamilah's mother. She is also the mother of aunty Zaiton, aunty Hasnah Salleh, uncle Prof Hamzah and uncle Zulkifli Mohd Salleh. Nenek Alang passed away on Saturday, 14 February 2015 at 5.30 pm (waktu Asar) at her son's house, Prof Hamzah, at Kg Nakhoda, Batu Caves.

Mak Cik Jamilah is married to Pak Cik Hassan. Their children are Eddie Hassan, Fatimah Hassan, Halimah Hassan, Melati Hassan and more.










Birthday Bapak

28 November 2014 would be arwah Bapak's 83rd birthday. But he died earlier, on 8 March 2009, aged 77. He died of old age, 6 years earlier. He was fasting and towards the end of Ramadan 2008, he was taken ill and his health just deteriorated from thereon. He never recovered and died in his sleep, before Solat Subuh, during the Maulidurrasul celebration.  I had never seen him so ill and thin - down to skin and bones, hardly any flesh and he could not open his eyes as they were dry. It was sad to see him that way.