Clan claims to be 200 years old

GEORGE TOWN: Written records dating back as far as 1810 have confirmed the existence of the Cheah Si Hock Haw Kong Kongsi (Cheah clan) in Penang even before the 18th Century. The latest records found in June this year showed the title deeds of two shophouses in China Street under the name Seahning Congchow in the trust of its patron saint, Jee Oui Hock How Kong, which confirmed that the clan owned the properties on May 25, 1810. The properties were originally owned by a Cheah clansman known as Chay Geong (Cheah Yeong) on Nov 20, 1801. Cheah clan honorary secretary Cheah Swee Huat said the discovery proved that the clan's history in Penang dated back to more than 200 years.

"This is a significant find for us and we are very excited about it. This is the earliest written evidence of the existence of Cheah clan ever," he told reporters recently. Cheah said the previous records obtained about a hundred years ago showed the clan's existence was only in 1820. "The latest records had been kept in our safe by our forefathers all along. It is just that we couldn't find the key to the safe and decided to finally break it. No one knew what was inside."We found the proof in June this year and it took us until now to verify the facts with the relevant authorities," he said.One shophouse is now used as a bicycle repair shop while the other, a coffeeshop.

The latest discovery by the Cheah clan made it the oldest of the five major Hokkien clan associations in Penang. The others being the Khoo, Yeoh, Lim and Tan clan associations.Between then and 1858, the Cheah clan acquired several pieces of land. The one on which the clan temple now stands was acquired in 1858 at Armenian Street. It took 15 years to build. The temple had undergone major renovations in 1918, 1933, 1949, 1977 and the last one in 2003, which was completed recently.The Cheah clan now has 600 members.

Members are from the Cheok T'ng village, Sam Thor district (now known as Haicang), Cheang Chew prefecture, Xiamen, Fujian province, in China. The first person to have the Cheah surname is Sin Pek while the 36th generation descendant was Xie An, who was the premier of Eastern Jin Dynasty.The Cheah clansmen first landed in Bagan Dalam, Butterworth and later moved to coastal areas of George Town due to booming business opportunities. A group of pioneers built an ancestral temple to pay tribute to past clansmen who had sacrificed for the community, to congregate, and to offer assistance to newly arrived clansmen. The clan owned cemetery land under the name Cheah Sek Tong in Mount Erskine in 1909. It also operated a school in 1917 under the name Cheah Si Eok Chye, which ceased operation after World War II in 1945. It was also once used as the South East Asia secretariat for the National Kuomintang Party of China.
-nst online.