Wilson, D.

Updated October 23, 2014

Research in progress.

Selected Bibliography: Hong Kong's First [online].

temp.notes:
Wilson, D.

Merchant

D. Wilson & Co. was a Calcutta based general merchant of British origin, which established itself in Hong Kong in 1841-42 mainly as a grocer. There must be a Mr. D. Wilson in the firm, but I found no trace of him existing in Hong Kong. Additionally, I was unable to find other names of persons who were employed by or associated with the firm. Here is the long-and-short of their story in Hong Kong. On November 10, 1842, the firm opened the Auckland Hotel on Queen's Road, after having established their grocery business here. Due to lack of business, the hotel was up for sale by auction only months after its opening. The auction took place in February 1843 and was handled by auctioneer C.V. Gillespie of 46 Queen's Road. Oddly enough, according to Friend of China, it was D. Wilson, the firm, who bought the hotel at the auction with the intention of turning it into “commission sales rooms for the display of goods that Wilson have for sale from London and from their office in Calcutta...”. And then in November the same year, the firm decided to pull out of Hong Kong and returned to Calcutta. They asked auctioneer P. Townsend, whose office was practically next door to the hotel/showrooms on Queen's Road, to handle the closing-down sale of stock on November 17 and 21. The came and went of people and businesses were quite common in this period of time in Hong Kong, more so than those who came and stayed; some left with less than when they arrived, some a whole lot more.

Selected bibliography: Friend of China, November 17, 1842; February 23, August 31; November 9, 1843.

Tiedeman, F.H.

Updated October 23, 2014

F.H. Tiedeman, grocers, was recorded as a resident of Hong Kong from 1843 to 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Hong Kong's First [online]. Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

temp.notes:
Tiedeman's name first appeared in the June 29, 1843 issue of Friend of China which reported that his house and that of a Mr. Marzetti on Magistracy Street was burgled. It said that nine people were sleeping inside the house when the act of crime was committed. There was a Augustus C. Marzetti existing in Hong Kong around that time. I have no information about Marzetti or how was he related to Tiedeman. In October the same year, Friend of China named him one of three big grocers in town. The others two were N. Duus and Pain & Co. Tiedeman was listed in the 1846 China Repository as a key employee/partner of Vander Burg Romswinceel & Co. (it could be Van der Burg or Vanderburg, or Rommeswinkel). A P. Tiedeman Jr. was listed as the key player in the company along with a L.C. Delmarle. I was unable to find any information on these two.

Parsons, Michael Edward

Updated October 20, 2014

Michael Edward Parsons, chandler, was recorded as a resident of Hong Kong in 1842.

Parsons was a victim of probably Hong Kong's first known counterfeit-money case that took place in December 1842. The December 8, 1842 issue of the Friend of China had the following report on the case:

The prisoner [Ah Gee, the Chinese steward on the transport ship Gertrude] agreed to buy a clock from Parsons for $11. On examining two of the first three dollars proffered in payment, Parsons found them bad. ‘I found Ah Gee had 35 dollar coins on him and fifteen appeared bad.’ Some dollars were sawn in two in front of him revealing their copper cores. The prisoner acknowledged that 14 coins were bad and offered me $10 to let him go.

Parsons took Ah Gee to the police and as it went Parsons was not the only victim. The counterfeiter paid $6, all counterfeit coins, to Ah Po, Gertrude's butcher for clothes he bought from his shipmate. Ah Gee's defense that was built on his claim that he received the coins from HMS Childers so he thought they must be good did not stand up; he was sentenced to six months hard labor, fined $100 and repay $6 to Ah Po.

Since I do not know whether Ah Gee was a resident of Hong Kong, a separate post was not assigned under his name for now.

Selected Bibliography: Hong Kong's Frist [online]. Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Elsworthy, Thomas

Updated October 16, 2014

Thomas Elsworthy, merchant, was recorded as a resident of Hong Kong in 1843. He was a name partner in the mercantile firm, Elsworthy, Dyer & Co, which was housed inside the Fletcher's godown situated on Queen's Road in 1843.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Dyer, Samuel

Updated October 16, 2014

Samuel Dyer, merchant, was recorded as a resident of Hong Kong in 1843. He was a name partner in the mercantile firm, Elsworthy, Dyer & Co, which was housed inside the Fletcher's godown situated on Queen's Road in 1843.

Selected Bibliography: Hong Kong's First [online].

McIntyre, [s.n.]

Updated October 16, 2014

[s.n.] McIntyre, auctioneer and storekeeper, was recorded as a resident of Hong Kong in 1843. A partnership was formed between McIntyre and [s.n.] Dickens to run a general provisions store opposite Alexander Moss' godown situated on Queen's Road in 1843.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Dickens, [s.n.]

Updated October 16, 2014

[s.n.] Dickens, auctioneer and storekeeper, was recorded as a resident of Hong Kong in 1843. A partnership was formed between Dickens and [s.n.] McIntyre to run a general provisions store opposite Alexander Moss' godown situated on Queen's Road in 1843.

Selected Bibliography: Hong Kong's First [online].

Chan A-kuen 陳亞權

Updated October 16, 2014

A picture of Chinam's Hong, Chan's place of business in Queen's Road, drawn by architect Edward Ashworth.

Chan A-kuen 陳亞權, alias Chinam 齊南, opium trader, was recorded as a resident of Hong Kong from 1843 to 1844. Chan was one of the three partners in the Canton opium firm Tun Wo 敦和. He came to Hong Kong in 1843 and returned the following year to Canton, his usual domicile, where he died shortly afterward.

Selected Bibliography: Hong Kong's First [online].

Boustead, Edward

Updated October 16, 2014

Edward Boustead, merchant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was the founder and proprietor of the mercantile firm, Boustead & Co.

Selected Bibliography: Hong Kong's First [online]. Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Oswald, Richard

Updated October 19, 2014

Richard Oswald, merchant, land speculator, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1848. He was the proprietor of the mercantile firm, R. Oswald & Co., who in 1844 worked for the newspaper the Friend of China. Oswald was active in buying and selling land in Hong Kong.

Oswald died in London in 1850 at the age of 38. He was survived by his wife, Augusta.

Selected Bibliography: Hong Kong's First [online]. Williams, Samuel Wells (Ed.), Chinese Repository, Vol. 17, January to December, 1848. Canton: 1848.

White, J.

Updated October 2, 2014

J. White, spirit dealer, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. Queen's Road was listed as his address in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Stone, L.A.

Updated October 2, 2014

L.A. Stone, ice agent, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Cooverjee, Monockjee

Updated October 2, 2014

Monockjee Cooverjee, merchant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was a partner in the mercantile firm, Ruttonjee Hormusjee Camajee & Co., in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Cracau, Sorabjee Framjee

Updated October 2, 2014

Sorabjee Framjee Cracau, merchant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was a partner in the mercantile firm, Ruttonjee Hormusjee Camajee & Co., in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Camajee, Ruttonjee Hormusjee

Updated October 2, 2014

Ruttonjee Hormusjee Camajee, merchant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was a partner in the mercantile firm, Ruttonjee Hormusjee Camajee & Co., in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Camajee, Pestonjee Hormusjee

Updated October 2, 2014

Pestonjee Hormusjee Camajee, merchant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was a partner in the mercantile firm, Ruttonjee Hormusjee Camajee & Co., in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Gutierres, Q.A.

Updated October 2, 2014

Q.A. Gutierres, mercantile assistant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was under the employment of the mercantile firm, Thomas Ripley & Co., in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Lomax, J.

Updated October 2, 2014

J. Lomax, mercantile assistant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was under the employment of the mercantile firm, Thomas Ripley & Co., in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Saul, R.P.

Updated October 2, 2014

R.P. Saul, mercantile assistant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was under the employment of the mercantile firm, Thomas Ripley & Co., in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.

Smith, T.

Updated October 2, 2014

T. Smith, master mariner and merchant, was listed as a resident of Hong Kong in 1846. He was the co-founder and name partner [tbc] of the mercantile firm, Ripley, Smith & Co., in 1846.

Selected Bibliography: Tarrent, William, The Hong Kong Almanack and Directory for the Year 1846, 1848, 1850, Hong Kong: China Mail, resp. 1846, 1848 and 1850.