This all too brief description of my great great grandmother Mary Ayow (Ayou) Caldwell gives us a small glimpse of this remarkable woman, who from difficult origins, became a devoted mother, wife and model citizen of early Hong Kong.
Source: Forgotten Souls: A Social History of the Hong Kong Cemetery, Patricia Lim
“Mary Ayou (Chan) Caldwell, who died in 1895, was among the first Chinese women to be buried in Happy Valley [Hong Kong Cemetery]. Her early life is shrouded. In the Enquiry into Civil Service Abuses, Charles May, superintendent of the police, testified that he knew her well from the time she was living in the police station in Central [police headquarters in Hong Kong] and that she had been bought from a brothel. A Chinese lady, brought as witness by Daniel Caldwell, testified that she knew Ayou when she was twelve or thirteen, and that at the time she was living at the house of a Chinese undertaker though in what capacity was not made clear. Whereever the truth lies, there is no doubt that in 1845, she married Daniel Caldwell in a Chinese wedding ceremony. In 1850 she converted to Christianity and in the next year the Caldwells married again in a Christian ceremony in St John’s Cathedral [Hong Kong].
Life cannot have been simple for Mary Ayou trying to manage her large household in an increasingly racially divided society while giving birth to ten children. The London Missionary Society [non-denominational, Anglican-based] registered some twenty-four members connected with the Caldwell household as part of its congregation. In 1851 Mary Ayou was looking for a wet nurse according to Chinese customs. This brought unwelcome publicity to the family. A pregnant Chinese female was sold by her husband by a brothel keeper who sold her on again ‘or rather allowed a female wanting a wet nurse to redeem her from bondage for the price which had been paid.’ The mother of the wet-nurse to be complained to the police magistrates about the girl’s husband, who had parted from his pregnant wife so that he might co-habit with another girl to whom he gave the proceeds of the sale. Mary Ayou was called to give testimony in the case, but pleaded sickness and produced a note from Dr William Harland saying that she was too unwell to appear. Although speaking Chinese at home, her children grew up as part of the English community. One wonders how Mary Ayou felt when her sons were sent away to public school in England.
The eldest son Daniel, who became a lawyer, married the daughter of the Postmaster-General, Francis W. Mitchell. The missionary James Legge noted that Mitchell was not pleased and had planned a trip away to coincide with the wedding. Mary Ayou must have been a clever woman. It is said that she did much of the work of translating Chinese documents for her brother-in-law, Henry Caldwell, to help him in his law practice. She was a devout and committed Christian and employed a young man from Fatshan to act as private chaplain to the household. She also contributed generously to good causes. The To Tsai Church and the Alice Memorial Hospital Appeal both benefited from her generosity. The $250 which she gave towards the founding of the hospital, was matched only by one other donation and that was from the mother of Sir Kai Ho Kai”*
*Sir Kai Ho Kai, CMG, JP, MRCS (Chinese: 何啟, Jyutping: Ho4 Kai2) (1859–1914), born Ho Shan-kai (Chinese: 何神啟, (Jyutping: Ho4 San4 Kai2), was a Hong Kong barrister, physician and essayist in Colonial Hong Kong. He played a key role in the relationship between the Hong Kong local community and the British colonial government. He is mostly remembered as one of the main supporters and teacher of student Dr.Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of thev Republic of China. Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong, was named after him and his son-in-law Au Tak, though he died in 1914, long before the idea of an aerodrome was first mentioned in 1925. Source: Wikipedia. Read the story of the remarkable Kai Ho: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Ho