Regina Tan Mui Liam & David Wee Cheng Soon

Regina Tan Mui Liam (Ah Mui, Ji Kor) married Catholic-Teochew philanthropist David Wee Cheng Soon, on 30 July 1901 at St Peter and Paul’s Church.  They had five children, namely, Cecilia who married a Mr Low and has emigrated to UK with her family.  Philip Wee Peng Leng (Ah Leng Kia), Elizabeth, Mary and Theresa. 

Mary married James Bey and had three children – Jacqueline who went to Marymount with the Lim sisters, Desmond and Valentine.  Mary was also god-mother to Janet Lim.

Wee’s construction firm built (and funded) St Teresa’s Church on Kampong Bahru (where the couple’s ashes are now interred), the Sacred Heart Church on Tank Road and a wing of St Joseph’s Institution on Bras Basah Road.  Wee’s firm also built the Kallang Airport Runway.  Many of the Tan men were engaged in Wee’s firm and the Tan families were  housed them in the properties built along Bukit Timah Road including the Makepeace Road enclave. 

(Inputs from Phyllis Sebastian and Marc Rerceretnam, New South Wales)

PHYLLIS: “I remember very well the Tan family in Makepeace Road. My father was Philip Wee Peng Leng and our family of 10 lived at the corner of Makepeace/Newton roads… The patriarch of the Tans I knew only as 5th grand-uncle (ngow lau koo) and he was the brother of Regina Tan who was my paternal grand-mother. I remember the daughters Katherine, Mary, Anna, sons Thomas (Toma), Francis (Ah Peng) and perhaps there were more. In fact, I had the opportunity to contact and meet up with Katherine together with a cousin Mary Tay (now deceased) some 20 years ago. Can anyone tell me if Katherine is still with us as she might well be in her 80′s. I do remember my aunts, the oldest was Cecilia who had emigrated to UK with her family and was the (grand) mother of Peter Low, of whom Marc has mentioned. One other sister was Mary the mother of Jacqueline Bey whom I have never met.”

MARC:  “Here are some photos of Regina Tan Mui Liam, your 1st grand aunt.* I also have her marriage certificate from St Peters and Paul Church (30 Jul 1901) to David Wee Cheng Soon. According to the cert, her parents were called John Tan Hai Seng and Magdeline Lim. Back in the 1990s, I traced Magdeline Lim to an address in River Valley Rd (next to the big Hindu Temple). She died of dementia in around 1902. My eldest aunt remembers visiting relatives at this 3 storey house as a young child in the 30s. Assume this would have been part of the Tan clan“

Wee Cheng Soon and) Regina Tan were buried in Biddadari until the place was exhumed in the late 1990s.  Their remains were reinterred by their grandspn Bernard Low at the Church of St Teresa’s in Singapore.  I was told she was a lovely person and her husband loved her very much. I think she might have had dementia towards the end of her life (I could be wrong) but her husband stood by her all the way.  

The first photo is of Regina Tan with her 2 grandchildren, probably taken around 1936 or 1937. The elder girl is my aunt Margory (b. 1932) who married a lovely man Rinus van der Klooster and moved to the Hague in Holland. Uncle Rinus died about 3 years ago. Aunty Margy is still alive and kicking and I am told was visiting Singapore recently. She has 4 children all in Holland. The younger boy is my uncle Francis (b. 1935). He never married and continues to live in a flat he shared with my grand-dad Philip until his death in 1991.

The photo of Regina Tan by herself was taken either at the Pasir Panjang house or the other house in Bartley Road.”

Francis Tan & Agnes Chew Koon Boo (1900-1974)

Francis Tan married Agnes Chew and they raised an adoptive daughter Julia (my mum).  The family lived with other branches of the Tan family at homes owned by the Wees, in Pasir Panjang andBukit Timah Road.

Agnes was one of four Chew sisters.  The sole Chew son whom we have never met, was followed by our “Johore lau ee” (who was our mum’s biological mum), our “Geylang Lau-ee” (mother of “Ah Chye” who used to run a BATA store in the 1950s) who sewed beautiful Peranakan beaded slippers, Agnes (my adoptive grandma) and a youngest daughter who by my mum’s account, was the biological mother of Mary Tay, mother of Patrick and Clifford Goh. 

Julia and Martin Koh had been given to Agnes by our Johore lau-ee who had two other children. These two Chew sisters were especially close and during our childhood, we saw our Johore cousins very frequently.  I stayed over at Jalan Dapat, JB during my school vacation and my cousins stayed over at 8, May Road when they were teenagers and young adults. It was a treat to go the Jalan Bahagia Friday night markets when they visited. We are still in touch with them and their children and grandchildren.

While Francis Tan had passed away before we were born, I remember my grandma well.  A humble nyonya clad only in sarong kebaya, she was a devout Catholic and an accomplished homemaker.  I remember her combing her long grey hair every morning adding a hair piece to create her bun. I remember that she went to early morning on Sunday mornings. I also helping her make her kueh bolu (my favourite shapes were the fish and leaf), achar (when chopped cucumber and carrot slices were dried for days), kueh pie ti, kueh bangkit, kueh tarts and savory dishes like pineapple fish curry and ayam buah keluak. 

Agnes received annual visits from her niece, Mary Wee who arrived in a chauffeur-driven car and to our envy, always presented a hongbao to her god-daughter Janet.  Agnes brought us to visit her sister in Geylang now and then while we and Johore cousins exchanged visits frequently.

She helped her daughter Julia raise all five children. She lived with us till her death in June 1974.

James Lim Teck Liang (1910-1975) & Julia Tan Ah Bee (1926)

Francis & Agnes Tan raised my mum, their adoptive daughter Julia Tan Ah Bee.  Agnes’ sister (our “Johore lau-ee”) was Julia’s biological mother and Julia had three other siblings – Hiang Ee, Uncle Martin Koh and one other sister we have never met.  

Julia was educated at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ),Victoria Street.  She remembers that during the war years, the girls of the Tan family (she remembers Maria Teresa Oei was there too) took refuge at the Convent.  Julia credits the French nuns for nurturing her love of history (especially British and European history), geography, needlework and literature.  At age 87, today, she still speaks / reads a little French and her favourite past times include travelling to Great Britain and Europe especially, watching National Geographic programmes and cooking.  She still loves her novels but crochets and knits less now due to eye strain.  

Julia with Patrick, Juliana, Paul and Janet in arms, at Makepeace Road

As a young lady, Julia worked at a salesgirl at department store Gian Singh.  She became a full-time home-maker when after she married James Lim Teck Liang in 1947.  Julia remembers that James glimpsed her one morning at a bus stop on Bukit Timah Roadand subsequently sought Agnes’ approval to court and marry her.  The couple have five children - Paul (1948), Patrick (1949 – 2008), Juliana (1950), Janet (1952) and Jessica (1955).  The four older children were born in KK Hospital while the couple resided at the corner  of Makepeace Road and Bukit Timah Road, courtesy of Wee Cheng Soon.    

James Lim (former La Salle Bro Columban) with his parents and siblings

James served as a La Salle brother and resided at St Patrick’s / St Joseph’s Institution quarters through to the World War Two years.  Heresay is that he and other local brothers left after the War as they were dissatisfied with the way they were treated by the European members of the community.  He continued his vocation as a teacher at Monk’s Hill Primary School at Windstedt Road.  After a stint at Boon Lay Primary School, James was promoted to Principal of the new Whitley Primary School at Onraet Road in the early 1950s at which point the family moved to Government quarters at 8, May Road. In 1955, their youngest child and daughter Jessica was born.

Agnes lived with the Lims until her death in June 1974.  James died a year later, on 21 March 1975.

John Tan Hai Seng and Magdeline Lim

The Tans of Makepeace Road are the descendents of John Tan Hai Seng and Magdeline Lim.  The couple’s names were traced by great3 grandson Marc Sebastian, from the marriage certificate of his great2 grandmother Regina Tan Mui Liam and Wee Cheng Soon, from the archives of St Peter and Paul’s Church, Singapore.  Marc also traced Magdeline Lim to an address in River Valley Road (next to the big Hindu Temple) and learnt that she died of dementia around 1902. Marc’s eldest aunt remembers visiting relatives at this three-storey house as a young child in the ’30s.

To the best of our knowledge, there were twelve Tan siblings – six daughters and six sons, three of whom are believed to have relocated to Thailand.   They are listed below as our mums addressed them (in Teochew):

Three sons

4th sibling / 1^st daughter *– Ah Besar;

5th sibling / 2^nd daughter * – Regina Tan Mui Liam (Ah Mui, Ji Kor) who married David Wee Cheng Soon on 30 Jul 1901 at St Peter and Paul’s Church and had five children, namely, Cecilia who married a Mr Low and has emigrated to UK with her family.  Philip Wee Peng Leng (Ah Leng Kia) who is grand-father of Marc, Elizabeth, Mary and Theresa.  Mary married James Bey and three children survive them – Jacqueline who went to Marymount with the Lim sisters, Desmond and Valentine.  Mary was also god-mother to Janet Lim;

6th sibling / 3^rd daughter – Theresa Tan (Ah Chit);

7th sibling / 4^th son – Thomas Tan (Si Chek) who married Rosaline Lim.  Their daughter Marie Teresa married Mr James  Oei and has four daughters – Audrey, Bernadette, Jacqueline and Christina;

8th sibling / 5th son – Ngoh Chek (Ngow Lau Koo) and Ngoh Sim who is believed to have had about 12 -13 children including daughters Katherine, Mary Anna, Helen, Rosalind, Theresa, Thomas (Toma) and Francis (Ah Peng).  Heresay is that their eldest child, a son had won a Queen’s Scholarship.  Sadly, the young man was killed in a car crash on Bukit Timah / Lornie Road before he could proceed to England for his studies;

Julia Lim & Marie Teresa Oei (2009)

9th sibling / 6th son – Francis Tan who married Agnes Chew Koon Boo. Their adoptive daughter Julia Tan Ah Bee married James Lim Teck Liang who have   five children – Paul, Patrick (deceased), Juliana, Janet and Jessica;

10th sibling / 4^th daughter – Ah Cheng;

11th sibling / 5^th daughter – Ah Chit;

12th sibling / 6^th daughter – Ah Kow who married widower Mr Tay.  Their daughter Mary Tay married Jerome Goh and they hare survived by two children – Clifford and Patrick.  A daughter Angeline is deceased.

Our mums remember that apart from Makepeace Road, the Singapore Tans also lived as an extended family at sea-side / hill-side homes in Pasir Panjang Road.  The girls were packed off to the Victoria Street Convent during the 2^nd World War years where they learnt English and French, and acquired home-making skills like embroidery, knitting, crocheting and cooking.

As teenagers, several branches of the Tan family lived in the Upper Thomson Road area. The Beys lived in Windsor Park while the Oei’s, Lim’s and Goh’s lived in Thomson Garden and Thomson Park.