Is Chin Swee Road my great grandfather's?

By the oral accounts of my late father, I knew that a few street names in Singapore were named after our family members but I have been largely disinterested in the past. Ironically, the pandemic paved the way for more intimate family gatherings and revelations of some family artefacts egged me, the youngest in my generation, to investigate further.

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My father is the youngest of 3 sons born in a traditional Peranakan (Straits born Chinese) family. In those days, the Peranakans were often English educated and perhaps more westernized. Some enjoyed leadership success in colonial Singapore, partly attributed by their fluency in languages - Chinese dialects, English and Malay.?

My grandfather was English educated and records show he worked as a clerk in the War Department till his retirement in 1962.?He passed away before I was born and growing up, I did not have any hint of any illustrious background he may have had. The only thing close is that he lived across another well-known Peranakan, Mr Kwa Siew Tee, father-in-law of Singapore’s founding father, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and their commonality in being Peranakan could have acquainted them a bit more in that largely Chinese neighbourhood.

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The only surviving relative in my dad’s generation now is the wife of his eldest brother, Lim Kok Lam. As the eldest daughter in law, she had lived obligatorily with my grandparents and hence could provide me with her real-life accounts. She is also the motivation for me to find out more about our roots, now than never.

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One of her stories is that my grandfather was born in a notable family but for some unknown reasons, was brought up predominantly by his family’s chauffeur, a Mr Tan. According to her, my great grandfather is Lim Chin Swee, a well-known businessman in his times. To this date, there is a street and tunnel in central Singapore named after him. According to history, many roads in Singapore were named after colonial governors and leaders. The local names were often respected community leaders, philanthropists and wealthy businessmen who contributed to the community.?

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How there could have been a gap between the public persona of Lim Chin Swee and his personal life; his apparent disenchanted relationship with his son, my grandfather, intrigue me.

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My cousins produced a weathered document left by our grandfather, Lim Soon Chuan. A court document in what appears to be a resolution of the family estate of Lim Lan with reference to his estate and will of 27th May 1875.?

Both my grandfather (Lim Soon Chuan) and my dad’s eldest brother (Lim Kok Lam) were named beneficiaries of this estate in this document dated 1932. My dad was yet born that time. The solicitor was Rodyk and Davidson .

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Lim Lan, per history records, is the father of Lim Eng Keng who is the father of Lim Chin Swee. He was the managing partner of Lim Lan & Co, a Director of the Singapore Insurance Company and Singapore Land Company and he passed away in July 1875, just 2 months after the date of his will stated in the document we hold.?He had 3 sons. Lim Eng Keng, our apparent second great grandfather, was his eldest.?

Lim Eng Keng was Justice of Peace and a Municipal Commissioner from 1889 till his death in 1892. The Municipal Ordinance was only passed in 1887 and it appears that Lim Eng Keng could have been one of the first two Chinese serving alongside a British, as elected commissioners overseeing local urban affairs of Singapore.?

He took charge of one of the 3 wards which Singapore was divided into. In a press article after his death, it was written that he “has been held in great respect as a quiet but earnest representative of the best interests of the Baba (ie Peranakan) class in the Straits…and though thoroughly conservative as so many of the Chinese are, in all questions connected with his countrymen, he was able to give much valuable aid”. The Free Press referred to him as a “man of sense, judgement and business capacity”

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Up until now, I have not been able to find the exact reasons why or how a road is named after his son, Lim Chin Swee. Could it be his influential lineage, that he served the community or was he someone prominent?

From records, our family had business partnerships with the prominent. One of them, the Alsagoff family, a renown Arab family that time; the original owners of the famed Raffles Hotel. I found little documentation of Lim Chin Swee’s accomplishments except the myriad of companies and partnerships he set up and left. He seemed to me, to have been plagued by business difficulties and even died a bankrupt.

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I begin to wonder if the adage of “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in 3 generations” depicting how wealth do not generally last over 3 generations is also in my lineage.?It feels ironical as my own craft and passion has been to help clients effect good succession planning, to break this 3-generation curse which I do not want to subscribe to. I am of the belief that adequate planning can help families avert potential issues .

Out of the 3 main stages in wealth management – wealth growth, preservation, and wealth transfer, wealth growth is often most celebrated. Wealth transfer on the other hand, entails dogged discipline and there may not be immediate gains but often pains.?Everyone aspire their wealth to be a means of freedom and empowerment, not pain and disharmony for themselves and loved ones. The art and science of wealth transfer must be an important one. Wealth, if you have it, should bring happiness.

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I have progressed with the life stages and needs of my clients over 2 decades. It piqued me how some families do it better than others in their succession process and I often wonder if I could use this experience to help more families avert potential issues.

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This research of my own heritage has been arduous and is far from complete.?There are many unanswered questions I hope to unearth.?I am however awed that my apparent third great grandfather had estate planning in the 1800s, where Singapore was still relatively underdeveloped.

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I am not sure if he could have done more to safeguard the family wealth I never witness. But I believe he is a man beyond his times. Because of his endeavours, I have the privilege to know a bit more about his legacy and my heritage which I think not even my dad knew much about.

Succession planning entails more than the transfer of wealth, it is important to consider the passing down of one's legacy. Stumbling upon my family's history convince me this even more.

A person's legacy is not based only on his wealth and standing. Everyone has the potential to leave a legacy; have you thought about yours? What is it you would like to leave for your future generations with the life work you have put in today?

You never know, like how I am reflecting about my forefathers and their lives now, your future generations may be doing the same about you, reflecting about who you are and the meaning you have brought them centuries later.

?#myfamilyhistory #legacy #succession #familywealth #canwedobetter