Help in finding my gt-gt-grandfather who had travelled to China

[Lis Helleberg]

Here is an interesting piece regarding Niels Peter Vang (Carl Frederik's father) - in Danish

http://www.gravsted.dk/person.php?navn=nielspetervang

and in this pdf (almost the same text but with more family information) person no. 17 on the document's page 23
https://www.aalborg.dk/media/1210298/kirkegaardspjece.pdf

Best
Lis

[Inger Toudal]

Carl Frederik Vang did his military service in 1869:
https://www.sa.dk/ao-soegesider/billedviser?epid=16481029#19773,1593892 - O 64

He moved to Copenhagen in Jan. 1870:
https://www.sa.dk/ao-soegesider/billedviser?epid=16504370#187177,31771520 - U 86

- and back to Aalborg in Dec. 1870:
https://www.sa.dk/ao-soegesider/billedviser?epid=16481029#19793,1600481 - U 151

He did his military service in the Navy. But there is no mentioning of a Søfartsbog (discharge book),
which he would have needed for the military authorities, if he had later been in the merchant navy.

In the 1870 Census, he is registered as a Skibsconstructeur (naval constructor).

EDIT: Consul Helland, Hongkong, arrived at Hotel Kongen af Dannmark in Copenhagen 9 Dec. 1871 (see Gitte's post below).

Given the facts mentioned above, I don't think Carl Frederik Vang b. 1848 in Aalborg is your g-g-grandfather.

He was doing his military service in the Danish Navy from 1 Apr. 1869 to 15 Oct. 1869.

It's also likely that consul George Johan Helland brought the 2 children from his 1st marriage to Denmark in Dec. 1871.

In 1889, his son George Douglas stated in his application for Danish citizenship that he had been living in Denmark since 1871.

It seems that the Helland family spent the years between 1872 and 1876/1877 in Denmark, and left behind the two oldest children
when they moved abroad. The family returned to Copenhagen in 1882/1883.

As I understand it, it's possible that Carl Vang was originally from Norway: http://www.norwayheritage.com/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6785

Best regards,
Inger

[Michael Chang]

Here is an interesting piece regarding Niels Peter Vang (Carl Frederik's father) - in Danish

http://www.gravsted.dk/person.php?navn=nielspetervang

and in this pdf (almost the same text but with more family information) person no. 17 on the document's page 23
https://www.aalborg.dk/media/1210298/kirkegaardspjece.pdf

Best
Lis

Interesting, Lis. So, Niels also bought shipyards for his sons, and have a street named after him. A distinguished gentleman!

Please see my next response post to Ing below.

[Michael Chang]

Hi Ing,

Given the facts mentioned above, I don't think Carl Frederik Vang b. 1848 in Aalborg is your g-g-grandfather.

He was doing his military service in the Danish Navy from 1 Apr. 1869 to 15 Oct. 1869.

I have started to think the same thing a couple of days ago.

It's also likely that consul George Johan Helland brought the 2 children from his 1st marriage to Denmark in Dec. 1871.

In 1889, his son George Douglas stated in his application for Danish citizenship that he had been living in Denmark since 1871.

It seems that the Helland family spent the years between 1872 and 1876/1877 in Denmark, and left behind the two oldest children
when they moved abroad. The family returned to Copenhagen in 1882/1883.

Thanks for the information on his son George Douglas's statement he had been living in Denmark since 1871. That makes it the same as George Johan Helland's statement in acquiring Danish citizenship in 1889, that George Johan arrived in Denmark in 1871. I also agree that in 1876/1877 George Johan Helland's family moved abroad. According to one of the articles contributed by very helpful members above, including yourself, he was appointed General Agent (China) for Det Store Nordiske Telegraf-Selskab in 1876, and one of his daughters was born in Shanghai in 1880 (sadly, she was record as 'deceased' at around 6 months of age).

As I understand it, it's possible that Carl Vang was originally from Norway: http://www.norwayheritage.com/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6785

As you might have known already, that topic was set up by me.

It was thought the person's name might be "Carl Vang" (based just on word-of-mouth passed on from generation to generation). It was said that the person is Norwegian. It was thought therefore he might have returned to Norway with two children. So I started with Norway first. Research revealed that there seems to be no 'sound-like' person for "Carl Vang" in Norway that fits the story about his being in China. I then, with the help of the Norwegian contributors, checked their digitalarkivet for the two children who was said to have born in Hong Kong or China, between the years 1865 and 1875 and research their genealogy.

The only name remain after a process of elimination, was Harriet Mary Helland, but no sibling. Also, there was just one Census record of her in Norway, in 1922...! This mystery was solved when one of the contributors found Harriet Mary in many census records in danishfamilysearch and family search. She lived in Denmark. It appears she married her Norwegian cousin, the marriage being her second, later in life and moved from Denmark to Bergen. Harriet Mary has no children from her second marriage.

The same Norwegian contributor did a search on "Carl Vang", and fortuitously found one Carl Frederik Vang staying in Hotel Nationale in Copenhagen in the Census 1885 records. The same Census revealed Harriet Mary Helland, then aged 17, reunited with her father George Johan Helland and family in Copenhagen. That would be around the time when the father and family returned from Shanghai. Looking at it now, it may be just coincidence. We have no proof that Carl Frederik Vang and George Johan had known each another. 

[Michael Chang]

One of my aunties in or around 1980, wrote a 200-page book on the family history, titled "The Wongs". it is published for private use and not in circulation. It was written based on interviews and anecdotes from our relatives and other Eurasian families, conducted by her and another Aunt. I am glad they did! It was a brave and most wonderful effort, as that was done given all European records in Hong Kong were destroyed by the Japanese in their aggression during WWII. Below is the part where they wrote about our gt-gt-grandfather.

"Wong Kam Fuk's father was a Norwegian (we were told); he must have been born in the early or mid-1800s when Norway was a part of the Kingdom of Sweden (Norway became independent in 1903)... No one seems to know the exact name of this man. We were told it was Von or Van or Vaugh something - Von Carlos, Vingt Carlos, etc. Our family name Wong (so we were told), originated from someone choosing the closest sound to "Von". Who picked the surname Wong? No one seems to know either!

"Reportedly the Grand Old Man came to China as a sea captain and was a pilot sailing between the ports of Shanghai and Port Arthur (now Lushan). Another story had it that he was a honorary consul or a high official with the Norwegian Consulate. However, we are not certain of any of this. It was said he had resided in Harbin and had visited Hongkong frequently. It was said he had four children with a Chinese woman by the name of Ng, from Po On. The oldest child was Wong Kam Fuk... His father called him "Charlie"... When the Grand Old Man went back to his home country he left with the Ng woman Wong Kam Fuk and a daughter, Marie. Presumably he had taken the two young children, either two girls or a girl and a boy, with him. It was said they have blue eyes and fair hair. It was said the Grand Old Man died in Dalian; he had taken the two daughters back to Norway and returned to China" 

The writing was creative in parts. BUT, there are some truths in these passages. For example, the Grand Old Man could have come back to China (Shanghai); he could have been a Consul for Norway; he could have been born in Norway; he could have taken two of his children back to Scandinavia. The rest could be creative eg. our family name Wong (so we were told), originated from someone choosing the Closest sound to "Von".

From my research and analysis so far, the two children could be Harriet Mary Helland, and George Douglas Helland. George Douglas was hard to find, as he had not appeared in any Danish Censuses where his father was in the same residence. This perhaps can be explained by George Douglas attending a boarding school.

I now think that it is worth turning the attention to George Johan Helland. The story about the Grand Old Man being a sea captain or pilot plying the seaports of China and visiting Hong Kong frequently, might had been a story to cover up him seeing a Chinese woman outside of the traditional European marriage. Helland was also Honorary Consul for Norway, which fit into the excerpt from the book above. Between 1862 and 1872 he was a Consul for Denmark, and a Consul for Sweden and Norway. It is likely Helland took his children, two of them, back to Denmark in 1871. These children would be born of his first wife, Josephine Isabella Douglas Browne, who died in Hong Kong in 1871. Helland was also a Norwegian, born in Bergen, Norway.

In addition, the fact that Wong Kam Fuk came from a wealthy family, going to an exclusive school, etc, have been left unexplained. Also, Wong Kam Fuk, as was custom for many Eurasians in those days which has to do with being more socially accepted by the Chinese, dropped his European name entirely and adopted a Chinese one. I think the Chinese name can be roughly translated to, partly by sound-like and partly by the Chinese characters, 'bright gold properity'...!

If anyone could help by locating an old photograph of George Johan Helland, that would be great.

Best regards,
Michael

[Inger Toudal]

Here's a drawing of G J Helland's father Amund Helland:

http://www.borgerskolen.no/lokalhistorielocal-history/bevegelser-og-fenomener/saernorske-bevegelser/haugianerbevegelsen/h-g-heggtveit-om-haugianerbevegelsen/haugianske-personligheter/kjente-haugianere/vestenfjelds/bergen/amund-helland/

- but cannot find any portraits of Consul G J Helland.

Best regards,
Inger

[Inger Toudal]

About G J Helland in Store Nordiske Telegrafselskab:

Board of directors, member 1872 - 75: https://user-9y8ca5x.cld.bz/DetStoreNordiskeTelegrafSelskab-1869-1894/206

Works manager in Shanghai 1876 - 83, chief accountant 1883 -:
https://user-9y8ca5x.cld.bz/DetStoreNordiskeTelegrafSelskab-1869-1894/208

https://user-9y8ca5x.cld.bz/DetStoreNordiskeTelegrafSelskab-1869-1894/280-281

- unfortunately, no photograph.

Best regards,
Inger