Tomb reader, ancestor whisperer: Singaporean sets up genealogy group with 15,000 members globally
SINGAPORE – An English-language genealogy group founded by a Singaporean will be celebrating its first anniversary in July with about 15,000 members worldwide.
To the members of the Chinese Ancestry Research (CAR), founder Nathan Co is a tomb reader and ancestor whisperer.
The self-taught genealogist, who is in his 50s, shares the same Chinese surname as the 17th century war admiral Shi Lang and traces his ancestry to Fujian province in China. He started CAR as a blog and repository for findings on his own ancestry, but it has evolved as he receives more requests for help.
His Facebook group has members from more than 100 countries, with most coming from North America, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. There are also Singaporeans, who form about 10 per cent of the members, as well as people from Malaysia and the Philippines.
Some of his earliest members are from Liverpool, England.
The fintech and banking professional told The Straits Times: “Someone from Liverpool found me and the word spread among Chinese descendants as I was helping them locate some of their lost fathers and grandfathers who were deported by the British after World War II.”
That someone is Ms Kellie-Ann Flower, a boatyard owner from a community of more than 30 half-Chinese Liverpool families. The 53-year-old found CAR when she randomly typed “Chinese genealogy”.
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Mr Co is helping her connect with her Chinese relatives.
“Nathan has not only helped people from Liverpool reunite with their families in China, but along the way, we have learnt so many things which Westerners don’t know, like generational names and ancestry books,” she said.
CAR, which offers help for free, gets an average of two requests a day.
Members ask for help in reading tombstone inscriptions from photographs, deciphering the zupu or genealogical book and generation poems, and reading old letters and signatures – all of which are important clues to one’s ancestry. They also seek advice on tracing their home town or adoptive parents, and practical steps to search for one’s ancestral village, among other requests.
Mr Co, who has a Master of Science in Business Administration from San Diego State University, picked up genealogy through research. He also taught himself the traditional Chinese script inscribed on ancestry materials like tombstones, and reads widely on Chinese culture and history.
He keeps a keen eye out for scams and spam to protect the integrity and privacy of the group’s Facebook page, especially since his members are sharing personal information that are often family secrets
Some have reached out to him privately for help due to family feuds and adoptions, he said.
Mr Boon Choo, who used to work in the financial industry, is one of those members who have found success with CAR.
The 62-year-old Singaporean retiree went back to his family’s grave site in Malacca in April and took photos of the tombstone that had Chinese inscriptions bearing his grandfather’s name and home town. He showed the photos to Mr Co, who traced his ancestry to Chaoyang district in China’s Guangdong province.
“My father died in his early 50s, and little was known about our family history,” Mr Choo said. “I speak mainly English and my identity until recently had been very Western.”
He added: “Unless we find our ancestry, we wouldn’t know the circumstances which made our forefathers came to Nanyang (South-east Asia). We think we are self-determining individuals, but we are connected to everything around us, past and present.”
Mr Choo will visit his ancestral village with his siblings soon.
Said Mr Co: “Many people do not know that a tombstone is like a QR code. It can bring the living into an exciting world of information about their ancestors.”
Another success story comes from Singaporean Claudia Wee, a recent NTU Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate. The 26-year-old was commissioned by South Korea’s DMZ International Documentary Film Festival to produce a documentary on ancestral roots and cultural heritage. She contacted the Genealogy Society Singapore, which roped in Mr Co to help.
Using photographs kept by her late grandfather that show long-lost relatives posing at a temple, Mr Co and his China contact, Mr Tony Pe Sim, traced her ancestral temple in China from the hazy inscriptions on a temple pillar. They found her relatives in Xiamen city in Fujian in three days.
“It was a very emotional moment meeting them for the first time,” said Ms Wee, who visited Xiamen in March. “I also discovered I became an aunt as my distant cousin was pregnant when I visited, and has since given birth to a cute baby girl.”
Ms Claudia Wee (third from left) reunited with her long-lost aunt, cousin and his wife in Xiamen in March 2024. PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS CLAUDIA WEE
CAR is largely a one-man show, though Mr Co gets occasional help from others such as Mr Sim, a genealogical enthusiast from Xiamen.
To keep the Facebook page interesting, Mr Co curates content, including genealogy tips, write-ups on festivals and customs, and peripheral topics such as Hokkien idioms.
One of his favourite series is “Meet and greet your unknown relatives in CAR”, where he surprises some of his members by declaring that they are related to one another, after he conducts thorough research on their ancestry.
“Imagine that you might only know your grandfather, but suddenly new information about your great-great-grandfather from the generation poem or ancestry tree shows that the classmate you had is actually your nephew.”
Mr Co is considering tie-ups with organisations which can help with “the last mile” of the search, such as providing guides and translators who can assist during home-town visits. He may also set up a website for people to gain easier access to information and help.
“Many people thought that their cases were hopeless,” he said. “But when they see others find success, they tell themselves that this is why their ancestors guided them to CAR.”
One of them is Singaporean Ernest Lim, 67, who is tracing his ancestors in Fujian.
“CAR has many experts and a big membership,” said the retired administrative officer. “The possibility of my success is much greater.”
While not all quests end in happy reunions, many are a step closer in their search for loved ones.
Ms Sue Jardine, a retired information manager in her 60s who was adopted and lives in London, started with little information. However, since joining the group in November 2023, Nathan has helped her find her cousins in the Philippines.
“CAR has opened my eyes to a multitude of challenges faced and overcome by our ancestors,” she said. “It’s heart-warming to read about the awe and delight felt by those who have discovered their family histories or made connections with members of their clans.”