I was born in Hong Kong in May 1951.  My dad George Yee returned to Hong Kong in 1949 from Seattle to reunite with my mom Ma, Yee Man with the plan of bringing her to Seattle.  However, my mom’s immigration documents were delayed for approval. My dad had to return to Seattle alone when I was about 6 months old.  He joined the Wah Young Company after he returned to Seattle and was with the company until his retirement in the 1980s. The wait for immigration approval lasted over a decade and we’re finally ready to move to Seattle in 1968.  Tragedy struck when my mom had a stroke and died one month before our departure date.  I delayed my Seattle arrival until August 17, 1969 when I was 18 and met my dad for the first time since I was a baby at 6 months.   

According to family story, my great grand father first came to America in California in the late 1800s, followed with each generation by my grandfather Ming Yee who died in Seattle in 1944, my father George Yee who died in Seattle in 1991 and I arrived in Seattle in 1969.  Both of my children Alex and Andrea were born in Seattle so is my grandson Koehn who was born on March 8, 2018.  Thus 6 generations of Yees have set roots in these United States of America, with five generations here in Seattle.

The store front of Wah Young 717-719 South King Street is now the Wing Luke Asian Museum.

 

– Frederick Yee

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more