WHEN I EXPLORE a cemetery, I often wonder about the lives of the people buried here. Does the name tell me anything? Do the dates have special meanings? Did their lives impact our community?
I know that many obituaries and memorial services declare that these people will never be forgotten. Time for a reality check. Most of these people are forgotten after a generation. This came home to me when I looked at two grave markers which simply read “Mother” and “Father.” Who remembers them now?
In Ocean View Cemetery, there is a grave marker for the Lum family, Sue and Mary. Who were they? First, they were early Chinese immigrants to our area. They operated several business ventures. For many years, most people knew who Lum Sue was.
In many Asian cultures, family names are traditionally placed before their given names. In Chinese culture, the family name is called “xingshi” and the given name is called “ming.” If we used the same convention, then we might know a Smith John or McDonald Bob.
Obviously, their names were anglicized. But that did not seem to bother them. They were part of this community, and correct pronunciations were not as important.
Lum Sue was born in Guangzhou, China, on Jan. 15, 1874. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1888. His older brother, Wong Wah, came to Clallam County at this time and started a truck farm in the Dry Creek area. Later, in 1895, Lum Sue and his brother, Lum Gee, also came to Clallam County.
Sadly, Wong Wah died on Aug. 31, 1908. His body was shipped back to China. Lum Gee died in 1922. You can find his grave marker at Ocean View Cemetery.
In 1910, after Lum Sue established himself here, he sent word back to China for a wife. Lum Sue did not abandon all his oriental roots. He met her in San Francisco, where they married. Mary was born on Jan. 2, 1890, in China. The 1932 Polk City Directory indicates her name was anglicized as “Haygar.” Mary was a better name to be known by.
Soon after Lum Sue arrived here, he became Christian and was a Baptist.
The First Baptist Church of Port Angeles was established in 1890. The church was hit hard by both low membership and the Depression of 1893. With the numerous problems surrounding it, the First Baptist Church dissolved in 1895.
Fred Bishop and his wife arrived in Port Angeles around 1913. They longed for a Baptist church to worship in. So, they began looking for other Baptists in the area, hoping to make a new start. One person they contacted was Lum Sue, who was known to be a Baptist. Lum Sue named other Baptists for them to contact. Soon, Baptists were meeting at the home of Samuel Orr. Before long, they outgrew the Orr home. In 1913, the First Baptist Church was reinstated.
The church records indicate Lum Sue may have been a charter member of the resurrected First Baptist Church. Lum Sue may have also encouraged the congregation to collect and send $78 for the Starving Chinese organization. He remained affiliated with First Baptist until his death.
Lum Sue prospered as a farmer. The logistics proved to be a problem. Getting his vegetables from Dry Creek into Port Angeles meant hitching up a team of horses and hauling a big wagon. This was totally inadequate. Time to mechanize.
The front page of the March 11, 1913, edition of the Port Angeles Olympic newspaper noted Lum Sue’s purchase of a new truck for selling vegetables. The article noted that Lum Sue “markets his early radish and onions at 5¢ per bunch.” It was also noted that he did not charge high prices.
The truck brand was identified as Menominee. I had never heard of this brand before, but as I learned, “THE MENOMINEE spells economy.” Lum Sue bought a Model C 1½-ton truck.
Any good entrepreneur fills a need. “In Port Angeles the only people who do not have their own kitchen garden are those who find it cheaper to buy from one of the market gardeners.” Today, very few people have their own vegetable garden.
Prior to 1920, Lum Sue had purchased the Pine Hill Grocery. By 1921, Lum Sue was expanding his enterprises. On Feb. 25, 1921, local newspapers noted that a contract was secured to build three five-room bungalows and one concrete store building for Lum Sue. The article noted that Lum Sue was “preparing to relieve the house shortage somewhat.”
It appears the three bungalows were revised into an eight-unit apartment building at Eighth and Cedar. The apartment building was completed in 1922.
The concrete store building became Lum Sue Mercantile Company. In the 1926 Polk City Directory, Lum Sue advertised having Chinese and Japanese merchandise. The advertisement also included a picture of Lum Sue standing next to two squashes on one vine. Each squash weighed 115 pounds.
Lum Sue was doing well as a businessman. Along with all the business expansion he was involved with, in 1922 he also purchased a new Ford Model T, which was his primary transportation as long as he was able to get out of his home. In fact, he kept that car as bright and shiny as the day it was purchased. It was quite an interesting sight to see it around Port Angeles.
On April 13, 1950, Lum Sue died of coronary thrombosis (blood clot). We should be reminded how fast things can change. It was only 45 minutes between onset and death. Lum Sue was 76 years old.
On May 24, 1951, Mary died five days after she suffered a stroke. She was 61 years old.
I wrote earlier that people’s lives are generally forgotten after a generation. Though they may be forgotten, their legacy can continue even to this day. We simply need to look for it.
Today there are very few people who remember Lum Sue. Those who do have nothing but fond memories.
Lum Sue’s enterprises helped feed, supply and house the people of Port Angeles. He also helped meet the spiritual needs of the community. Most things are faded and gone. But the apartment building Lum Sue built still exists. As does the First Baptist Church he helped reestablish. So, his legacy continues even today.
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John McNutt is a descendant of Clallam County pioneers and treasurer of the North Olympic History Center Board of Directors. He can be reached at woodrowsilly@gmail.com.
McNutt’s Clallam history column appears the first Saturday of every month.
A somewhat grainy image from a 1913 newspaper article showing Lum Sue’s new Menominee vegetable truck.
