Uncovering Our History: Asian Americans in Austin
By Esther Chung | November 11, 2008
Joe Sing. Sing Family Papers (AR.2008.002) (1). Austin History Center, Austin Public Library
Guest writer, Esther Chung Asian Austin is about our rich culture, past, present and future. We are proud to present a new quarterly column by Esther Chung, the Asian American Neighborhood Liaison for the City of Austin. Esther collects oral histories, photographs, letters and other documents related to Asian Americans and their history in Austin.
Through this exclusive column, Esther will tell us about new acquisitions at the Austin History Center. To learn more about the archives or to share your own history, visit the Austin History Center at 810 Guadalupe St, or contact Esther Chung, Neighborhood Liaison at esther.chung@ci.austin.tx.us or 512-974-7394.
Joe Sing, a Chinese Laundryman in Austin
Jo Feng Sheng was born in China in 1860, most likely in Guangdong Province. He came to the United States around 1890 to find work and send money back to his family in China. His name, like many Chinese immigrants’ names back then, was “Americanized” to sound more familiar to western ears. Thus, Jo Feng Sheng became Joe Sing.
Joe Sing first came through Boston then New Orleans and eventually settled in Austin. He opened Hong Lee Laundry on 5th Street. His business provided laundry service to many State Legislators and Austinites back then. The laundry business was tough work, consisting of long hours and hard physical labor.
After settling in Austin, Sing married Francis Moreno, a Mexican American woman. Because of the law back then, Moreno unjustly lost her U.S. citizenship for marrying a Chinese man. The couple had four children, Senovia, Joe Jr., Rumalda, and Margaret. Sing’s family knew him as a quiet man who never talked about his life in China even though he corresponded with his family in China during his time in Austin. Joe Sing died in 1927, at the age of 67 in a hit-and-run car accident.
The Sing Family Collection is the first Asian American archive acquired under the new Asian American Liaison program. It is also the oldest Asian American archive to date at the Austin History Center. This collection includes correspondence with relatives and business contacts, family photos, business receipts, laundry equipment advertisements, and a book from China. The finding aid is up on Texas Archival Resources Online on this page: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/aushc/00025/ahc-00025.html
To learn more about Joe Sing and other Asian Americans in Austin, visit the Austin History Center at 810 Guadalupe St, or contact Esther Chung, Neighborhood Liaison at esther.chung@ci.austin.tx.us or 512-974-7394
The Austin History Center collects and preserves the history of Austin and Travis County and chronicles the people and events that have shaped our community. The goal of the Asian American Neighborhood Liaison program is to collect letters, photographs, personal and family archives, books, maps, newspapers, business records, and other documents related to Asian Americans and their history in Austin.
Acquired donations:
- Photos and documents from the artist, R.C. Wong
- Yearbooks from India Community Center
Anticipated donations:
- Archives of the late Duke Tu, a Chinese military officer at Bergstrom Army Air Field
- Archives of Harry Ng, late restaurant owner of Chinese restaurants in 1920’s
About the Asian American Neighborhood Liaison
Esther Chung has been the Neighborhood Liaison to the Asian American community for the Austin History Center since 2007. She has a Masters in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Sociology from Southern Methodist University. Her areas of expertise include project management and community outreach. Esther serves on the board of Camp Fire USA Balcones Council and volunteers for SAHELI for Asian Families.
