I've just come across a newspaper clipping where Mme Le Bon's (or "Lebon", as the paper spelled it) name is mentioned. It seems her son, who changed his surname to "Bain", married a Jewish woman, Bertha Bain née Bassis of Shanghai, in 1932. Sadly, Bertha passed away less than a year later of pleurisy and double pneumonia. She is buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Happy Valley. I don't know if the Lebons/Bains were Jewish and I don't know whatever became of them. If someone has more info about the Lebons/Bains, I'd love to hear from you!
Have you seen any other information that confirms the son changed his name? Another explanation of the name change could be that Mrs Bain re-married and took her new husband's name "Le Bon".
The information comes from The China Mail, on February 2, 1933. It's an obituary for Bertha Bain, who died at the age of 28. The article says that she was married to a Mr. A. Bain, manager of Athena Studio, at the time. They had been married for less than a year. The article goes on to say that her mother-in-law, a Madame A. Lebon, was accompanied at the funeral by an M. Lebon. That could mean that she (the mother-in-law) remarried and this M. Lebon was her husband at the time or that M. Lebon was another child. Alternatively, as I speculated above, the son changed his name from Lebon to Bain. Pseudo-Anglicising surnames was very common back then. Belilios became Belairs, Donnenberg became Dunn, Elias became Ellis, Khatoun became Gatton, Obadofsky became Odell, etc. It's well within the realm of possibility that the son would change his name to Bain.
Howard Elias is a Board member of the Jewish Historical Society of Hong Kong and also “looks after” the Jewish Cemetery located in Shan Kwong Rd, Happy Valley, as a service to the community.
Howard is an expert on all matters pertaining to the Jewish community of Hong Kong, plus of course members of that community buried in the cemetery. I’m sure he will be able to answer any questions relating to the Lebon / Bain families and their connection to the Jewish faith, if any.
Howard is an extremely approachable and helpful chap and I am sure will be happy to share any knowledge he may have!
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Madame Le Bon
I've just come across a newspaper clipping where Mme Le Bon's (or "Lebon", as the paper spelled it) name is mentioned. It seems her son, who changed his surname to "Bain", married a Jewish woman, Bertha Bain née Bassis of Shanghai, in 1932. Sadly, Bertha passed away less than a year later of pleurisy and double pneumonia. She is buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Happy Valley. I don't know if the Lebons/Bains were Jewish and I don't know whatever became of them. If someone has more info about the Lebons/Bains, I'd love to hear from you!
Bain / Le Bon
Have you seen any other information that confirms the son changed his name? Another explanation of the name change could be that Mrs Bain re-married and took her new husband's name "Le Bon".
Bain / Le Bon
The information comes from The China Mail, on February 2, 1933. It's an obituary for Bertha Bain, who died at the age of 28. The article says that she was married to a Mr. A. Bain, manager of Athena Studio, at the time. They had been married for less than a year. The article goes on to say that her mother-in-law, a Madame A. Lebon, was accompanied at the funeral by an M. Lebon. That could mean that she (the mother-in-law) remarried and this M. Lebon was her husband at the time or that M. Lebon was another child. Alternatively, as I speculated above, the son changed his name from Lebon to Bain. Pseudo-Anglicising surnames was very common back then. Belilios became Belairs, Donnenberg became Dunn, Elias became Ellis, Khatoun became Gatton, Obadofsky became Odell, etc. It's well within the realm of possibility that the son would change his name to Bain.
Jewish Cemetery
Howard Elias is a Board member of the Jewish Historical Society of Hong Kong and also “looks after” the Jewish Cemetery located in Shan Kwong Rd, Happy Valley, as a service to the community.
Howard is an expert on all matters pertaining to the Jewish community of Hong Kong, plus of course members of that community buried in the cemetery. I’m sure he will be able to answer any questions relating to the Lebon / Bain families and their connection to the Jewish faith, if any.
Howard is an extremely approachable and helpful chap and I am sure will be happy to share any knowledge he may have!