Mohamed HASSUM (aka Chiney) [1860-1919]

Submitted by Salmandaw on
Profile photo
Carl Smith 00155487
Names
Title
Hajee
Given
Mohamed
Family
Hassum
Alias / nickname
Chiney
Sex
Male
Status
Deceased
Born
Date
(Day & Month are approximate.)
Died
Date
Died in (country)
Hong Kong

As per the SCMP article dated May 31st 1919 from the Carl smith card #00155487 Hajee Mahomed Hassum Chiney , proprietor of the firm M.H.E . Ellias, Wyndham St aged 59. had given $21,000 for the rebuilding of Mosque (mostly jamia)

Im not sure if this person is the same as H.M.H ESSACK ELIAS

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Photos that show this Person

Hajee Mohamed Hassum Chinoy death notice in China Mail, May 30, 1919
1919
Hajee Mohamed Hassum Chiney death notice in South China Morning Post, May 31, 1919
1919
Jamia Mosque Foundation Stone
????
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Comments

Carl Smith card 155995 reads:

Haji Mahomed Hasham (al.) Mahomed Haji Esack Ellias

H. K. R. S. 143 -    1867 -    23.2.1920    (36/1920)

- formerly of Bombay, India, late of H.K. merchant & commission agent, died 29 May, 1919.

Adm. - Abdool.Satar Fazul Mahomed, 33 Wyndham St.

Sur. - Haji Mahomed Haji Nemazee, 1 Des Voeux Road C. merchant.

(xout - Abdoola Fucheira Arculli, 64 Queen's Road, Army contractor.)

- $ 10,634.

I think the first line means: Haji Mahomed Hasham, alias Mahomed Haji Esack Ellias.

(I've edited the date of death from 31 May to 29 May to match the text above.)

David is right, the (al.) means alias so Haji Mahomed Hasham (or Hassum) is the same person as Mahomed Haji Esack Ellias.

Haji = male title, meaning someone who has completed the Hajj, one of the 5 pillars of Islam. 

It may be his 'original' full name was Mahomed Hassum (or Hasham) Esack Ellias but for convenience this may have been shortened to Mahomed or Mahomed Hassum/Hasham in everyday parlance. And then when he did the Hajj, the title got added onto his name. 

It is also worth bearing in mind there is no surname as is understood in the Western sense, for the South Asians. Their offspring, living and working within the British Empire, later adopted the custom of a surname - and not infrequently, each of these offspring would have a different surname from each other.

And yes, Chiney is a sort of a moniker. In Hindustani it means 'Chinese'. So this serves as a shorthand that when talking about so and so (there may have been other Mahomeds in the family or in the business community) that when they are talking about Haji Mahomed Hassum Chiney, everyone knew who was being referred to specifically. It seems in your case the moniker 'Chiney' unwittingly became a surname with time. 

And to confuse things further, I suspect that those not familiar with the nomenclature or meaning of Haji mixed up the title Haji into the name so the word order became a salad; i.e. the word 'Haji' became incorporated into the name and it came up in different order variations e.g. Mahomed Haji blah blah or Haji Mahomed blah blah. He could have just been called by his peers as 'Haji' for short (not many would have completed the Hajj). With time, that just morphed to be his name too.