When Did King Mar's Family Arrive in Wichita?

Thanks to Adam’s history class project in 2004, Uncle Kim provided a little information about King Mar’s Dad being the first to come to Wichita, KS.

[Adam’s] Great-great grandfather first came to the U.S. and bought the Pan American Café in Wichita with three partners.  All partners were named Mar.

From “American Paper Son,”  editor Benson Tong’s notes (page 134):

An examination of city directories for the 1910s and 1920s revealed that the restaurant was most likely established in 1920 and was initially run by Hung Ling, then owned by Mar Lee Quong.  King Mar was not listed as owner or manager until 1929…  Henry Mar … was listed working at various restaurants, but never at the Pan American Café.  It is possible that he was a “silent” partner in that restaurant.  Prior to its establishment, it was a cafeteria and then a restaurant, both owned by Euro-Americans.

[In previous posts in the E-blog, Henry Mar was present in photos of the Pan American Café Christmas parties in 1945 and 1946.]

King Mar arrived in the U.S. in 1917, spent some time in the Monterey, California area.

Here are notes I took of an interview I did once with Grandpa King.  The only one time I ever had a chance to ask about his past.

King came to the U.S. June/July 1914 and landed in San Francisco.  Spent 30 days on the ship, Mongolia (U.S. company).  His name was Mah King; he was not entering using the paper son method.  He came as a merchant’s son as stated on his certificate – one of the exceptions to the Chinese Exclusion Act rules.

He was put in a hospital due to hookworms, 9 days in the hospital for treatment.  “sick like a dog.”

While on board the ship, he learned about the start of World War One about a prince being assassinated.

His Dad came to the U.S. at age 12.  He died in China of an accidental gun shot.  I had notes elsewhere someone saying it was a suicide.

Another note says King was at Angel Island for 10 days being examined and getting over his sickness.  He spoke no English.  Stayed in San Francisco for one month and went to a Christian Church going to night school, Mon-Fri, two hours each night.  Miss Edwards taught him English.  One month and 5 days in San Francisco and got through the first grade book.

Angel Island

His father bought a restaurant in Tracy, CA. and King had to go to work and gave up schooling and learned restaurant work.  “The first word I learned was hamburger.”  Workday schedule was  5 am to 9 pm, 7 days a week.

This one note is cryptic:  King’s Dad, Mah Gee, at age 18, (paper son > brother) Uncle Sam.  ??

King was 19 years old on arrival (matches: born 1895, arrived 1914) for work in the restaurant.

Sam Mah and Lee Gwong Mah (aka Mah Gee), both spoke English. Lee Gwong Mah matches Benson Tong’s name above of Mar Lee Quong.  In this blog and other writings, the family name will appear first and last.   

Sam spoke less English.  Sam came to the U.S. in 1910 or 1911 as someone else’s son.  Didn’t have any notes on Lee Gwong if he was a paper son.  To add to the confusion, on the family tree, King’s Dad is listed as Dune Toi Mar (= Lee Gwong Mah = Mar Lee Quong).

King spent seven years in Tracy and 2 years back in China.  Then went to Wichita by train in Sept 1923.

Family tree I created first in 1995 and used to start
the My Heritage family tree.  My apologies for
an ABC's attempt to write calligraphy.

See the last E-blog of the Sam Joe Mar Family.  That Sam Joe Mar was a cousin and his father was a brother of Lee Gwong.  [So, this is another proof to me, and Kim, that Junior Mar and his family and Sam Joe Mar are relatives]

While King was back in China, Lee Gwong went to Wichita.  In 1920 he bought the Pan American.  So, Kim, in that 1920’s photo of the Pan American Café that will be either our great-grand father or his partner, Sam Mah.  (Don’t confuse him with Sam Joe Mar; we're dealing with a lot of Sams in this family).  Could it even be King Mar?

A caveat by Benson Tong:  One limitation of oral histories and autobiographies: human memory is fallible, and as such, recollections are sometimes inaccurate or incomplete.    Anyone with new information or facts, please come forward.