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Research in Other Countries => Other Countries => Topic started by: gloucester girl on Monday 09 September 13 21:17 BST (UK)

Title: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: gloucester girl on Monday 09 September 13 21:17 BST (UK)
My Gt Grandmother 's brother Charles Simon was in Singapore around 1860-1900 I guess his daughter Isabelle Alexandrine married Alexander Gow , a scot, they had 5 children.  I came across an obit for Isabelle in 1939 and mention of a death for an Alexander in 1944 ish .  Can anyone help with Singapore details.
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: garstonite on Tuesday 10 September 13 07:53 BST (UK)
Alexander Gow died 7th July 1943 Singapore Island ...
was it a natural death - or due to Japanese Invasion ?? WW2....
maybe have a look on CWGC to find out  ??
ADDED
How sad - to live to be 74 and killed during the war
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/3171130/GOW,%20ALEXANDER

if you click on the box right hand side - VIEW CERTIFICATE ....you will see a Memorial for him ...
A nice sign of Respect ....
So now you know Alexander Gow was born 1868/69....
do you know what year and where he married Isabelle Alexandrine Simon ?
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: garstonite on Tuesday 10 September 13 08:22 BST (UK)
Was Isabelle Alexandrine Simon married TWICE ?
THERE IS THIS BIRTH ...and you have to admit the name is rather uncommon ..

Charles Alexander Hugh McClean born 26th november 1874 in Kilfinichen and Kilvickeon,Argyle,Scotland
father Archibald McClean
mother Isabelle Alexandrina Simon .....this would make her born 1854 ish OR is this her MOTHER the wife of Charles Simon who has re married ?
or just another Isabelle Alexandrine Simon ??
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: gloucester girl on Tuesday 10 September 13 11:35 BST (UK)
Isabelle Alexandrine was the daughter of Charles Simon, and niece of Isabelle Alexandrina who was born in Penang in 1854, and who did marry twice.  I am hoping that that there are still Gow family in Singapore.
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: jorose on Tuesday 10 September 13 16:21 BST (UK)
Who were the five children?

http://newspapers.nl.sg
 - I can see at least one marriage for one of the daughters (in 1939), as well as a 1916 article about Charles Simon, brother of "Mrs J Gow" (mistake?) who was executed.

Her obituary says "two daughters and three sons" and a list of names in which it is not clear who is son/daughter or in-law. She was only 58 when she died.

I can see at least one possible son (F.L.V) who later appears to have moved to Western Australia, and I found a reference to what I believe is a son who was b. in Singapore in 1938, which mentions Sime Road Internment Camp.  I will PM with details of this family.
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: gloucester girl on Monday 16 September 13 19:24 BST (UK)
The Obit for Mrs I A Gow gave clues as to the children.  I think John might have been a son.  Frank  is one of the son (Francois Leon Victor Gow, ) and Alexander . and one of the daughters is Janet Marguerita < and she married maybe twice but in 1939 she was married to Carl Lawson.  It would be really great to locate Gow decendants and see if they can throw light on what happed to Mrs I A Gows family. 
She had a brother Charles Simon who was shot in Liege, Namur in 1915. his death notice states that he was the son of Mr Simon who had been the manager of the Ipoh Marble Quarries.  Does anyone have any more info.. Thank you in anticipation.
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: gowma on Monday 19 October 15 23:06 BST (UK)
Hi Glouster Girl,

Isabelle was my great Grandmother, Francois (Frank) Gow was my grandfather, and my father was born and grew up in Singapore and Malaya (he is the 3rd of 4 siblings - 2 boys, 2 girls, and 3 of them have had children now living in Australia, Singapore and Germany). 

You can find my grandparent's (Frank and Aldyth) wedding photo online in the Straits Times in a previous post (c1933) My father told me Alexander Gow died during the war when the Japanese bombed Singapore, and his house was bombed.  His grave was recently moved due to a shopping centre being built on the old cemetery site.  Frank went missing during the bombing of Singapore during WW2, and my grandmother and the children were interred in Sime Road camp by the Japanese.  Frank was found by the Red Cross and reunited with the family at the end of the war. I believe Alexander had something to do with the construction of the Jahor causeway earlier in the century (pre-war). I am afraid don't know much about his wife Isabelle, and what happened to her at this time. I do recall being told she was French, and Richard and Alexander seem to be important family names for the first born sons in our family.  Often the family members go by their second given name, which can confuse research a bit.

Most of the Gow family left Singapore in the mid 60's and moved to New Zealand and Australia (Perth).  Both Frank and Aldyth past away in Perth, Australia - Frank was c 80yo, and I think Aldyth was 90 yo.

Jorose (previous post) - mentions my father who was the son born in 1938, and interned in Sime Road.

Remaining family in Singapore: My uncle returned to live in Kuala Lumpur, and married with one child, and my brother moved to Singapore a few years back with 2 children (great-great grand children of Isabelle and Alexander)

Would love to learn more about the French connection if you have these infos.
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: gloucester girl on Tuesday 20 October 15 10:46 BST (UK)
Who are you. Where are you based. I am so excited!
I am Gillean, I live in UK. I have spoken to Shirley Gow in W.A

shall we speak..
my email is (*)

and yes!  I can fill you in on a lot of the family history of your French side of the family, .....

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Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: gloucester girl on Tuesday 20 October 15 12:09 BST (UK)
Your great Granny Isabelle and my granny Violet were cousins. They met about 1896, probably in france or belgium, . Isabelle's father was Charles Thompson Simon, and Violets mother was Isabelle Alexandrine, they were siblings. Are you in  touch with Shirley.... she can give you my details, as I can't post them on here.  Are you in Germany..... is Earle  your father?
We are cousins, somewhat removed, but never the less still cousins.
Gillean
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: seemex on Saturday 31 October 15 21:22 GMT (UK)
This is a shot into the dark, but I have a photo from 1939 Malaya of a family friend by the name "Mrs Gow" May have been taken around KL. My aunt worked at The Rubber Institute.
I may have another shot someplace if it's the right Gow family?
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: gloucester girl on Saturday 31 October 15 23:48 GMT (UK)
Really sorry I dont know the answer.  It seems very probable.  The family were in KL  at the  time, do you have an address?  I will look at the pictures I do have, it may well the wife of one of the 3 brothers.
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: seemex on Sunday 01 November 15 19:29 GMT (UK)
I don't have any address but I might have a better view of the home which may match up to something you have, I'll check and post as soon as I can find it. I'm in the process of sorting photos so getting beter organized all the time
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: cjc22 on Saturday 13 January 18 19:02 GMT (UK)
Hi, Alexander Gow and Isabelle Alexandrine Simon were my great grandparents. My grandmother was their daughter, Agnes Gow who married Tjong Tiong Oei. Agnes Gow died in Hong Kong around 1944. I have a copy of Alexander Gow's birth certificate as well as a copy of the internment register in Singapore. If anyone has more information on Isabelle Simon, it would be appreciated. Was she French/English?
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: cjc22 on Monday 30 March 20 09:47 BST (UK)
Is anyone still looking for this information? I have some on Alexander Gow. I have a copy of his birth certificate. He was born on September 29th, 1868 at 4 a.m. in Brewlands Bridge, Glenisla. He died July 7th, 1943 in Changi Internment Camp, allegedly executed by the Japanese in front of his son John and daughter Janet. His wife, Isabelle Alexandrine Simon died in September, 1939 but I have no more information on her. I had also heard she was French but an earlier post here mentions a Charles Thompson Simon (her father?) which would not be a French name. Does anyone have any further info? I would be very appreciative of a response. We're trying to piece together as much info as we can but it is difficult with so much time having passed.
Title: Re: Help please with Alexander Gow and Isabelle alexandrine Simon in Singapore
Post by: seemex on Tuesday 31 March 20 00:41 BST (UK)
Here's another photo showing the Gow home around 1938. Maybe it will match something in your own pictures or albums. That would be Mrs Gow on the right. I should add that this may be a different Gow, or as was mentioned, possibly one of the brothers. I also have a letter from a young girl by the name Gillian Gow that was sent to my mother after the war. Gillian seems to have been living in England at the time and my mother was in Hollywood, CA