Family Matriarch LK Lennie Lee (1923-2021) lived a long and productive life.
While sorting through her belongings, we discovered a book she had written about her life and times plus those of our forebears. At the top of the first page, there was a handwritten note:
“Grandmother Lee’s Autobiography.
Note: Needs Corrections and upgrading”
Our family dutifully began to go over her work expecting conventional tales.
Perhaps they came for the 1849 Gold Rush, or to work on the railroads. Instead, we found astonishing stories. For example, Lennie claimed our ancestors’ seafaring stories were in part, the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic adventure novel Treasure Island.
Becoming American: a 600 Year Odyssey chronicles the interesting facts and stories found while working to confirm the plausibility of Lennie’s amazing tales.
Cathcart Map
of San Francisco’s Chinatown
While conducting research, a very interesting book came to light by Jim Schein:
Based on the work of photographer/map maker Ken Cathcart, Jim has produced a hand-colorized map of Chinatown in 1947 highlighting historically significant locations in “Dai Fou” (Big City). The map depicts many of the places Lennie referred to and is a wonderful visual aid for the target audience of Becoming American...young people.
You are invited to take a virtual tour of San Francisco Chinatown. Study the map, then press the button below and a series of icons will appear. Click on any one and a dialogue box will appear giving a little information about the place selected.
Images courtesy of Schein and Schein Inc.