During the late 1880s and 1890s, Sam Wah Kee was the most wealthy Chinese merchant in all of New England, a leader of the Chinese Free Masons, and the uncrowned king of Chinatown. His ultimate fate is unknown, as he fled from federal authorities and apparently was never apprehended. It’s a fascinating tale of the rise and fall of an influential Chinese merchant in Boston’s Chinatown.
Sam Wah Kee, whose family name was actually Ah Moy, was born on October 1, 1856, in Canton, China, and came to San Francisco in 1868, when he was 12 years old. Sam Wah Kee would later become his business name, and the name he was most commonly known by. Sam likely came to San Francisco with other members of his family. The Moy family was very powerful in the U.S., and by 1890, there were more members of the Moy family than any other Chinese family in Boston’s Chinatown.
Upon his arrival in the U.S., Sam spent five years in Salem, Oregon and a year in Chicago before he moved to Boston, around 1875. Sam was first mentioned in the local newspapers in 1883, as part of a historic event. The Morning Journal-Courier (CT), November 19, 1883, printed that, “The first child born to Chinese parents in Boston, a girl, came into the world here at No.33 Causeway street. The happy parents are Mr. and Mrs. Sam Wah Kee. Mrs. Sam, who is only sixteen years old, is the only pure blooded Chinese woman in the city.” This was actually Sam’s second wife, his first living in China.
Around this time, Sam was a laundryman, although he might have been involved in other businesses as well, and already seemed to be making good money. The Daily Chronicle (TN), June 5, 1884, noted that Sam’s wife had “...elaborate wardrobe of Chinese silks, heavy with embroidery and fastened with ornamental clasps of native gold, while the wardrobe for the baby comes from a prominent Chinese house in San Francisco.”
In 1885, Sam was noted as helping 22 Chinese who had been arrested for gambling on Sunday. During the next fifteen years, Sam Wah Kee often appeared to help bail out and assist Chinese who had been arrested. He used his wealth to pay bails and fines, to help the people of his community.
It was also in 1885 that Sam was known as a local importer and merchant, including in the tea trade. By 1887, he owned a grocery store at 36 Harrison Avenue, and that building also became the center for the Chinese Free Masons, of which Sam was the leader. And in 1888, it was estimated that Sam was worth $18,000 to $20,000 (roughly $500,000 in today’s dollars).
On December 2, 1888, Sam’s wife, who was now one of only two native Chinese wives in Boston, gave birth to the first Chinese baby boy born in Boston. A grand feast, attended by about 700 Chinese was held for this occasion, and their son received two names. His Chinese name was Moy Poy Hem and his American name was Ames Hart Kee. A second feast was held in early January at the Parker House, and a number of non-Chinese were invited and the Boston Globe, January 9, 1889, claimed, “It will be the dinner of dinners in Boston this winter.”
The Boston Globe, June 30, 1889, stated, “The wealthiest Chinaman in Boston and probably in all New England is Sam Wah Kee, who is at the head of the Wah Kee Company in this city, and one of the acknowledged leaders of the New England branch of Chinese Free Masonry.” It was also claimed his wealth was estimated to be at least $100,000 (about $2.8 million in today’s dollars).
In May 1894, Moy Toung You, Sam’s elder brother and business partner, who lived in Canton, became very ill. Sam traveled to China to see his brother, who unfortunately died before Sam reached him. While Sam was gone, there were allegations that he was involved in the illegal immigration of Chinese over the Canadian border into Vermont, although Boston officials didn’t believe that allegation.
Sam returned to Boston around March 1895 but had left his wife and children behind in China. However, he arrived with a third wife, whom his first two wives had chosen for him. For the next nearly six years, Sam continued his life in Chinatown, running his mercantile empire and helping his community.
Everything fell apart in January 1901, when Sam was arrested in Maine, alleged to be involved in illegal immigration. After several days in jail, Sam made bail but then failed to show up for his next court date. Evidence against Sam mounted, alleging he had assisted over 1000 Chinese illegally enter the country. A year later, Sam had still not been apprehended, and his third wife then vanished from her home at 8 Oxford Place.
From the king of Chinatown to a wanted fugitive, Sam amassed much wealth in the U.S., and it doesn’t appear that U.S. authorities ever tried to seize any of that wealth, beyond his $1000 bail. Sam’s ultimate fate is not known, though he apparently eluded U.S. authorities, and he might have eventually traveled back to China with his third wife.
For more information, you may read Richard Auffrey’s lengthier article on this topic at https://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com/2021/02/sam-wah-kee-from-chinatowns-most.html
To read this article in Chinese (Traditional), please click here.
