Shew and Yee Family Photograph Collection
Scope and Contents
The Shew and Yee Family Photograph Collection contains 10 prints made from scanned files, one notecard, and one scanned file. The colleciton documents two Chinese immigrant families in St. Louis' Chinatown, also known as Hop Alley. Two of the prints contain two images each, for a total of 14 images. Yee family photos show Weeget (b. 1880) and Nong Yee (b. 1893) with their children: Hackman Yee (b. 1924), Rose Yee Shew (1925-1994), Dickman Yee (b. 1926), Jackman Yee (b. 1929), Lily Yee (b. 1929), and Marie Yee (b. 1934). Shew family photos show Jimmy Lee Shew (1912-1993) and Rose Yee Shew with their children: Dorothy Shew (b. 1941); Martha Shew (b. 1944); Mary Shew (b. 1944); John Shew (b. 1946); and Ed Shew (b. 1949). Photos also show Jimmy Lee Shew's parents (names unknown), as well as Shew family benefactors Clarence M. and Ruth Turley. Photos include candid snapshots, posed group shots, and studio portraits. In addition, one photo shows Yee's Cafe Chop Suey restaurant in Hop Alley. The notecard features a color drawing by John Shew showing Martha, Mary, and John Shew as children posed in front of a Hop Alley curio shop.
Dates
- Majority of material found in ca. 1931-1956
Conditions Governing Access
No viewing restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. The user assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.
Biographical / Historical
Jimmy Lee Shew immigrated to the United States from Guangdong province in southern China as a paper son in 1928. Paper sons/paper daughters were those who were born in China and immigrated to the US by obtaining false documents that indicated they were blood relatives, typically sons or daughters, of Chinese individuals who had already obtained United States citizenship. Once in the United States, Jimmy settled in Hop Alley and worked as a waiter.
Weegat Yee immigrated to the United States from China around 1905, and Nong Yee immigrated around 1923.
Their children were born and raised in the Hop Alley neighborhood. Weegat and Nong also worked in Hop Alley, where they operated a Chinese hand laundry.
The Hop Alley neighborhood was leveled in the mid-1960s for construction of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball stadium.
Extent
0.02 Cubic Feet ( (1 folder))
0.261 Gigabytes ( (1 digital file))
Language of Materials
English
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
No physical or technical restrictions.
Donor Information
Collection donated by Edwin F. Shew in 2023.
Existence and Location of Originals
Donor’s brother retains posession of the original photographs. The photos in this collection are prints made from digital scans of these photographs. The exception is the digital file; that image (P1303-00012) is an original from the donor’s collection that was scanned at MHS by Amanda Claunch. The donor retains posession of this original photograph.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital copies and item-level records of select images are posted as they are created and can be accessed through the Online Collections on the Missouri Historical Society website (mohistory.org/collections).
Digitized images are generated from the original item whenever possible and files are adjusted only to ensure an accurate representation. Master files are saved in TIF format and JPEG viewing files are automatically generated from the master files.
Formats
Digital prints; Digital image
Processing Information
Processed by Lauren Sallwasser, 2025.
- Title
- Guide to the Shew and Yee Family Photograph Collection.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- EAD by Lauren Sallwasser using ArchivesSpace.
- Date
- 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Missouri Historical Society, Photographs and Prints Department Repository
Library and Research Center
225 South Skinker Boulevard
St. Louis MO 63105
photo@mohistory.org