Teo Hong and Madam Ang Cheok Neo (Bukit Brown)

Teo Hong / Tio Hoo Hong / Tio Hong (of Lam Ann ancestry) was a Government and Singapore Harbour Board contractor who was involved in many projects from 1900 onwards. Teo Hong (Tio Hong in the burial registrar) passed away at the age of 90 on 29 March 1945. Teo Hong Road (赵芳路) is named after him. 

The death took place on 29th November 1936 of Mrs. Teo Hong nee Ang Cheok Neo at the age of 59 at her residence, 345 New Bridge Road after a stroke. Mrs. Teo Hong was the wife of Mr. Teo Hong, retired Government and Singapore Harbour Board contractor and mother of Mr. Teo Soo Piah, also a retired building contractor, and Mr. Teo Soo Theow and Mr. Teo Kah.  She was a member of the Hock Yan Lian Hoot Huay (Buddhist Association). 

Mr. Teo Hong, Teo Soo Piah, Teo Soo Teow and Teo Kah thanked all who attended the funeral of the late Mrs. Teo Hong nee Ang Cheok Neo on 6th December 1936. It is fortunate that Madam Ang Cheok Neo name is clearly listed in the tomb that we can make the connection from her obituary notice and make the link that Tio Hoo Hong (the name etched on the marble stone) and Teo Hong are the same person. 

From the tomb of Teo Hong and Madam Ang Cheok Neo, the name of the children are:
Son : Tio Swee Kah,Tio Swee Teow, Tio Siew Piah
Daughter : Tio Suan Neo,  Teo Kim Neo 

Teo Hong and Madam Ang Cheok Neo

Property owner 

Madam Ang Cheok Neo bought all the share, right, title and interest of Tan Hup Neo in land of Bukit Timah Road, area 44 acres 1 rood 30 poles for $4,500.
Madam Ang Cheok Neo bought freehold land and shophouse No. 3 and 4 Dhoby Ghaut area 1,128 and 1217 sq ft for $11,000 and $11,200 during an auction sale of land and house properties that used to belong to the estate of Shaik Aboobakar bin Mohamed Lajam at the saleroom of Messrs. Cheng Koong Seng and Co, No 30 Chulia Street. (April 1923). It is very likely that her husband and sons owned property all around Singapore as well and that the land and houses around Teo Hong Road used to be owned by them for the road to be named after them. 

Government Contractors Teo Hong and Teo Soo Piah 

I found a number of articles dating from 1900 - 1925 which mentions Teo Hong and his son, Teo Soo Piah bidding and winning tenders for a number of building maintenance and construction work including for Government House (The Istana), Raffles Institution, etc. 

• Teo Hong tender for the erection of an experimental ward at Tan Tock Seng's Hospital for $11,700 (29 November 1900).
• Teo Hong tender for croquet lawn and bowling green at Government House for $3,150 (5 March 1906)
• Teo Hong, painting at Government House got $4,900 (30 April 1908)
• Teo Hong and Teo Soo Piah won the bid for the erection of 4 class III quarters at Tanglin Hill (a total of 18 tenders with the highest tender $142,000) Teo Hong and Teo Soo Piah bid was $68,000. In the same article in 12 March 1923, they won a tender to built a new Marine Police Station and inspectors' quarters near the Treasury for $56,000 (highest tender was $83,000). Teo Hong and Teo Soo Piah for new Armoury in Beach Road for $23,000 (4 April 1923)
• The tender of Teo Hong and Teo Soo Piah of $34,000 has been accepted for alterations and additions to Raffles Institution (18 August 1923)
• The tender of Teo Hong ($18,900) has been accepted for the construction of market at Joo Chiat Place (1 August 1925)

World Tour - Three Well-Known Straits Chinese

3 well known Straits Chinese, 2 from Singapore and one from Penang set sail from Singapore in the President Adams on a trip round the world in 27 July 1937. They are Mr. Teo Soo Piah, land owner and formerly Government contractor and Mr. Tan Chian, timber merchant, both of Singapore and Mr. Ong Hock Thye, rubber planter and former ricemill owner of Penang. They tour Europe for about 40 days before crossing to New York on the Queen Mary. After a tour of Canada and the United States, they  sail for China from San Francisco. Teo Soo Piah returned to Singapore by the President Pierce on December 1937. 

Family 

Son: Teo Soo Piah 

Teo Soo Piah became a successful building contractor like his father. He even went on World Tour as mentioned above. Teo Soo Piah passed away on 19 February 1942, leaving behind 3 widows, 2 sons, 1 daughter, 2 adopted sons and 3 adopted daughters. On 5 April 1947, a notice was given to creditors and others having any claims against the estate of Teo Soo Piah otherwise known as Teo Soo Peng (deceased late of No. 9 Teo Hong Road who died on or about the 19th day of February 1942). The executors of his estate was Wee Guat Lan and Whan Pee Neo (also spelt as Fan Pee Neo).  From oral accounts, i was told that the date that Teo Soo Piah coincides with "Sook Ching" making Tee Soo Piah one of the many that fell victim in the "cleansing process" by the Japanese occupiers. 

Mrs. Teo Soo Piah nee Wee Guat Lan passed away on 4 October 1972. The cortege left from 9, Teo Hong Road. 

Mrs. Teo Soo Piah nee  Madam Wee Guat Lan

Madam Pang Pee Neo nee Fan Pee Neo also known as Mrs. Teo Soo Piah passed away at the age of 83 on 23 October 1990/ She leaves behind;

Son: Dr. Teo Philip Seng Kee

Daughter-in-law: Elizabeth

Daughter: Teo Kim Neo / Mrs. Chua Tian Poh

Madam Teo Kim Neo married Mr. Chua Tian Poh. I heard from their descendants that Mr. Chua Tian Poh was an employee in one of Mr. Teo Hong's company. Chua Tian Poh  command of chinese was poor, so he communicated with his wife Teo Kim Neo and children in a mixture of Malay and English. I also found out that Mr. Teo Hong wasn’t happy when he knew his employee, Chua Tian Poh was courting his daughter. Teo Kim Neo fell out with his father but remained in good terms with her mother, Madam Ang Cheok Neo. When Madam Teo Kim Neo passed away, she left behind four apartment units along Eng Hoon Road. This was said to be given by her mother Ang Cheok Neo. Teo Kim Neo passed away in 1960. 

Grandson: Teo Seng Kee / Dr. Philip Teo Seng Kee 

There was mention in a 1950 newspaper article, of a Mr. Teo Seng Kee (son of the late Mr. Teo Soo Piah), an old boy of Raffles Institution, Singapore leaving for Australia to study medicine at Melbourne University.

Granddaughter: Teo Ber Sah

The marriage of Koh Joon Kee (son of Mr and Mrs. Koh Kim Pong) to Miss Teo Ber Sah (eldest daughter of Mr. Teo Soo Piah and Mrs Teo Soo Piah (nee Fan Pee Neo) on 17 September 2603 (1943). 

Location of tomb 

The beautiful tiled tomb of Mr. Teo Hong and Madam Ang Cheok Neo is located in Block 3 Section D, plot 248. 

(The tomb is close by to the tomb of Chew Geok Leong and Neo Pee Chiang). 

Teo Hong and Madam Ang Cheok Neo

Variant Names

Tio Hoo Hong refers also to Teo Hong and Tio Hong 

Tio Swee Piah refers also to Teo Soo Piah 
Tio Swee Kah refers also to Teo Kah

Tio Swee Teow refers also to Teo Soo Teow 

[research on-going] 

References

Untitled. (1906, March 5). Eastern Daily Mail and Straits Morning Advetiser, page 2

Untitled. (1923, April 4). The Singapore Free Press, page 217
Untitled. (1923, March 12). The Straits Times, page 8

Untitled. (1925, August 1). The Straits Times, page 8
Death of Mrs. Teo Hong. (1935, December 9). Malaya Tribune, page 5 

Acknowledgement. (1936, December 9). Malaya Tribune

World Tour.(1937, July 26). Morning Tribune, page 2

Teo Hong (post by Ang Yik Han). Facebook. Heritage Singapore-Bukit Brown. Posted on 18th October 2016.