Rediscovering a Chinese-American Success Story: The Legacy of Thomas Foon Chew of Bay Side Cannery

Bay Side canned its products under at least seven different labels, something new we've learned since publication of Historic Bay Area Visionaries last October. 

At left, a portrait of a young Thomas Foon Chew who became a millionaire with his Bay Side Canning Company

When I published Historic Bay Area Visionaries (History Press 2018) last fall, I included a chapter about Thomas Foon Chew, whose story was well known during the early 20th century in the San Francisco Bay Area, but had almost been lost by the time I published my book. Historians new about it, most of the general public did not.

Since the book's publication, I've enjoying following the trail of new information relating to this improbable Chinese-American success story. Foon came to American from China at the age of 8 in 1897. A few years later, with his father, Sai Yen Chew, he founded Bay Side Canning Company, and became a multi-millionaire.

      

Here's an article I wrote for a local newspaper about how historians need to be good detectives. And, about the things a writer can learn about a subject, even after a book is published.
CLICK TO READ MORE ABOUT THOMAS FOON CHEW