Tjin-A-Djie family
The Tjin-A-Djie family is a prominent gentry family from the country of Suriname, with origins from China and Vietnam. They are one of the earliest Chinese–Surinamese families, having arrived in Suriname in the mid-to-late 19th century. The family is known for success in trade and in sport. Their success in Suriname began in the late Victorian era with the development into the agriculture sector with plantations. Today, the Tjin-A-Djie family continues to be a part of the Suriname Tennis Association, sponsoring the annual Opa Leo Tjin-A-Djie Tennis  Tournament. Branches of the family today can be found predominantly in Suriname, with members residing in North America and Europe, such as in the Netherlands. Their ancestor's full name was Tjin-A-Djie, but the root and base surname is Tjin. History. Joseph Tjin-A-Djie (1835-1903). Upon a family reunification program, Joseph Tjin-A-Djie (born 1835-1903) moved from Kwangtung, China to Suriname on the ship "Whirlwind". He arrived in Suriname in 1866. After settling in, he began the development of a plantation that grew rice and various vegetables. On March 15, 1876 Joseph obtained a  license to begin opening grocery stores on a plantation in Mon Trésor. He married a Chinese woman and he fathered two boys named Eduard (Kon-Fat) (1871-1930), and Rudolf (A-Djie) (1880-1962). Joseph died in 1903. Eduard Alphons Tjin-Kon-Fat (1871-1930). A man of noble birth, Tjin-Kon-Fat was a businessman, trader, and tycoon who grew his wealth through various proprietorships, retail, and trade systems. He married Louise Nielo, the daughter of a wealthy business family. Together they started their business, known as Tjin-Kon-Fat - Nielo & Co. A fire in 1899 destroyed their business  on Waterkant, but they were able to start over again, using the Nielo family store on Saramaccastraat. He later left his wife and her family in bankruptcy. He predominantly was a plantation owner taking charge of at least three plantations in Oldenburg, Nieuw Meerzorg, and Monsort. His plantations grew assortments of rice, vegetables, coffee and coco. In the town of Oldenburg, his own rice/peeling factories/mills processed the raw materials into retail goods in which he sold in the supermarkets that he owned throughout the towns of Oldenburg, Nieuw Meerzorg, Waterkant, Poeloepantje, and Paramaribo. In his stores, he sold  an assortment of hard and soft good items such as furniture and appliances, clothing, thread, needles, fabric, perfume, powder, cosmetics, cognac and wine, food and groceries, stationary, and cigars, etc. He furthermore had a "Lucifer Match" Factory [Dutch: luciferfabriek] named “Vulcan” and a coffee restaurant named “Halikibe” (Vreugde), a rental property [Dutch: leenhuis], and a hardware store. Along with his store enterprise, in Waterkant Tjin-Kon-Fat had an import and export company importing products from Hong Kong, the United States, the Netherlands, England, France, and China, as well as an automobile renting establishment and a money loan company. In  addition to his business activities, Tjin-Kon-Fat played an active role helping to develop communities. He was a board member for education and a board member for Suriname’s sports. Also he was a board member for radio stations, president of the Chinese association Moe Poen Sah, executive board member of the Green Cross, and was an alternate member of the Board of Appeal for the [Dutch: Huurwaardebelasting] (translates to rental value tax). Legacy. Eduard Tjin-Kon-Fat married and had a number of children. At least four are known. By the time of his death in 1930, he  was one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Suriname. The descendants of Eduard have the surname Tjin-Kon-Fat. Rudolf J. Tjin-A-Djie (1880-1962). A prosperous merchant and industrialist, born in the town of Albina, Rudolf met a young black woman . They produced one child, named Joseph (February 19, 1899 – 1988). Rudolf J. Tjin-A-Djie was a joint proprietor at the gold mines near the frontier between Suriname and French Guiana and often went to French Guiana for shopping purposes where he met his future wife. A French lady, her name was Elisabeth Marie (nicknamed: Majotte) (née : Tong Lee A Tai). She was of Vietnamese descent born in Paris, France in 1883. Born and bred into French society, Elisabeth Marie came from a wealthy Vietnamese family who had established themselves within the French culture. After ending up in French Guiana and meeting Rudolf J. Tjin-A-Djie, they decided to marry on September 15, 1904. Upon her marriage in Suriname, Elisabeth Marie "[she] took not only her élan, her savoir vivre, her French hats and porcelain, but also the French language and introduced all of that into the extended Chinese family system." Elisabeth had a fascination for  fashion, craftsmanship, and artistry. As a result of this, she heavily influenced the creations of the Tjin-A-Djie crest and constructed it into the family's tableware, including the plates, pure silver cutlery, and the pure crystal glassware. Since Elisabeth was influenced by the French culture having been born in Paris, after marriage and moving to Suriname with Rudolf, she also established a millinery shop, creating and selling beautiful hats in Suriname. Although Rudolf spoke Dutch and Elisabeth spoke French, they communicated with each other in the Surinamese creole language Sranan Tongo. Apart from being a proprietor at the  gold mines, Rudolf also was, as of 1938, the owner of the Hollandia bakery. Legacy. Rudolf J. Tjin-A-Djie and Elisabeth Marie had nine children of high social standing, and moved from Albina to Paramaribo when their children were young. Tjin-A-Djie and tennis. The Tjin-A-Djie family has made notable contributions to sports culture and industry in Suriname, specifically with tennis. The family produced three national champions in the sport. Herman Rudolf Johan and his brother Leonard Ernest Theodoor were national tennis champions between the years 1941-1957, with Herman’s second son becoming national champion  in 1960.