Seventy-Generation Pedigree

By Tai Kwok Yuen, as told to Marguerite Smith

The story of Tai Kwok Yuen’s great-great-grandfather had been passed down for generations. Among family members, the tale of the fourteen-year-old Chinese orphan who sold himself into slavery to work in the gold fields of Australia was a favorite. The elders in the boy’s former village heard nothing from the young man for forty years. Just as they decided to sell his house and divide up his property, they received a letter from the long-lost man informing them he was coming home. He did just that, married, and had two children.

When Kwok Yuen began studying at Sydney University in Australia, he jumped at the opportunity to verify the story and find out more about this well-known ancestor. Kwok Yuen had more than the usual interest the Chinese have in their ancestry. He had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a teenager and understood the eternal ramifications of locating his progenitors. Although he was unable to find any information about his great-great-grandfather, Kwok Yuen developed an even deeper interest in his family history. He began to collect information about all his ancestors, asking family members to share their memories and records.

Upon learning about Kwok Yuen’s interest, an elderly aunt presented him with a family history record going back twenty generations. The young man was thrilled. This was much more than he had ever expected. Although the story of his great-great-grandfather remained unconfirmed, the record contained important dates in his life and in the lives of hundreds more of his ancestors.

The gift created a dismaying problem for Kwok Yuen. He had been excited about family history. But now, with this gift, how could he possibly expect to find any additional information? Still, he refused to stop researching, feeling that there was more that he could do.

One day, while waiting for transportation, Kwok Yuen struck up a conversation with a man standing nearby. After exchanging pleasantries, the two discovered they shared the same family name. They immediately began discussing family histories. The stranger assured Kwok Yuen that his ancestors came from a different geographical area, but he agreed to share what family information he had.

When the two began comparing family records, they were amazed to discover a point where the names began to be the same. The records connected beautifully. Kwok Yuen was overjoyed to learn that now he could add an additional seventy generations to his pedigree charts. His family history now extended back some five hundred years before Christ!

When the Taiwan Temple opened for ordinance work, the first 150 names were from the Tai family. Their work is still being done today. Kwok Yuen, now serving as mission president in Hong Kong, is a living testimony that miracles can happen to those who do not say, “I can’t find any more information on my family history.”