Bury My Bones in America: The Saga of a Chinese Family in California, 1852-1996 from San Francisco to the Sierra Gold Mines

by Lani Ah Tye Farkas

Tells the story of Yee Ah Tye, a Chinese immigrant who came to California during the Gold Rush, and his descendants and fellow immigrants

163 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My maternal cousin, Lani Ah Tye, wrote this amazing book after over a dozen years of research by she and her sister Doreen Ah Tye. It is both the history of my family in California but also a history of the Chinese in California since the mid 1800s. It begins with Yee Lo Dy who came to California from China in 1852 to seek his fortune, and follows his story and that of his children.

[Laura Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting glimpse into a Chinese family's California Gold Rush immigration story.

I was especially interested to read about how the Tongs lent money for passage and helped (mostly young men) immigrants to get settled and started, then acted as highest court for justice, sometimes fairly, sometimes not. And all of this was happening and based in San Francisco!

In Gold Country, too, the story was fascinating, since Chinese miners were willing to take over "spent" claims, and dip deeper or just work much harder with more men to glean what they could. They had their own form of justice there, too, with small "battles" held between groups that had disputes or grudges that couldn't be solved peacefully, and only relatively minor injuries suffered in the process. Apparently, all the surrounding townsfolk would come to watch, as a form of entertainment.

And it all happened here in California...

[Just Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full kitchen-sink style of history book and I'm so here for it! Was surprised at how attached I felt to each family member and their journey by the end of the collection. Also a really good read for Californians who like to connect the dots between different regions and how the state was built. Made my heart happy to see the overlap between SF and Monterey Bays, so will definitely be looking out for the family landmarks in the coming years

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I did the first edit on this book, so am prejudiced in its favor. The family story is really amazing, but the writing is typical of a first effort by an author.