Wong On (1844-1937) was a pioneering Chinese immigrant who became a successful merchant in the post-Civil War south.
On was born in China in 1844. In 1860, he emigrated to California where he worked on the railroad. In 1875, Wong moved to Mississippi where he first worked as a cotton picker.
He soon pooled his money with other Chinese immigrants and was able to buy land in partnership with them and became a tenant farmer.
In 1881, On married, Emma Clay, a black woman, and together they opened a store in Stoneville, Mississippi called Charlie's Store. They had 12 children.
A popular man in the town, On was called Captain by the townsfolk. He lived the rest of his life in Stoneville and died in 1943.--Heidi Durrow
Photo of Chinese farmers not Wong On.
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Mixed Experience History Month is the annual blog post series created by The New York Times best-selling author Heidi Durrow celebrating the history of the Mixed experience. Established in 2007, Mixed Experience History Month is an effort to highlight the long history of folks and events involved in the Mixed experience. Please look for more profiles of people, places and events of the Mixed experience every weekday of May at Lightskinned-ed Girl, the blog! Thanks for reading. And check out some of the previous year's profiles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Copyright 2014.
