So far, the earliest reference I have to William is a newspaper report of an 1859 court case where he is referred to “John Williams, alias Ah Hiah”. Later references are to William Hiah, Ah Hiah, or Hiah. Interestingly, the “John” comes back on the death certificate of his daughter Mary in 1938 where he recorded as “John William Hiah”.

When did he arrive in Australia? His death in 1894 was registered by his eldest son, Edward. In response to the questions “Where born?” and “How long in the Colony?”, Edward recorded: Amoy, China, and 43 years. 43 years is interesting as it is a precise number – no rounding to 40 years or 45 years. It would place his arrival in 1851. Victoria became a separate colony in 1851, previously being the Port Phillip District of the colony of New South Wales. Is Edward saying that William was in the colony of Victoria since its creation in 1851 – leaving open the possibility that he arrived in Australia earlier – or in Australia since 1851.

An 1851 arrival for a Chinese man from Amoy is prior to the gold rush. Although gold in Victoria was “officially” discovered just after the separation of Victoria from New South Wales, the first Chinese did not start arriving until xxxx. Chinese labourers were brought to Victoria in xxxx to xxxx.

William, recorded as Ah Hiah, married Julia Teager in 1873. The marriage certificate records him as simply “Hiah”