We have these questions:
- Is Dr Che Lah bin Mohd Joonos related to Shamsuddin bin Mohd Joonos?
- Is Dr Che Lah bin Mohd Joonos related to Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohammad?
- Who was Mohd Joonoos bin Mas Raboo?
- Who was Mas Raboo?
- How did Mas Raboo arrive in Malaya?
Many wrote to ask for the identity of Shamsuddin bin Mohd Joonos. Many asked whether Dr Che Lah bin Mohd Joonos was related to Shamsuddin bin Mohd Joonos.
Dr Che Lah bin Md Joonos was an early Malay doctor (1903-1986). He was my maternal grandfather. I don't have evidence that they were blood relatives or related by marriage of their relatives.
Shamsuddin is not in Dr Che Lah's family tree. However, Shamsuddin is in another family tree belonging to Iszham Idris, whose mother is related to Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohammad, an early Malay doctor.
Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohammad and Dr Che Lah bin Mohd Joonos graduated together from the King Edward VII (KE VII) College of Medicine in Singapore in March 1930. They also worked in Kuala Lumpur and Dr Abdul Ghani replaced Dr Che Lah in Klang when Dr Che Lah moved to Kuala Lumpur. They seem to be close friends but I still can't see how they are related.
Dr Abdul Ghani's daughter (Fadzilah) knows Dr Che Lah but has not mentioned that they are related.
I checked Mas Raboo's family tree. Shamsuddin's namestring is Shamsuddin bin Md Joonos bin Mas Raboo. This Mas Raboo was an Indonesian Malay man-a Javanese sultan, ie a royalty. He fled to India/Ceylon and came to Malaya/Penang in the 1850s. He is connected to the Brunei throne. Md Joonos bin Mas Raboo bought a large piece of land in Penang in the 1880s.
Dr Che Lah had an uncle named Shamsuddin but his name string is Shamsuddin bin Md Joonos bin Shaik Ahmad. This is a Hyderabad, Punjab (Punjabi) Muslim lineage. This particular Shamsuddin was a Mamak/Mamu and passed away (young?). There is no historical note him. Shaik Ahmad came to Malaya with the British Army/British East India Company (BEIC). His date of arrival is unknown, but could be circa 1879 when the BEIC first landed in Penang.
Mas Raboo
From Haniff:
Mas Raboo was said to come from Java and fled to India (Karachi) because of the war with the Dutch. He later came to Malaya maybe around 1850s, I am not sure.
From Nazz:
Mas Raboo was a sultan in Java and fled to Ceylon during the Dutch Occupation. Then migrated to Penang.
M. Joonoos bin Mas Raboo
From Haniff:
M. Joonoos bin Mas Raboo bought a land in Penang around 1880s.
From Nazz:
M. Joonoos married Hajjah Wan Chik and had 4 sons: Che Mat , Shamsuddin, Che Kasim and Mat Sutan. M. Joonoos was also married to another lady and Che Lah might be his son.
From me: This cannot be as their surnames are different. There are 2 men named Md Joonos who can be easily confused.
- Md Joonos bin Shaik Ahmad (Punjabi)
- Md Joonos bin Raboo/Mas Raboo (Javanese)
Joonoos
From Sellene:
Another point regarding Joonoos is that the spelling brings to mind the Ceylonese Malay link. It seems to be a favourite way to spell Yunus among the Ceylonese Malays.
Shaik Ahmad
From Kamaruddin bin Capt. Mohamed Noor:
Dr Che Lah's grandfather (Shaik Ahmad) was from Hyderabad, from the Darjeeling area of the Deccan plateau. He came to Malaya with the British Army.
Dr Che Lah bin Mohd Joonos
From Sellene:
Looking at Dr Che Lah's features, I might say that there is a possibility of some Ceylon link but as he is your grandfather, you are in a better position to clarify.
From Assoc. Prof. Dr KNS Sirajudeen:
He thinks that Dr Che Lah looks like a typical southern Indian, probably a Tamil Muslim.
From me:
Dr Che Lah's grandparents:
Grandfather: Shaik Ahmad
Grandmother: Hajar
Children (Dr Che Lah's father, uncles and aunts):
1. Hamidah Bee bt Shaik Ahmad
2. (“Tok Jan”) Jan Bee bt Shaik Ahmad
3. Mohd Joonos bin Shaik Ahmad
4. Mohd. Ali bin Shaik Ahmad
5. (“Tok Mariam”) Mariam bt Shaik Ahmad
6. Captain Mohd. Noor bin Shaik Ahmad
Dr Che Lah's parents:
Father: Mohd Joonos bin Shaik Ahmad (a clerk)
Mother: Juma Bee bt Kassim
Children (Dr Che Lah's siblings): 5
1. Mak Besar Bee bt. Mohd Joonos
2. Dr Che Lah bin Mohd Joonos
3. Ali Baba bin Mohd Joonos
4. Osman bin Mohd Joonos
5. Mohamad bin Mohd Joonos
Captain Mohamed Noor bin Shaik Ahmad (1890- __)
Captain Mohamed Noor bin Shaik Ahmad was Dr Che Lah’s youngest uncle. Captain Mohamed Noor bin Shaik Ahmad married three times, each time when his wife died, first to Wan Teh, then Che Wan and finally Mariam (Che Wan’s younger sister). Captain Mohamed Noor had six, five and eight children from his first, second and third wife, respectively. Altogether, Captain Mohamed Noor had 19 children.
His 8 children from his third wife:
- Zainal Abidin (m. 1. Khatijah - 5 kids, 2. Naimah - 1 son, 3. Nor Azma - 4 kids, 4. Nor Mala - 2 kids, 5. Suzana - 3 kids)
- Juma Bee (m. Jamal@Roger Heady - 2 kids, Canberra, Australia)
- Kamarudin (m. Fatimah Mohd Siraj - 6 kids, Petaling Jaya)
- Samsudin (deceased)
- Sharom Bee (deceased)
- Kalthom Bee (Lily) (m. Abdul Jabbar - 5 kids)
- Amirudin (m. 1. Aminah - 4 kids, 2. Maizun - 5 kids, 3. Rose - 3 kids)
- Tajudin (m. Asnah - 6 kids)
Kamarudin's mother is Mariam Bee, third wife of Capt Md Noor. Kamarudin had 8 siblings from the same parents. Kamarudin bin Md Noor had worked in the Income Tax office in Kota Bharu, Kelantan in the 1960s and retired as Deputy Director-General from the Income Tax office at Kampong Attap in Kuala Lumpur. Kamarudin bin Md Noor is married to Fatimah bt Mohd Siraj (also from Penang) and they have three married daughters and three grandchildren. Kamarudin bin Md Noor is Dr Che Lah's cousin and he knew Dr Haji Abdul Ghani.
Samsudin bin Capt Md Noor bin Shaik Ahmad
Samsudin's mother is Mariam Bee, third wife of Capt Md Noor. Samsudin had 8 siblings from the same parents. Samsudin died without issue (based on the family tree). He was Dr Che Lah's cousin.
Dr Abdul Ghani bin Mohammad
He is interred at Tanah Perkuburan Islam in Bayan Lepas, quite far away from where Dr Che Lah is buried. The graveyard is near his village. The airport in Bayan Lepas is approx. 10 min by bus from Kampung Sungai Gelugor.
Old postal box in Kelantan which was used when I went to primary school in 1969-1970. The wordings are not clear, but my guess is it says "POST OFFICE" on top and the bottom piece says "McGOWALL-SWEWEILA CO LTD, LONDON & FALKIRK." Photo taken in 2010.
Shamsuddin bin Mohd Joonos bin Mas Raboo
From Sellene:
Shamsuddin Joonoos was formerly president of the Malay Association in the 30s and used to work in the postal department. He was more commonly known as Hj S.M. Joonoos. Mohamad Joonoos may as well be his father.
From Haniff:
Shamsuddin Md Joonoos is my great grand father, he has a brother, che kasim m. joonoos, who was with the kedah civil service in 1930s (Director of Land). M. Joonoos bin Mas Raboo [...]. Shamsuddin was ill during his death and likes to write malay dictionaries in Jawi.
From Nazz
Hi Haniff, if Hj Shamsuddin M.Joonoos is your great grandad, we are related then. He's my grandfather. I'm son of Elias Shamsuddin.
From Nazz:
Hj Shamsuddin was the secretary of post (highest position a Malay can hold during British reign) and also a religious leader and friend to Ahmad Badawi (Tun Abdullah's father).
From Nazz:
Look me up on Facebook. Nazri Elias. My father just passed away and i was just googling the family name and found this.
From Iszham Idris:
Haniff is not in his family tree.
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