The origin of the Ton family in Vo Liet (Thanh Chuong)
(Baonghean) - We found our way to Vo Liet commune (Thanh Chuong - Nghe An), a rural area rich in historical and cultural traditions and the birthplace of the Ton family in Nghe An.
The members of the Ton Family Council showed them the genealogy book that had been translated into Vietnamese by Mr. Ton Quang Phiet (1900-1973). According to the information in the genealogy book, the ancestor of the Ton family in Vo Liet was Mr. Ton Dang Thuong, Yen Ho commune, La Son district (now Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh). Mr. Ton Dang Thuong was a district chief and governor in Quang Binh under the Le dynasty. Later, due to the chaos, he came to the land of Vo Liet-Thanh Chuong to make a living. Up to now, the Ton family has lived in Vo Liet for 20 generations.
The Ton Family Genealogy was compiled by Ton Duc Tien (1795-1877), alias Lo Xuyen, and supplemented by his grandson Ton Quang Giap. And during the time of Ton Quang Phiet, it was translated into Quoc Ngu, supplemented a few places, and added a comparison between the Lunar and Solar calendars for future generations to make it easier to understand. According to some documents that the descendants of the Ton family still keep, it is known that Lo Xuyen passed 3 Bachelor exams, but due to the chaotic times, he returned to his hometown to live in seclusion, opening a school to teach and treat the poor. Being well-versed in Confucianism, medicine, philosophy, and numerology, people from all over the region often came to his house to "consult" when the family had important events. He had many students and many of them passed. Of his 5 children, 4 passed the Bachelor's exam and 1 passed the Bachelor's exam.
For the descendants of the Ton family, Mr. Lo Xuyen was the one who initiated the tradition of studiousness as well as respect for etiquette and family traditions. During his lifetime, if his descendants had shortcomings or made mistakes, he would immediately take measures to educate them, determined not to dishonor the family and affect morality and ethics. In the Ton family genealogy, Mr. Lo Xuyen devoted several pages to instructing and advising future generations. Regarding family management, he admonished: "In managing family affairs, take diligence as the first step, take righteousness as the root, take honesty as the essence, take thrift and diligence as the most important, take gambling and drinking as a warning. If you follow this for the rest of your life, you will not become a bad person." In particular, to remind his descendants to forever preserve and promote good qualities and distinguish between generations of the family, Mr. Lo Xuyen created a system of middle names that are meaningful as warnings about how to treat others and how to live in this life. These are the words: "Duc - Huy - Quang - Gia - Tich - Thien - Luong". Through this, we can understand the meaning of Ton Duc Tien that: The Ton family's morality shines brightly because many families do good deeds.
Following the instructions of Mr. Lo Xuyen, successive generations of descendants have taken the above words as their middle names. Up to now, they have gone through a cycle of 7 words and returned to the word "Duc". It is worth mentioning that the descendants of the Ton family always uphold the awareness of continuing the traditional source to bring glory to their ancestors.
Perhaps, due to the clear understanding of the origin and the knowledge of the ancestors' traditions, an abundant and strong vitality has helped the successive generations of the Ton family to make glorious careers. The Ton Huy generation had Mr. Ton Huy Dinh, who had the ideology of fighting against the French, loving the country and loving the people. Mr. Ton Huy Dinh had the merit of giving birth to and raising two children, two revolutionary soldiers, Ton Quang Phiet (1900-1973) and Ton Thi Que (1905-1992), both of whom were awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal by the State for their great contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the people, Mr. Ton Quang Phiet was also awarded the Gold Star Medal. In the Ton Gia generation, this family continued to have children who were early enlightened about revolutionary ideals such as Mr. Ton Gia Chung (awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal) and Mr. Ton Gia Tinh (Independence Medal).
In addition, many people of the Ton Gia generation were entrusted by the Party and the State with relatively important responsibilities such as Mr. Ton Gia Huyen (Director General of the General Department of Land Administration), Dr. Ton Gia Ngan (Director of Literature Publishing House), Dr. Ton Gia Hoa, Ton Gia Cac (lecturers at Hanoi National University of Education) and Ms. Ton Thi Kim Thanh (Associate Professor, Doctor, Director of the Central Eye Hospital)... Many people of the Ton Tich generation joined the army and fought on all battlefields and many became prestigious scientists and managers. They are Professor - Associate Professor Ton Tich Thach (National Economics University), Professor - Doctor - Associate Professor Ton Tich Ai (Hanoi National University), Associate Professor Ton Tich Long (Principal of Nguyen Gia Thieu High School, Hanoi), Ton Tich Nghe (Ministry of Finance), Ton Tich Dung (Director of Khanh Hoi Glass Factory), Ton Tich Phong (former Secretary of Dong Da District Party Committee, Hanoi), Ton Tich Ban (Colonel of the Vietnam People's Army)... Descendants of Ton Thien's generation continued to participate in the fight for national liberation, protect the country and actively strive in the cause of industrialization and modernization.
Some typical people include Dr., Colonel Ton Thien Chien (Ministry of National Defense), MSc. Ton Thien Viet (Deputy Director of Vietnam Oil and Gas Insurance Joint Stock Company).
We visited the Ton family church in Vo Liet. The church grounds and scale are not large but solemn. Outside are two steles inscribed with the merits of Ton Duc Tien and Ton Huy Than, carved and erected by generations of students to commemorate their high-ranking and virtuous teachers. Besides the sacrificial objects and genealogical tablets, the Ton family church also displays medals and achievements of previous generations to set an example for future generations.
Every year, on the 5th day of the first lunar month, descendants of the Ton family from all over the country come to the temple to attend the Ancestor Worship Ceremony, burn incense to commemorate the merits of previous generations. This is also an opportunity for everyone to review the family tradition, reminding future generations to remember the source so that the ancestors' grace will never be exhausted.
Cong Kien
