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Hughes, Thomas Collection

Thomas Francis Hughes (1842-1901) was born in Newry, Ireland, and served in the Imperial Maritime Customs Service from 1865 until his death, becoming a commissioner in 1885. He received the Order of the Double Dragon in 1887, and was a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society and of the Royal Asiatic Society. "In his early years he was very well known in Shanghai, and his fine voice made his services invaluable to the A.D.C. in the good old days of burlesque. Old residents will not readily forget his singing ‘Cox and Box’, ‘Trial by Jury’, and many burlesques" (Source: North-China Herald, 12 February 1902). Hughes’ first wife, Julia (née Grimani) was (as Mrs Thomas Francis Hughes), the author of Among the Sons of Han (1881). The family photographs here come from the period of his second marriage, to Margaret Eugenie (née Dever): Amoy (Xiamen), Newchwang (Yingkou), and especially Kiukiang (Jiujiang). Thomas and Margaret Hughes had three daughters: Gladys, born in 1886; Eileen, born in 1889; and Yvonne, born in 1892. T. F. Hughes died in Kiukiang (Jiujiang). His remains were brought to England and interred at Southampton. 122 images from one album, as well as some loose prints. HPC refs: Hu01 and Hu-s.