The headstone and tomb shoulders were originally part of the grave of Ong Seah Say 陈声世 who died in 1941. Ong's grave was one of over 3,700 graves that were exhumed between 2013 and 2014 for the construction of a new road through Bukit Brown Cemetery. The design of the headstone is relatively minimalistic, apart from some features that were adapted from Western architecture. These include the arched pediment and columns topped with acanthus leaves. The pediment contains the words ‘Yong Chun’ 永春, referring to the county in southern Fujian province and the hometown of Ong. Unlike the headstones of most people buried at Bukit Brown Cemetery, Ong’s headstone does not have the dates of his birth and death. Instead, this information was inscribed on the stone block (standing before the headstone) where offerings are placed. The names of Ong’s children and grandchildren are inscribed on the tomb shoulders. These are organised according to gender, with male members of the family listed to the left of the headstone, and female members to the right. Ong was a businessman who first made his wealth in the tin mining industry in Kuala Lumpur. He later started a textile trading business after arriving in Singapore in the 1920s. During his time in Singapore, he also served as the Chairman of Eng Hoon Huay Kuan 永春会馆 and on the Board of Directors of several schools.
