NARA (San Bruno) search for merchant

[sierratrout]

In an attempt to find my grandfather Chan Shuping’s (later called Chin Sing Yuey) home village in China, I’ve made two trips to the National Archives in San Bruno, CA, hoping to find his immigration file which might contain this information. My best guess is that he immigrated to San Francisco before 1907, leaving his family in China behind. After much searching over two days, I was finally able to locate files for his first wife (Ng Shee); one of his sons (Chan Ping On); and his daughter (Chan Sun Ho), all three of whom arrived at Angel Island, San Francisco, in 1911. Through these files I was hoping to find information on Chin Yuey since he was known to be a “merchant” and his family would have needed his help to gain entry into the U.S. (under the Chinese Exclusion Act).

To my frustration and surprise, it appears that my grandfather Chan Shuping was not the one who sent for his family. They were sent for by one of my grandfather’s business partners (Chan Git) who pretended to be the husband of Ng Shee and the father of Chan Ping On and Chan Sun Ho. At Angel Island all four were extensively interviewed and apparently came up with close enough answers to be allowed into the U.S.

What I don’t understand is: Why didn’t my grandfather send for his family himself? What could have prevented him from doing so? I was able to confirm his merchant status by finding a partnership file at NARA. Apparently he and three other partners (including Chan Git) each invested $2,500 to start up the firm of Tong Sang Wah & Co. (in Oakland) which was in the business of buying and selling merchandise.

Does anyone have any idea (guess?) of what could have been going on? Your thoughts are really appreciated.

Thank you,
sierratrout

[Doug 周]

What I don’t understand is: Why didn’t my grandfather send for his family himself? What could have prevented him from doing so? I was able to confirm his merchant status by finding a partnership file at NARA. Apparently he and three other partners (including Chan Git) each invested $2,500 to start up the firm of Tong Sang Wah & Co. (in Oakland) which was in the business of buying and selling merchandise.

Does anyone have any idea (guess?) of what could have been going on? Your thoughts are really appreciated.

Hi sierratrout

There can be many reasons why your father did not legally bring his family over. Having obtained much of my families Angel Island narratives and papers also from the National Archives in San Bruno, and having studied them extensively, I find that there are a lot of confabulations and statements which don't add up. Probably the adage 'the ends justify the means' is most appropriate for the expressed goal of entering America.

You father may have sold his papers, if he had any. There was a thriving market in brokering papers for transit to the USA. It may have been temporaneously convenient to just purchase papers to come to North America. There was a lot of turmoil in China at that time, causing masses of migration for a presumed better life (Chinese Dispora).

These are just guesses. Hopefully, when I finish Erika Lee's At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943, I can better answer your question. Maybe someone else on the forum can provide other clues.

Doug

[sierratrout]

Dear Doug,

Thank you for your thoughtful response. It is great to meet someone who has experience with U.S. immigration files.

Do you know what kind of information was contained in these “papers”? I know there was a practice of telling immigration officials that one had more sons that they really had so that these extra “slots” could be given/sold to distant family members or others. If my grandfather did that and then sold these extra slots to someone else, does that mean that even as a “merchant” he would not have been able to bring anyone else over?

I know that shortly after he came to the U.S. he married a U.S.-born Chinese woman and began a new family in Oakland. When his first wife and two of his children arrived in 1912, they also settled in Oakland but had very little contact with my grandfather and his new family. Was it common for men to send for their families in China even though they had no intention of living with them?

Here’s also something quite interesting: I don’t know if you’re familiar with Donaldina Cameron and her crusade to rescue young Chinese girls from being sold into prostitution in the S.F. Bay Area, but in 1914 my grandfather’s home was raided by Miss Cameron and the local police, and a girl of about his alleged “daughter’s” age was taken from the home. At the court hearing the girl testified that my grandfather had claimed her as his daughter but she was really taken from China against her will.

I’m also thinking that my grandfather did not actively participate in the merchant’s store where the NARA partnership file lists him as an “outside buyer.” My research has shown that my grandfather ran a Chinese lottery out of his home for about 15 years, and it must have been quite an operation because in one Oakland Tribune newspaper article he is referred to as “one of the wealthiest Chinese in Oakland.” He also owned a lot of property there.

Oh, I’m babbling on her. So sorry! Thanks again for your response, Doug. The book you’re reading sounds interesting and I’m going to read that one after I finish “Wild Swans” by Jung Chang.

Deborah (aka sierratrout)

[Doug 周]

Deborah

Your family has a colorful history.

Thank you for your thoughtful response. It is great to meet someone who has experience with U.S. immigration files.

I only have 'user' experience with the National Archives & Record Administration (NARA). Two contributors on the forum have much more insight: grantdin and jing. However, NARA is very responsive to individuals who email a request for information. I have gotten timely responses from all 3 West Coast NARA sites. For others who have not used NARA, immigration files with entry after 1943 and those paper sons who went through the 1959 federal amnesty called "Chinese Confession Program", their files were moved to the US Citizenship & Immigration Services . Getting access to those records require more bureaucratic hassles, such as filing a Freedom of Information Act and maybe an appeal. I am attempting this right now. Eventually, those files will be archived into NARA starting with people whose date of birth is over 100 years.

Do you know what kind of information was contained in these “papers”? I know there was a practice of telling immigration officials that one had more sons that they really had so that these extra “slots” could be given/sold to distant family members or others.

What I have gleaned from my grandparents' files are ID photos, application information such as date of birth, marriages, death dates, attestations of familial sponsors, etc. Sometimes there are statements that a relative is adopted. Data like that can be explosive and in marked conflict with oral histories. The term 'Let sleeping dogs lie' is apropos and I will let future generations resolve certain statements. The least reliable are the number and names of sons.

I find most enjoyable the typed transcriptions of interviews with my grandparents. Without Chinese language skills, and because of my youth when they were alive, I had little opportunity to talk with my grandparents about adult issues. I imagine these transcriptions as a way to 'hear and listen' to my ancestors. I enjoy the discussions with the interviewer about the description of their ancestral house and village. I am always cognizant that these narratives might be fables.

If my grandfather did that and then sold these extra slots to someone else, does that mean that even as a “merchant” he would not have been able to bring anyone else over?

I don't know anything about the nuances of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and how slots are allocated. Maybe someone else can inform us.


Doug

[sierratrout]

Hi Doug,

Actually, my family history is quite ordinary with the exception of my grandfather, hence my intense interest in learning as much as possible about him.

Thank you for sharing “grantdin” and “jing” with me. And I hope you find success in finding your documents held by the US Citizenship & Immig Services.

I am currently working with an archivist at NARA, San Bruno. As I mentioned before, we found the case files for my grandfather’s first wife and three children, but have not found my grandfather’s file, despite attacking the problem from several different angles. I may go back to square one and start with the microfilm again – maybe I missed something the first time. I’m not giving up, hoping to have that same experience you describe as a way to “hear and listen” to your ancestors. My grandfather died before I was born, and the aunties and uncles that I knew were very young when he died and don’t remember much about him.

Thank you again for your help. I’m hoping others may shed some insight as well.

-- Deborah

[Doug 周]

The archivist at NARA San Bruno, who's initials are ML and I am sure Deborah is working with her, has dedicated herself to helping citizens find their Angel Island files. She is an excellent resource. For others wanting to research their family's century old immigration files and may have entered via Angel Island, please contact NARA at San Bruno.

update:
Just got this link from contributor grantdin:

www.familytreemagazine.com/article/Unknown-Angel

[sierratrout]

Yes, Doug is right. The archivist who is helping me at NARA, San Bruno, has the initials M.L. She was able to find and visit her own grandfather's village, but seems as enthusiastic about helping others.

-- Deborah

[chak]

To my frustration and surprise, it appears that my grandfather Chan Shuping was not the one who sent for his family...What I don’t understand is: Why didn’t my grandfather send for his family himself? What could have prevented him from doing so?
__________

Just a guess - but I'd say it's because your grandfather already had one wife in the United States and he didn't want to stand out in the government's eyes as a "confessed bigamist"

[sierratrout]

Chak,
I liked your comment. Regarding having two wives, I figured there would at least be "family" issues as one of my U.S.-born aunties married a Chinese immigrant who never told her he had a wife in China. She eventually found out well into their marriage and carried this hurt to her death. I hadn't thought about the governmental/societal repercussions, so appreciate your mentioning it.

From what I hear, my grandfather's wife in America knew about his wife in China, but understandably didn't want anything to do with her after she arrived here in the U.S. I can only imagine what challenges my grandfather faced when trying to meet his commitments to both his first and second wives (and what they must have endured!).

-- Deborah

[chak]

You have an interesting family history, Deborah! Some of the immigrants in my family had two wives too but they kept an ocean between them. The US wives knew about the China ones and I've heard (though not seen) that money and letters were always sent back. The China wives never left their home country but were proud of their American families.

I, too, can't say enough good things about the helpful archivists at NARA, especially the San Bruno branch! Have you seen this article by Trish Nicola? Before coming across it, I had never heard of the Chinese being excluded and had believed what I was taught in school - that our country was one big melting pot!
What an eye opener. home.comcast.net/~btnicola/APGQMar06.pdf

Carol

[Ah Gin]

I too have the honor of having a father with two wives, one in China, the other in the "Northern Ocean". My Big Mother and family migrated to SF in the 60s. By chance, I met up with my half brothers and sister, of all places, in SF. No hard feelings between us, and in fact at our Clan Association functions, my brother is always proud to point out to friends and distant relatives that I am his brother etc. and we are related by blood. Perhaps the Chinese of the older generation was a much more practical people, and having a Big Mother and Small Mother was quite a common thing. My father was the most gentle of persons, but he never discussed that part of his life with us, "kids" (I am in my golden years). The odd thing was, at one Ching Ming, when I visited the cemetery at Colma, outside SF, again by chance, I found my Big Mother's grave, and on her headstone it showed my father's name. I suspect she felt hurt that my father took a second wife, but was proud that she was the Big Wife. I always refer to my father's first wife as "Big Mother" -- a term reserved, and out of respect.

Ah, times are different, attitude different. As my deceased elder brother said, "Who are we to judge our father? And the issue (of my father having two wives) is none of our business."

Regards, Ah Gin

[helen]

I had 3 paternal Grand Mothers - and everyone else that I have researched had 2 and sometime 3 "Mothers" in the family. It was the accepted norm in the late 1800s-early 1900. It was only the European traditions that stopped all of that - the "christian" proper way to do things certainly had a helping hand.

[chak]

Yes, I hear that having more than one wife was acceptable in those days, mainly for continuation of "the line" or to show status and was a practice limited to mostly upper and middle class men. After 1950, China passed the Marriage Law which gave both genders equal voices, divorce rights and made polygamy illegal. Is it true that Hong Kong didn't do that until 1971?!

[Doug 周]

2 of my grandfathers had pleural wives. I know very little about polygamy but find it interesting since it is still a taboo subject. One of the upsides of genealogy research is that it opens other topics; it makes history more relevant.

The reviews and discussion of the HBO show 'Big Love' focuses on the sister-like relationship of the wives. There is the Chinese movie 'Raise the Red Lantern' but that uses polygamy mainly as a backdrop rather than the story. It is still fascinating to watch the sets and see an interpretation of that way of life.

Sadly, my views are just from film-maker's depictions.

¿Does anyone else remember their ancestors feelings about polygamy? Sorry Deborah to hijack your thread.

Doug


(click on the red phrase to link to the URL)

[jing]

Hi All,
I've been busy, but just read with interest many of your stories herewith... The key to understanding your family stories are some knowledge of the historical, cultural context and how people coped in the earlier period. One can't really judge them but accept the routes they took and how what legacy was left to future generations ... hopefully we learn from history.

Briefly, Chinese immigrants wanting economic and educational opportunities faced the discriminatory in U.S., Hawaii, and Canada targetted to restrict the immigration of Chinese and later other Asian laborers. The U.S. Chinese Exclusion Acts (1882-1943) allowed immigration to merchants, tourists, scholars, and restricted laborers. The U.S defined laborers as anyone who worked with their hands and by 1892 required Certificates of Identity to be carried by all Chinese immigrants. In 1898, the supreme court ruled that native borns (US)were citizens and free to travel and return. Children born to U.S. citizens in foreign derived U.S. citizen status --- creating the sale or loaning of family identities to others called "Paper Sons" that included women and girls.

1) I've heard of multi-wives in some Chinese families. In some instances, the first wife was not able to produce a male heir, and so another wife was brought in. Some men had concubines and families from those unions too.

My family were christians in southern China, and there was only one wife. The wives surnames were recorded on the family generation tablet in my village home in China.

2) Some people have parents wherein on U.S. Immigration documents, the husband claimed U.S. citizenship brought in his wife as his sister as a faster route because if she was also a child of a US citizen. When she became pregnant, they would pay someone to be a father on some birth certificates...

3) Those who could not bring relatives in, bought paper identities from other families or other relatives brought them in.

4) Donaldina Cameron was a missionary with the Presbyterian Church in SF who with the aid the police rescued young women who were brought in and would have been sold into prostitution.

5) The best advice is when you talk to your relatives, to relay that you know about the Chinese Exclusion acts. Also, read about Chinese America History on www.chsa.org or visit the it Museum at Chinese Historical Society of America. SF or read personal stories at: www.aiisf. or the documentary "Carved in Silence" by Felicia Lowe.

Jing
I've done several years of Chinese immigration case file research at NARA.San Bruno.