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Post by FayChee on Feb 21, 2014 14:09:26 GMT -5
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Post by FayChee on Feb 21, 2014 14:25:14 GMT -5
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rhew
Member
Posts: 94
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Post by rhew on Jul 14, 2014 11:56:34 GMT -5
Did you get the 3 reports?
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Post by amy on Jul 14, 2014 13:04:00 GMT -5
In my experience, the initial index search can take 1-2 months. Then, if they find your ancestor's A-file (Alien case file) and its file # is above 8 million, the USCIS Genealogy division can't release it to you since they only have jurisdiction over files numbered 8 million or lower. They then instruct you on how to obtain the file through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. There's a government form G-639 for this, but you can also just write a personal request letter with the pertinent info. My FOIA requests took about 2 months and then I got a CD with the file images, but with some information redacted. In the case of my ancestors there had been an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) investigation so all those file pages were withheld and sent to ICE for review and determination as to whether or not they could be released. Then another 4 months passed and I got another CD from ICE with the withheld pages (but redacted). All told, my requests took about 8 months. If you're waiting on an FOIA request, they do have a great online service to tell you where you are in the line-up egov.uscis.gov/foiawebstatus/ . But, I don't know how comforting it is to find out your request is # 6,194 out of 8,599 requests...).
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Post by amy on Jul 14, 2014 13:27:42 GMT -5
The USCIS Genealogy division also has a regular series of webinars to acquaint the public and researchers to their holdings and how to access them. www.uscis.gov/HGWebinarsThere's one next week on Thursday, July 24, 2014 1:00 PM (Eastern) on the topic of Women Who Lost Citizenship through Marriage: Naturalization and Repatriation Records, 1922-1956 This may be especially interesting to Asian-American genealogy researchers. Up until 1931, American women who married Asian alien men would have lost their American citizenship because laws at that time conferred a husband's citizenship status on the wife. Since Asians were not considered to be racially eligible for U.S. citizenship at the time, their wives also became ineligible for citizenship.
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Post by FayChee on Jul 14, 2014 19:59:12 GMT -5
Hi Rhew, No, I have not gotten any records yet.
More specific, I sent them a $60 money order (3 records searches at $20 each) the next day with the printed requests to the address they gave. Several months later, the money order was returned with a note saying that I sent it to the wrong place. I decided not to pursue it further and got the money order refunded by my bank.
Several months later, I received two letters from the same place saying that they did not received the $20 needed to make the searches and that if I did not send it they would disregard my request in 30 days.
I again sent separate $20 money orders for the two searches (I didn't get a letter for the 3rd request).....to date I received one answer saying that they did the search and there was nothing under the name I requested, and I am still waiting to hear about the second.
A very long and tedious process.
Fay Chee
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kjhong
Member
Find me on Geni.com
Posts: 87
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Post by kjhong on Jul 17, 2014 13:42:47 GMT -5
If you live near San Francisco, you can visit the National Archives in San Bruno which holds the immigrations files and a lot of other legal documents and ship manifests. We were able to unearth information on several relatives quite easily. Once you find one relative, his or hr file usually cross reference the his or her past files and the files for people who are related. NARA - San Francisco www.archives.gov/san-francisco/Here are some additional resources for Chinese-Americans: www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide.html
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Post by FayChee on Oct 24, 2014 13:09:12 GMT -5
Continuation of this long process....hopefully success for one of the searches.
Today I received a letter from USCIS Genealogy Program on my request for my dad's records. They found him "Wing Lew (his paper son name) born 9/15/1894 in China" and gave his A-File number for the next step, which is to go online and order that record for $35. The File Date & Location is 5/16/1962, FCO:NYC. This time I could pay by credit card, but the previous step required I send a cashier's check or money order.
They did not find the other two people that I put in requests for.
Sooooo, the last step (I hope) will be to receive the A-File on my father through the mail.......
To Be Continued...............
Fay Chee
PS-I just thought of something........my dad died in 1953, so I wonder if I will be getting his old file that was transfered from San Francisco INS to NYC??? Well, we'll see.
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Post by amy on Oct 26, 2014 14:35:02 GMT -5
Oh, Fay! that is such great news and so exciting.
If your experience is like mine, it will be a complete file starting from the very first time your dad ever entered the U.S. and include transcripts of interrogations of other people who may have been witnesses for your dad (or for whom he was a witness). Some information and pages may be blanked out for privacy reasons. I had to file a Freedom of Information Act request for my dad and granddad's files because their files were active through the 1960s and then I filed appeals to get some of the re-dacted information released. Looong process to say the least.
Is the file at the National Archives in New York City or at USCIS? I have a directory of the Chinese Exclusion Case files at NARA NY and don't know why I never thought to look it up for you, but there is a file listed for: LEW WING GUE, MINOR SON OF MERCHANT, 515-519 MAIN ST BUFFALO NY, NANKING RESTAURANT,INC 20 LASALLE ST NEW YORK NY. Have you ever gotten a copy of this file?
Amy
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Post by FayChee on Oct 27, 2014 0:24:18 GMT -5
Hi Amy, I did obtain a file from the INS in the early 1990's on my dad (paper son name)Wing Gue Lew, that included two long interrogations when he left for China in 1923. It had alot of questions and answers and two witness interrogations. It had the photo of my dad at age 23 and subsequent letters the INS sent out to have him report his where abouts up until 1953 when they figured out he had died and closed the case on him.
I am hoping that the files that I just ordered will contain new information that I don't already have, but most likely it will be the same. The file was ordered from the USCIS website, but they said it was located at FCO:NYC, the file date is 5/16/1962, so it may not be my dad (died 1953), but a different Wing Lew, although they had the same date of birth for this Wing Lew. I'll let you know......I'm a little excited.
Fay Chee
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Post by amy on Oct 29, 2014 9:14:34 GMT -5
Hi Fay, Glad you got the Chinese Exclusion file from NARA NY. I recently went down there to copy files for another friend - we found photos in there of her father as a child which were so wonderful to have.
Hopefully the new USCIS files will have the earlier documentation for your dad's first arrival in 1910.
I recently made a tremendous discovery in turn-of-the-century jail ledgers from upstate NY -- my grandfather's 'mugshot' from when he was arrested for violating the Chinese Exclusion Act after crossing the Canadian border! I was just shaking like a leaf when I saw it. It's the earliest photo we have now of grandfather (and it's the only one we have of him in Chinese attire and his hair is clearly cut in the style of a queue).
Amy
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Post by FayChee on Dec 12, 2014 8:51:35 GMT -5
Here is an update on this long process of trying to get my dad's Immigration Files. It is almost a year now that I started this process.
Yesterday I received a letter (not the records I thought would be coming) from the Washington D.C. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Genealolgy Program and have been redirected to yet another facility where they claim it was sent to. The previous letter said that they were located in New York (FCO:NYC) and I had paid yet another fee of $20.
Below is what the letter said:
"Due to changes in the custodian of certain A-Files where the immigrant was born more than 100 years ago, the A-File you requested no longer falls within the scope of the USCIS Genealogy Program because it was recently transferred for permanent retention by the National Archives Records Administration (NARA)."
"In this case, we recommend you do the following: resubmit your request to the National Archives at Kansas City, 400 W. Pershing Rd., Kansas City, MO 64108"
Sooooo, I am back to where I started........
Fay Chee
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ida
Member
Posts: 5
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Post by ida on Jan 2, 2015 16:06:46 GMT -5
I was able to get my dad's and grandfather's INS interviews from the early 1900s. Because they were paper sons, there was a lot of information on "fake family." However, I am going to post in case someone else is looking for their real family and happen to be part of my fake family. Because my dad came to the east coast, I obtained my records through MA national archives, they were most efficient. Here is an instructional/tip manual from the national archives, for anyone interested: www.archives.gov/research/chinese-americans/guide.html
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ida
Member
Posts: 5
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Post by ida on Jan 13, 2015 17:22:41 GMT -5
Question for anyone who has gone back to their "roots" village in China: I have heard that ancestral halls kept meticulous geneological records. However, given the amount of descruction which occurred during the cultural revolution, I don't have much hope of finding any intact records. Has anyone been back and have anything to report in this regard? Any information would be welcome. I am planning a trip in the next few years.
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Post by Doug 周 on Jan 13, 2015 19:40:48 GMT -5
Ida,
The ancestral halls and their records were targeted for destruction by the Red Guards in the 1970’s. China is a huge country, and the activity of the Red Guards was strongest in the North. However, Guangdong was not immune.
Those records saved were hidden or in private collections. Currently to try to recover your Zupu involves networking with village and clan elders and obtaining a privately held booklet. The most efficient way to do this is to hire a guide who can contact these elders before your visit for the best use your limited time. Don’t forget that China is changing and these elders are dying, the youth are moving to the large cities, and the network is getting smaller and smaller as the villages are being paved over with cities and modern infrastructure.
This forum has a lot of recommendations and anecdotes on ancestral village visits. Please explore.
That being said, realize that genealogy is becoming popular again. In some regions of the Sze Yup regions, clans and elders have collated the Zupu’s into a bound (large volume) book for purchase from the Overseas Chinese Office.
I hope this answers your question. If not, post in a new thread and more members will spot your post and answer your specific question
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