Paper sons and daughters

[Henry]

Dear Colleagues,

Raymond, our Forum colleague and friend shared an article with me about crib sheets used to counter the questions of immigration officers trying to catch "paper" sons and daughters trying to enter the US during the interrogation sessions. I wanted to share it with all Forum members. Many of these crib sheets were developed from the questions that were asked by the immigration officers and reported back to people acquiring these papers.

Interestingly, the Village Database that we used to find ancestral villages was initially developed as an aid to immigration officers to help them interrogate "paper" sons and daughters - is now used to help find ancestral villages.

My mom was interrogated at Ellis Island for 2 weeks in 1940 when she arrived in New York City, as the immigration officers correctly suspected she was a "paper" daughter - and she was. But, mom was and still is a very sharp lady and stood fast on her answers, finally, when these immigration officers could not confuse her or catch her in a lie, they gave up and released her. My father was outside waiting for her, then they went to the nearest justice of the peace and got married. Mom was a picture bride and she never met my father. For the 47 years that they were married until my father passed on in 1987, my father adored my mother and loved her beyond words.

Here is the link to the article on crib sheets used by "paper" sons and daughters to study for immigration interrogations:

cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/53-questions-that-a-life-may-depend-on/?emc=eta1


Here is an additional link to Paper Families:Identity, Immigration Administration, and Chinese Exclusion by Estelle T. Lau:

www.dukeupress.edu/books.php3?isbn=978-0-8223-3747-8


Enjoy,

Henry

[harc3]

Thanks for posting the links Henry and thanks to Raymond. Very interesting read. Good for your Mom too....

[douglaslam]

I found paper sons and daughters particularly interesting. Even as late as the 1950s, there were still attempts to enter Canada by such means. I know because I was not a successful one.

My grandfather was successful in sponsoring his nephew to Salthingyer City as a paper son. The task was made easier for the close family link, details could be readily recalled because grandfather’s nephew lived next door to us in the original ancestral home. Grandfather had built a grander one. The nephew took the identity of my uncle, grandfather’s youngest son, who had runaway to join the People’s Liberation Army in the early years of Mao’s ascendancy. It was not unusual to see young men and women rushing to be part of an emerging new country. My aunt had done so before my uncle. Canada was perhaps trying to atone for the past injustice and allowed grandfather, then a retiree to bring a minor son to join him.

Where do I come in? Riding on the success, grandfather thought it was best to have me in Vancouver as well. Obviously I was too young to be a son, so a plan was concocted. Though grandmother was much alive, grandfather resorted to claim he was a widower, and he was going to take on a younger widow as wife, and I, the widow’s son. I was coached to answer the questioning by immigration officials. I think it all fell apart when I signed my Chinese name at the end of the questioning session. I retained my own name, but adopted a simpler character with the same sound. Inadvertently, I signed with my own given name, which has the top bit of a Wong. I knew I did not do the right thing, tried to cross it out. But the immigration official stopped me there and then. She jumped to the conclusion that I was a Wong, and would not give me a chance to explain. End of story.

Perhaps this was a blessing. I can’t imagine living a life calling my grandfather my stepfather. It would be impossible to keep it under wrap. All kinds of awkward situation would arise. I was never destined to be a Canadian. The warmer climes, sun and surf is more my scene.

[douglaslam]

Copy and paste did not work well. that bit of nonsense is meant to be Salthingyer

[douglaslam]

I give up, I try the upper case SALthingyER.

[raymond]

Henry,

Thanks for sharing the New York Times article on the crib sheet with Forum members. The article clearly illustrates the minefield of hurdles the Overseas Chinese had to undergo in order to enter America whether paper son/daughter or not. The questions being asked correlating down to the most minute details are clearly designed to thwart even those who were not paper sons/daughters. As you can see, not every Chinese was successful in his/her attempt to enter America.

Raymond