Lecture notes.
Knowing the surname is key [this is a challenge] Yu as an example 10 different character Have to find the character. Older generation may know, but the younger generation may not.
Multiple given names over a lifetime
He has a paper name not a real name [must find the real name - need to find family members that have the information.
A paper name is not the true family surname. You must go to a relative.
ming official name
zi coutesty/style name
hao pseudonym/married name
hui taboo name
shi
Understanding local records
How records are kept in the locality that is relevant to that person. Montana records
Instructor knows Hawaiian records
Hawaii Board of Health
First trip to Oregon where grandfather had emigrated. BYU missionary. Bishop in Oregon gave his list of consultants.
35 million Overseas Chinese Exodus from China
Fujan
Guangdong to America Near Hong Kong
Thailand
Malaysia
US
Indonesia
Singapore
Myanmar
Canada
Philippines
Peru
Vietnam
Australia
Sze Yup (4 District) Taishan to U. S. great maajority came from here in the early years.
Zhongshan went to Hawaii
Wiki
Mel Thatcher "Genealogical Sources for Overseas Chinese on Microfilm at the Genealogical Society of Utah" not there yet. Do keyword search on some of his topics.
Put "China' in place field.
Key words work the best.
"Carl C. Smith Collection"
NA Exclusion Act Files
1882 excluded them from entering country. Went through an extensive interview process. China Town has an exhibit. It similates what the interview was like. Transcripts and records are usually kept in the archives.
Sometimes they are at Citizen Agency.
www.archives.gov
Need to contact them first.
San Bruno CA - only operate by appointment
Find e-mail "write to them and see if they have any holdings."
Document reading room. No pens. Camera with no flash. One file at a time. One paper at a time.
Go to "Visit Us"
National Archives at San Francisco, CA
Visit their website
See their e-mail address and write to them.
Gravestones, espeically those with Chinese characters, can give vital information.
Encourage patrons to examine gravestones of ancestors, capture images, and get translations.
Gravestone for Gee Hing.
Center line says this:
[Chines character] indicates grave erected by a son or daughter for their father
whose name
Yu Yue - given name
Quing (Hing) - given name
Zhu (Chu) - family name
"GONG"
Grave fo
left born in
Xian
Feng
10th years
Next to that is death date
On far right
Guangdong province
Kaiping district
Yang Don Boa (county
Huang Shi Kent (subdivision
village
Gravestones can have mistakes in them.
Village Database ( by American Consulate in Hong Kong) to catch emigration fraud
villagedb.friendsofroots.org
List of surnames (in Cantonese)
Pick a name
It shows by district - then by village - gives coordinates to find on a map
ng = Wu in Mandarin
Chinese Genealogy Forum:
siyigenealogy.proboards.com
Can post queries
For example a photo of their family's tombstone
Name of village (I'm look for this village)
The House of Chinn:
houseofchinn.com
Al Chinn has good background for Chinese Americans.
Chinn family genealogy
Also good general information
Chinese names (in detail)
Dialects
Genealogical Records
Emigration
History
Access patron's extent
Names
Dte and place of immigration
Name of ancestral village
Assist with search for vital documents in FS
Other sources: National Archives, gravestones
Helps: Websites.