California, Chinese Partnerships and Departures from San Francisco - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection corresponds with NARA publication A3362: Partnership lists of Chinese firms in San Francisco, California, and nationwide, 1893-1907; and index of Chinese departing from San Francisco, California, 1912-1943. The collection is part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. It was filmed at the NARA facility in Washington DC.

Record Content
Information found in this collection may include:


 * Name
 * Nationality
 * Destination
 * Name of vessel
 * Amount paid
 * Date of departure
 * Name of company providing transportation

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * The name of your ancestor.
 * Some other identifying information such destination and date of departure.

Search the Collection
To search the collection: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "NARA Roll Number" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details and lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example, you can use these lists to:


 * Learn an immigrant’s place of origin
 * Confirm their date of arrival
 * Learn foreign and “Americanized” names
 * Find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests.
 * Find federal immigration records

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Download a copy of the record or transcribe the details.
 * If your ancestor had a common name, be sure to look at all the entries for a name before you decide which is correct.
 * Continue to search the lists to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have immigrated at the same time.
 * If your ancestor has an uncommon surname, you may want to obtain the passenger list of every person who shares your ancestor’s surname. You may not know how or if they are related, but the information could lead you to more information about your own ancestors.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of other port cities.

Related Websites

 * NARA Collection Description A3362
 * NARA Prologue Article Case Files from the Chinese Exclusion Era
 * NARA Reference Report Chinese Immigration into the Port of San Francisco,1882-1957
 * US GenWeb Project

Related Wiki Articles

 * California Emigration and Immigration
 * California, San Francisco Chinese Passenger Arrivals (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citations for this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: