California Immigration Registers of Japanese, Filipinos, and Hawaiians at San Francisco - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains Registers of Japanese, Filipinos, and Hawaiians Held for Boards of Special Inquiry at San Francisco, California, September 1928 to February 1942. The records are a chronological listing of people detained for boards of special inquiry. The records are arranged by date of arrival then by vessel. The collection corresponds with NARA publication A3408 part of Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and was filmed at the NARA facility in Washington DC.

Record Content
Information found in this collection may include:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Nationality
 * Significant remarks
 * Name of vessel
 * Port of departure
 * Date of departure
 * Port of arrival
 * Date of arrival

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


 * The name of your ancestor.
 * Some other identifying information such the port and date of arrival or departure.

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒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 A3408
 * US GenWeb Project

Related Wiki Articles

 * California
 * California Emigration and Immigration
 * Hawaii Emigration and Immigration
 * Japan Emigration and Immigration
 * Philippines Emigration and Immigration

Citations for this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: