California, San Francisco Chinese Passenger Arrivals - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains passenger lists, of vessels arriving at San Francisco, California, August 1882-December 1914. These records correspond with NARA publication M1414 and were filmed at the NARA facility in College Park, Maryland.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information found in this collection may include:
 * Name
 * Age
 * Gender
 * Marital status
 * Occupation
 * Citizenship
 * Race
 * Last permanent residence
 * Birthplace
 * Final destination

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The age or date of immigration

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the NARA Roll Number to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the [URL of Custodian (space) Custodian Name]..

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * In case you need to find this record again later, copy the citation below in the Citing This Collection section.
 * Use the information found in the record to find other [California Emigration and Immigration] such as emigrations, port records, and ship’s manifests.
 * Use the record to learn your ancestor’s foreign and “Americanized” names, if they were different.
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index.
 * If applicable, search for military records as well.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching other possible localities or ports of entry like San Francisco International Airport Port of Entry.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived. Then look for the Naturalization Petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts, then in state, county, or city courts. An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"California, San Francisco Chinese Passenger Arrivals, 1882-1914." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing archive name, archive location in local language [archive name, archive location in English].
 * Collection Citation:

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