Hawaii State Archives, Chinese Immigration Labor Permit Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
Conditional permit records from the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Kingdom of Hawaii for Chinese laborers and domestics for years 1893-1898. The permits are in both English and Chinese. The permit applications and registers are in English. The microfilm of the originals was made at the Archive of Hawaii in Honolulu.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Register of Application
 * Date of application
 * Applicant name
 * Locality
 * Agent

Register of Chinese Women
 * Date
 * Name
 * Residence
 * Husband
 * Husband residence
 * Guarantor

Conditional Permits for Chinese Labour and Domestics
 * Name
 * Age
 * Resident of what place

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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family
 * Use the information to find a birth record and locate the family in census records

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * The names may be secondary names given at marriage or other events
 * The first name may indicate the surname. Chinese custom list the last name first
 * Women's names ending with Shee: the name preceding Shee is the maiden surname, Shee meaning "Miss"
 * Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Hawaii.
 * Hawaii Guided Research
 * Hawaii Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Violet L. Lai, Hawaii Chinese History Center Library holdings : books, papers and articles on the Chinese, with special reference to the Chinese in Hawaii, published or written in 1971-1977 Honolulu : Hawaii Chinese History Society, 1977.
 * Chinese immigration permits, 1893-1898
 * Card index to Chinese passports, 1884-1898
 * Certificates of identification of Chinese immigrants, 1895-1897
 * Chinese passports, 1884-1890
 * U.S. District Court, California, San Francisco, Certificates of identification of Chinese immigrants; index
 * Chinese arrivals, 1847-1880
 * Chinese entry permits, 1888-1898
 * Chinese immigration applications, 1890-1892
 * Chinese immigration certificate of identity, Hawaii, 1908-1909 : NARA, RG 85
 * Chinese work permits, 1895-1897
 * Departures of Chinese from Hawaii, 1852-1900
 * Index to entry permits for Chinese minors, 1891-1898
 * Labor permits of Chinese persons who died in Hawaii, 1895-1897 : rejected permits, 1895-1897
 * Certifications of Hawaiian-born children of Chinese parentage, 1893-1898

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.