Chinese-American Family History Workshop Saturday, July 27, 2013

Paper son Leong Wing Ding,  age 6, Case 3116/7-3, arrived 20 Dec 1930 at Port of San Francisco. Interrogation by immigration inspectors of Wing and his mother and sister lasted three days. His personal case file had forty-four pages of documents, including these photographs.

Saturday, July 27, 2013
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society and Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612

Getting Started: Basic Research Techniques and Setting Research Goals

Join researchers Christine DeVillier, Kay Speaks and Doug Joe for a Chinese-American family history research workshop. The class is geared towards those newly beginning their Chinese-American research. No Chinese language skills required.

Schedule:
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Beginning Chinese Genealogy: Basic Training, Doug Joe
Learn the steps you need to start your Chinese family heritage research. Discussion will include: surnames, phonetic spellings, Chinese characters, multiple ancestors' names, the family interview, heirloom archeology, and gravestone inscriptions.

11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Beginning Chinese Genealogy: Internet Resources, Christine DeVilliers
This talk will cover both popular and lesser known English and Chinese online resources. A full list of internet resources and tools will be provided.

12:10 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch - Bring your own lunch and join us for informal discussions.

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Passenger Lists: Annotations and Markings, Kay Speaks
Immigration records, known as “passenger arrival” records, provide valuable genealogical information. After April 1, 1924, immigrants in the U.S. who wanted to travel abroad could apply for a reentry permit. These permits required their original port of entry, ship and date of arrival. The immigrant’s provided information was verified against the original passenger list. Verification clerks would annotate the permit request on the original passenger list. Bring copies of your passenger lists if you have any.

2:10 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Open discussion, technique review, hands on research, review. Bring copies of your personal research records for sharing and review as possible research tools. You are welcome to stay later until the library is closed.

Register online.

Please note:

• Class is limited to twenty participants. Fee for both days, $20.
• No walk-ins.
• Priority will be given to first time attendees. (Attendees who attended our previous Chinese-American workshop may be wait-listed.
• Bring your wireless laptop and copies of your family records. if you would like the instructors to provide feedback.

Christine DeVillier has been practicing genealogical research as an avocation for more than ten years. She is of multiple ethnicities: Chinese, German, Danish, English, Tahitian, and possibly other European ancestry. This background, and her on-going active research into all facets of her ancestry, has presented her with numerous rich opportunities for her to explore the international dimensions of her ancestors. These opportunities have broadened her research skills with a wide range of techniques. Culturally, Christine identifies Chinese-American, having grown up in a bilingual Taishan (Hoisanwah)/English speaking household. Christine’s research into her Chinese ancestry culminated in a visit to both of her Chinese grandparents' villages in China in 2010, during which she learned more family history, and has uncovered even more since.

Kay Speaks, a California native, is first generation Chinese American on her paternal side, Irish on her maternal side. She began her genealogy journey over thirteen years ago while trying to solve a family murder mystery never talked about by her Chinese elders. Through her research, she finally “meets” her Chinese grandfather, a paper son, and discovers he was so much more than the photo that hung on her parent’s wall--his silent stories waiting discovery. Along the way, Speaks’ Leong family great-grandparents, grandparents, parents and other extended family have become part of her genealogical written stories and award winning poetry. Her Chinese adventures includes the serendipity of ancestors found, solving the 1928 murder mystery cited in case law today. Speaks teaches and lectures on genealogy research techniques, methodology and other research topics, writes articles for various society newsletters, co-teaches a software genealogy class, as well as organizes genealogy workshops and seminars for the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society located in the East Bay of San Francisco and for other organizations in the area.

Doug Joe is a second-generation Chinese American “baby boomer” whose elders initially landed in the U.S. at the end of the 19th century. He has been able to trace and document several hundred years of his heritage without Chinese language skills. Doug Joe lives and works in Modesto, California but enjoys helping others worldwide in their search for their Chinese roots. His mantra is, "You can study your Chinese family history without knowing the Chinese language."

Photograph courtesy of Kay Speaks.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Chinese Genealogy Research for Beginners with Douglas Joe

Saturday, July 30, 2011
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612

This class is for beginners without Chinese language skills to learn how to start researching their Chinese ancestry. The first half of the class is designed for the computer challenged and will emphasize the basics of Chinese genealogy, including nuances and taboos and how to overcome these obstacles.

In the second portion, Doug will discuss the internet and computer resources.

Learn how to:

• use digital resources and free programs to overcome Chinese language illiteracy
• how to archive and reference your findings
• what to expect in the future as China opens new online genealogy resources

For those uncomfortable with computers, Doug recommends bringing a tech savvy friend or family member.

This class is limited to forty participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-members fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied toward membership only on the day of the class.

Preregistration is required. Registration confirmations will be sent to the first forty participants who register. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations. Walk-ins will not be admitted.

Register online.

Douglas Joe is a second generation Chinese American “baby boomer” who has been able to trace and document several hundred years of his heritage without Chinese language skills. He is a moderator for the Chinese Genealogy Forum and enjoys helping others worldwide in their search for their Chinese roots. Joe lives and works in Modesto, California and can be reached via email.


Copyright © 2011 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Christine In Search of Her Roots

Imagine an intensive internship for young genealogists to learn how to research their family history in America, culminating in a pilgrimage to their far-off ancestral villages.

Fantasy? No!

In Search of Roots is an annual San Francisco program created in 1990 for Chinese Americans aged 17 to 26 with families from the Pearl River Delta region in the Guangdong province of China. More than one hundred interns have visited over 150 ancestral villages, including our own Christine DeVillier.

I recently ran into Christine and saw the gorgeous photo book she created to document her experience. The book had just arrived in the mail and Christine was eager to share it with some genealogy-mad friends. Where better to find some than at the CGS Library?

Ancestral Homes of the Lim - Wong Family documents Christine's amazing trip to Hoisan, Guandong, China in July of this year when she visited the ancestral villages of her maternal grandparents. Christine used MyPublisher's bookmaking software and her photographs to chronicle once-in-a-lifetime moments, like when she met her grandfather's younger sister, Lim Cahn Woon, who had met her brother only once when he returned to China to marry.

 

Christine called her newly found great-aunt "Goo Paw." Goo Paw helped to fill in missing parts of the family tree and led Christine to her grandmother's village and family home using only her memories of the wedding that took place more than sixty years ago.

Christine has been researching her family for almost ten years. She was one of the speakers at the recent Chinese American Family History Conference at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and she was one of the four creators of the two-part Chinese Ancestry Workshop organized by the California Genealogical Society in the spring.

Thanks, Christine, for sharing!


Photographs from Ancestral Homes of the Lim - Wong Family courtesy of Christine DeVillier.
Photograph of Christine courtesy of Jane Knowles Lindsey, 10/6/2010, Oakland, California.


Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Chinese American Family History Conference

Sunday, October 10, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.)

Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 Ninth Street
Oakland Chinatown

Learn about how to research your Chinese family ancestry and history at this informative and interactive all day conference. Speakers will include staff from the In the Search of Roots program, National Archives San Francisco and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. Three CGS members are part of the planning committee for the event: Christine DeVillier, Douglas Joe and Kay Speaks. Christine and Kay are two of the scheduled speakers.

Workshop Topics include:

• Why work on learning about family history?
• How do I start my family history project? An introduction to Chinese surnames.
• Why did our ancestors migrate within and beyond China?
• How do I research family documents from the National Archives?
• What are some good research techniques to use to learn about my family and roots?
• Fascinating case studies showing use of many different research methods and technology.
• Journeys to the Motherland: What can I expect if I go to China? Who can help me get there?

Registration is $25 online and includes a box lunch. There is a reduced fee of $15 for students with current ID.

For more infomation, email rchan@oacc.cc or call (510) 637-0463.

The Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) was founded in 1984 by a coalition of volunteers who recognized the need for a strong artistic and cultural force in the Chinatown area. Since opening its own facility in 1996 in the heart of Oakland's Chinatown district, the OACC has presented countless high quality cultural programs including performances, workshops, festivals, school tours, classes, and exhibitions.

Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Wordless Wednesday

Ethnic Genealogy Series: Chinese Ancestry Workshop I

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Christine DeVillier , Marisa Louie,  Jeanie Low and Kay Speaks

Photographs by Tim Cox and Kathryn Doyle, Oakland, California.

Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Ethnic Genealogy Series: Chinese Ancestry - A Workshop in Two Sessions

The California Genealogical Society and Library, in partnership with the National Archives and Records Administration - San Francisco, presents a FREE two-part workshop on researching Chinese ancestry. Members Christine DeVillier, Jeanie Low and Kay Speaks will share their experience and the knowledge gained researching their own Chinese ancestors.  The classes are open to all levels of experience – Chinese language skills are not necessary. Attendance at both sessions is required. 

Session I - Saturday April 17, 2010
10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
California Genealogical Society Library, 2201 Broadway, Suite LL2, Oakland, CA.

Program:
10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.  Chinese Research Timeline in the U.S. from 1849 to the present – Jeanie Low presents an examination of immigration laws and migration patterns and their effect on Chinese families.

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Resources in the The National Archives and Records Collection Pertaining to Chinese Research – Marisa Louie, NARA Archivist.

12:00 p.m. -   1:00 p.m.  Brown bag lunch and informal discussion.

1:00 p.m. -   2:00 p.m.  Obtaining Records: Your Toolbox – Christine DeVillier reviews: interview and research techniques, using photos and artifacts, online resources, how to use headstones, passengers lists, birth and death records, census records, family associations and more.

2:00 p.m. -   3:30 p.m.  Case Studies and Research – Kay Speaks.


Session II - Saturday, May 8, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
National Archives, San Francisco Pacific Region, 1000 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, CA.

Research day at NARA with access to the Angel Island Immigration Station case files. Only those who attend the April 17, 2010, workshop will be admitted to the archives.

Please note:

• Workshop is limited to twenty.
• FREE with advanced registration.
• No walk-ins allowed.
• Handouts will be emailed in advance. Please bring your own printed copy and help us cut costs.

Update 3/12/10:

The Chinese Ancestry Workshop is now full. A waiting list has been started for a future class. Add your name at the online registration form. 

Chinese Research - El Cerrito Library - 1/22/09

CGS member Jeanie Low, author of China Connection: Finding Ancestral Roots for Chinese in America will present a one hour program on Chinese Genealogical Research at the El Cerrito Library on Thursday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m. The library is located at 6510 Stockton Ave, El Cerrito, California, a branch of the Contra Costa County Library system. The telephone number is (510) 526-7512. There will be time at the end of the program for questions and answers.

Ms. Low's research specialty is Chinese American research from the 1850's to the present. She has expertise in such topics as the Chinese Exclusion Acts, confession and amnesty, 20th century Alien A-Files for all ethnic groups, basic genealogical research and finding the ancestral village. Her transparencies encompass a sampling of gravestone translation, immigration and naturalization case files and family artifacts that will inspire anyone to begin, continue, to verify and piece together their family stories.

Since 1992, Jeanie has spoken to audiences at public libraries, the Oakland Museum, Chinese Historical Society of America, and at conferences sponsored by National Genealogical Society, California State Genealogical Alliance and the National Archives and Records Administration.

Born in San Francisco, Ms. Low is the child of immigrants who entered the U.S. through the Angel Island Immigration Station. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University, with a major in Chinese Studies. She engages her audiences with humor and historical context.

Chinese-American Research

The January/Februay 2008 issue of Ancestry Magazine is a "special research edition" featuring twelve genealogy "superheroes" who have expertise in ethnic research including: German, French-Canadian, African-American, Italian, Chinese, Polish, Scots-Irish, Native-American, Mexican, Slovak, Scandinavian and Dutch. Each of the specialists had 600 words to answer a case-study research question pertinent to their area. CGS member, Jeanie W. Chooey Low, is the featured author of "From East to West: Researching Chinese Ancestry" on pages 28-29 of the magazine.

Low, a second generation Chinese-American and a native San Franciscan, wrote China Connection: Finding Ancestral Roots for Chinese in America, a compact guide for those interested in doing Chinese family research in the United States. She is bilingual and holds degrees in Library Technology and Chinese Studies and has presented workshops at conferences for the National Archives and Records Administration, the National Genealogical Society, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Chinese Historical Society of America and San Francisco State University's Asian American Studies Department.

Ms. Low has been an active member of "Save Our National Archives" SONA, an ad hoc group formed in 1998 when the Regional NARA were threatened with closure. The group has spent ten years advocating for the preservation of the California Alien Files (A-Files) and Jeanie reports that their efforts were successful thanks to the support of Congressman Tom Lantos. Approximately one million Alien case files, which can each contain up to 100 pages of precious family documents, will be preserved and become available for research.

In addition to advocacy work, lecturing and research, Jeanie is also an award-winning quilt artist. She has developed her own techniques and finds that quilting allows for another avenue to express her love of family history. Pictured is one of her quilts which contains four generations of family photographs.

Jeanie accepts clients interested in her expertise in Chinese-American genealogy or in 20th century immigration research for any ethnicity. She can be reached by email at wongyen@comcast.net or by snail mail to: J.W.C. Low Company, Post Office Box 472012, San Francisco, California 94147.