Hong Sheu Pong – Son of Merchant at Lake Village, Arkansas

Affidavit, Certificate of Identity, Definition of Merchant, Permit to Reenter, reference sheet, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Black and white portrait of a young boy with short hair, wearing a suit and tie, looking directly at the camera.
“Certificate of Identity Application Photo, M143,” 1923, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, National Archives at Seattle, Hong Sheu Pong, Seattle Box 908, #7032/977.

In October 1923, fourteen-year-old Hong Sheu Pong arrived at the Port of Seattle with his twelve-year-old brother Sheu Gee, their mother Chu Shee, and their stepfather, Lem Ten.

The first document in the file is a sixteen-page interview by immigration authorities with Shue Pong’s mother, Chu Shee. She testified that she was the wife of Lem Ten, a merchant. She was 35 years old, 4’9’ tall, had a large scar behind her left jaw, moles on the right side of her neck, a mole near bridge of nose, and could not speak English. Her maiden name was Ah Joe Chu. She produced an affidavit with photos of herself and her two sons. She was born in Long Hin Lee Village, San Wey District, China. Her parents were both deceased and she had no siblings. Sheu Pong and Sheu Gee were the sons of Chu Shee and her late husband Hong Leung Jung. They lived in Deung Hong Village. He left a few months after her younger son was born and died in southern China at an unknown date and place at least seven or eight years ago. Chu Shee married Lem Ten in early 1923.

Chu Shee had a hard time describing the houses in her village and their occupants. The village only contained five or six houses spread out from each other and she did not know her neighbors’ names or anything about their families.

[When young minor children were applying for entrance into the U.S., the interviewer would concentrate on questioning the parents. Since Sheu Gee and She Pong were twelve- and fourteen-year-old, their interviews were more extensive.]

The sons were interviewed. Their family name was Fong. Sheu Gee testified that was twelve years old and was born in Deung Hong Village. His “blood father” was Leung Jung and his stepfather was Lem Ten. Sheu Pong, age fourteen, identified photos of his mother and brother. The brothers worked in the rice fields with their mother. They lived in a one-room clay house with a kitchen. Because they were so poor, they could not afford to attend school.

Lem Ten swore in his interview that he was of the Fong family, was forty-five years old, and did not have a marriage name. He was born in Juk Wan Village. When Lem Ten was about eight years old (ca. 1885) he arrived in the United States through San Francisco with his uncle. Although the Chinese Exclusion Act went into effect in 1882, Lem Ten probably did not receive a certificate of residence because he was so young when he entered. He applied for a certificate of identity after his arrival in 1923.

Lem Ten first met his wife on the day they were married. She walked to his village with her two sons and “the go-between” who arranged the marriage. They were married according to the old Chinese custom, but she did not wear a crown or veil or obtain a red marriage paper. Lem Ten swore that he was a merchant, a member of the Wee Dik Company at Lake Village, Arkansas, a general merchandising business. When they arrived in October 1923, he mentioned that his wife was “in a delicate condition.”

After the interviews were completed, the Examining Inspector recommended that the mother and her two sons not be allowed to enter the U.S. but the family was given ten days to introduce further testimony or evidence.

The evidence in the case was reviewed and although the inspectors thought the information given  was coached, they believed that the couple was married, she was four months pregnant, the children were her biological children, the likeness between the mother and the boy was striking. “It would be a great injustice to deport this woman…I therefore direct admission of the woman and two children.” Hong Sheu Pong was issued a Certificate of Identity.

March 12, 1930
Hong Sheu Pong, age 20, applied for a Reentry Permit. He wanted to take a vacation in China and get married. He was now a merchant at the Fong Cash Store in Brickeys, Arkansas and a partner with three others. The store sold groceries and general merchandise, shoes, dry goods, and hardware. They rent the building for $60 a month. The value of the business in 1929 was $30,000 with a net profit of $2,700. The furniture and stock were insured for $7,000. During his interview Hong was asked if his company had any connection with a laundry, restaurant, lodging house, barber ship, gambling house or any business of an unlawful or questionable character. His company did not.

Hong’s Caucasian witness, J. A. Kinard, was a farmer and the business’s landlord. Isaac H. Vincent, Immigrant Inspector, asked Kinard if he considered Hong a merchant. He did. The Inspector then defined the term “merchant.”

As defined in Sec. 2, Act of Nov. 3, 1893, is as follows: “A merchant is a person engaged in buying and selling merchandise, at a fixed place of business, and who during the time he claims to be engaged as a merchant, does not engage in the performance of any manual labor, except such as is necessary in the conduct of his business as such merchant.”

Inspector Vincent again asked Kinard is he still considered this Chinese person to be a merchant. Kinard answered that he did.

Hong’s other Caucasian witness was Harry Earl Friend, born in Galesburg, Illinois, an agent of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The Inspector read the definition of a merchant to Friend and Friend agreed that Hong fit the definition of a merchant. Hong’s reentry permit was approved.                                                                                                                                                   

Hong Sheu Pong left for China and returned one year later in March 1931 and was admitted. He married as soon as he arrived in China and had a two-month-old son. His wife and child stayed in China.

1933-34
Hong applied for another trip to China in June 1933. His marriage name was Nen Quan. He was now the manager of the Fong Cash Store and retained his interest in the store. The inventory of the store in 1933 was worth $4,500 and sales for the previous year were $22,450, with a profit of $400. His Caucasian witnesses were A. C. A. Applewhite and J. A. Kinard. Hong was issued a return permit and he left for China in August 1933. He returned in June 1934. His wife was seven months pregnant.

The Reference Sheet in the files contains names and files numbers for Hong Sheu Pong’s mother, stepfather, brother, wife, daughter, half-brother, and half-sister. It does not mention his son born in early 1931.

[The following documents on Ping Fong Jr. are at the Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project and the University of Central Arkansas Digital Archives:

Ping Fong Jr. – Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project
Ping Fong Jr. | Ping Fong Jr. Audio | Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project collection | UCA Digital Archives

Revised.PingFongJrTranscript.docx

[Thank you to National Archives-Seattle CEA volunteer, Andrew Sandfort-Marchese,  for calling my attention to this file.]

Wong Kuen Hue’s brief stay in West Minster, British Columbia

Affidavit, Application of Alleged American Born Chinese for Preinvestigation of Status,, Birth Certificate, Canadian Chinese Exclusion laws, merchant, U.S. Passport, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recently Spencer Cheng of Los Angeles found a CEA blog post for his relative, Clement Joe, from the Mississippi Delta. This discovery got Spencer interested in finding other files on relatives. He has visited several National Archives branch facilities and obtained files on thirty-two family members.

This month’s blog entry is for Wong Kuen Hue. Wong Kuen Hue’s parents were Spencer’s great grandparents. Wong Kuen Hue’s father, Wong Hong Ping, was trying to send Wong Kuen Hue and his sister, Wong Lie How, to live with Jung Wing Chong, a merchant in New Westminster, British Columbia, because their mother was hospitalized after a still birth. Jung Wing Chong was the husband of the children’s older sister, Wong Lin Heung.

A historical black and white photograph of a family group. The image features a woman and a man seated together, with four children standing around them. The children are wearing traditional clothing and hats, and one child is holding a decorative plate. In the background, there are plants and a clock, adding a domestic setting to the portrait.
Wong family photo, 1909, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, National Archives at Seattle, Wong Kuen Hue, Vancouver Box 54, File 2116.

This 1909 photo is of Wong Kuen Hue and his family. He was about one year old at the time. The notation on the photo says “applicant and Father and Mother and sisters.” The kids are playing with a toy consisting of a long stick with an attached mechanical butterfly and a wheel so it could be pushed. The wings of the butterflies probably flapped up and down.

A historical document featuring photographs of three individuals: Wong Hong Ping, a young boy named Wong Khean Hue, and a young girl named Wong Lie How, along with handwritten notes and legal language related to their residency and family information in California.
Wong Hong Ping affidavit, CEA case files, RG 85, NARA- Seattle, Wong Kuen Hue, Vancouver Box 54, File 2116.

Wong Hong Ping started getting the paperwork completed for the children’s trip to Canada. Wong’s December 1914 affidavit includes photos of himself and two of his children, Wong Kuen Hue, born March 1908, and Wong Lie How, February 1913. Both were both in California. Wong Lai How’s birth certificate is included in the file.

Wong Hong Ping was interviewed a month later. He testified that he had three sons by his first wife before she died, and six children by his second wife, Jeng Shee.

Witness R. S. Fletcher, president of the Bank of Watsonville and the Watsonville Savings Bank, swore in an affidavit that he had been a resident of Watsonville for more than forty years, knew Wong Hong Ping for six years, that Wong was the manager of Wong Yee Kee Co., and that Wong and his wife Jung Him were the parents of Wong Kuen Hue and Wong Lie How.

A Form 430, Application of Alleged American-Born Chinese for Preinvestigation of Status, for each child, with their photo, is included in the file. A document dated in March 1915, tells that the children, Wong Kuen Hue and Wong Lie How, born in Walnut Grove and Watsonville, California, respectively, and were being detained by Canadian immigration officers at Vancouver, B.C. pending an investigation regarding evidence that their father was a merchant or if there was some other accepted classification by the Canadian Chinese Exclusion laws that would allow the children to be admitted to Canada.

The children were staying in New Westminster, B. C. with Jung Wing Chong, a merchant and the husband of their older sister. Their father wanted them to go to school where both Chinese and English were taught. Although the children were issued a Form 430 by Immigration in San Francisco, and their father was a merchant in the United States, they had no status entitling them to admission under Canadian Chinese Exclusion law. The children were detained in Vancouver but released on bond pending arrangements for their return to their home in the United States. They received their “Action Sheet, Departure” forms in February 1915. They were returned to the U.S. in April 1916, accompanied by their brother-in-law, Jang Wing Chong, were admitted and received their certificates of identity.

The children were staying in New Westminster, B. C. with Jung Wing Chong, a merchant and the husband of their older sister. Their father wanted them to go to school where both Chinese and English were taught. Although the children were issued a Form 430 by Immigration in San Francisco, and their father was a merchant in the United States, they had no status entitling them to admission under Canadian Chinese Exclusion law. The children were detained in Vancouver but released on bond pending arrangements for their return to their home in the United States. They received their “Action Sheet, Departure” forms in February 1915. They were returned to the U.S. in April 1916, accompanied by their brother-in-law, Jang Wing Chong, were admitted and received their certificates of identity.

The next document in Wong Kuen Hue’s file is a report dated February 1932. It states the Wong had a Vancouver file #2116, San Francisco file #12017/30030, San Pedre file #30160/2, and that he visited New Westminster, Canada, once and China twice. He was issued a U.S. passport in 1921, cancelled in 1924, and spoke English fluently without any Chinese accent.

His 1932 sworn statement in his file states his American name was Frank Wang. His parents moved back to China and his mother died there. Under Chinese and American rites he married Liang Pei Yee, also called Mabel Ling. She was living in Shanghai, China with their son and daughter. He answered many more questions about his siblings. When he returned to the U.S., he worked for Dr. Bewster in the circulation department of the Evening Herald (probably in Los Angeles). He thought he would be working in the movies at MGM Laboratory, but it didn’t work out. He was applying to go back to Shanghai and thought his house there was probably destroyed by the Japanese.
There is no document in the file that tells when or if he left for China.

Stop the Closure of the National Archives in San Francisco and Chicago

File, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Save OUR National Archives
Don’t let our community’s history disappear STOP the closure of the National Archives at San Bruno (SF) and Chicago

AsAmNews National Archives offices in San Bruno and Chicago to close

San Bruno: San Bruno Archives Closure Faces Congressional Challenge, Bay City News Service, Aug 24, 2026

Lawmakers push to save San Bruno National Archives amid planned federal closure

Planned closure of National Archives could force relocation of historic Bay Area records

Report by Grant Din, Communications co-chair, Save Our National Archives, 19 August 2026:

We had about 100 enthusiastic, creative, and vocal people at NARA San Bruno for Rep Kevin Mullin’s press conference. Mullin and Rep. Judy Chu’s delegation letter includes 37 members of Congress, including several from the Midwest, and you can see it here: 

https://kevinmullin.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Mullin-Chu-et-al-re-NARA-closing-San-Bruno-San-Francisco-Archive-2026-08-19.pdf

The bill that Mullin, Garcia from Chicago, Jayapal from Seattle, and Chu from So. Cal.are introducing would require any NARA move or closure to get Congressional approval. It’s very brief and changes a few words in the US Code and is posted here: 

https://kevinmullin.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/National-Archives-Bill.pdf

(Save Our National Archives) SONA’s video of the press conference is here: saveournationalarchives.org and you can click on the media tab to see the many TV, print, radio, and podcast stories.

We’re also close to 10,000 signatures on the change.org petition and will send a copy with all the signers to Wilson. Chicago has also been very active and I hope Suzanne Hoffman can update us.

NARA has posted information about where they plan for SF and Chicago materials to go and the details are here: https://www.archives.gov/research/news

See Save Our National Archives (SONA) website for Updates, Take Action, About SONA, Media Coverage, Our NARA stories, Work by Researchers, and Honoring Tom Lantos

Lee Tah (Tok) Fu (George Chin) – Anonymous letter, three wives, many photos

Alien Registration File Number, Anonymous letter, Marriage name, New York City file, Photographs, Section 6 Student, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lee Tah Fu (George Chin)’s file is a reminder that these files usually pertain to a small portion of a person’s life. Lee’s file brings up many questions and gives us few answers.

Lee Tah (Tok) Fu, Section 6 Certificate, 1924, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, National Archives at Seattle, Lee Tah (Tok) Fu, Box 900, 7032/790.

Lee Tah Fu 李達夫 first came to the U.S. as a Section VI student in 1924. He was born on 15 January 1899 at Hen Mee Village, S.N.D. (Sun Ning District), China, son of Lee Nie Wee and Moy Shee, and attended school at Chi Chu Middle School in Peking. Lee went to New York City after his arrival in Seattle and went to Mission School for one year before working in a laundry.

Historical black and white portrait of a young man with dark hair, wearing a suit and tie, with the words 'IMMIGRANT INSPECTOR' below his image.
Lee Tah (Tok) Fu, Form 432, 1930, CEA case files, RG 85, NARA-Seattle, Lee Tah (Tok) Fu, Box 900, 7032/790.

Ng Fook, marriage name Ng You Chung, was a witness for Lee Tah Fu in 1930. Lee and Ng Fook were both laundrymen living in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They had known each other three or four years. Ng borrowed $1,000 from Lee in August 1930 filling the requirement Lee needed when applying for his return certificate to visit his family in China. Lee’s application was approved.

When Lee returned through the Port of Seattle in September 1931, he received his Certificate of Identity #66912. Sometimes his name was spelled Lee Tah Fu and he also went by George Chin.

In October 1937, Mrs. George Chin wrote to Immigration and Naturalization in Seattle asking for more information about Lee Tok Fu. She said she was married, going to have a baby and would like to know about Lee’s married life in China. She did not say if she was his wife. The Seattle office wrote to the New York office for information contained in Lee’s New York file 134/237 and suggested that they contact Mrs. Chin. She was not contacted by Immigration until 1942.

In late January 1942, the immigration office at New York received an anonymous complaint about Lee. Gilbert M. Hall, U.S. Chinese and Immigrant Inspector at Ellis Island, New York, interviewed Lee Tok Fu.  Lee gave his marriage name as Lee Soon Moon. His parents were both deceased and they had never left China. Lee married Ng Shee, who died in China in 1934. They had a son and daughter. He married Caroline Greger, a Caucasian, in October 1935 at Church of All Nations in New York City. They had two sons, both born in New York City. Lee was registered under the Alien Registration Act and belonged to the Chinese Benevolent Association and had his Certification of Identity. Inspector. Hall decided that Lee had been legally admitted to the U.S.

Mrs. George Chin (Caroline Greger), a Caucasian, also known as Mrs. Lee Tok Fu, was then interviewed. Caroline was born on 29 October 1918 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. When asked for a copy of her 1935 marriage license, she said her husband tore it up while in a crazy fit. They had two sons, William, born 1939, and Joseph, born 1941. Their son George, born 1938, died in 1941, a few months before Joseph was born.

About 1937 or 1938, Caroline found out that her husband had another wife. Lee’s father-in-law, Charlie Sing, came into their laundry and told Caroline her husband was married to his daughter who was alive and living in China. They had three children together. Caroline found wife #1’s name and address in her husband’s effects and wrote to her. Lee’s eighteen-year-old son in China wrote to Caroline telling her that his mother was alive and sent her several photographs. Caroline confronted Lee and he told her he had two living wives in China. She separated from him but returned because she could not manage on her own. She planned on terminating her marriage.

Immigration filed this information in Lee’s file but no further action was taken. Alien Registration number 2860497 was handwritten on the final page in his file. Copies of the photos and Chinese letter from Lee’s N.Y. file were sent to Seattle and included in his file. No other follow-up information was included in the file.

Black and white photograph of two boys seated together, one wearing a suit and the other in a traditional outfit, both looking at the camera.
A man in a light suit sitting on a rooftop, holding a straw hat. The background features buildings and trees, with writing at the top and bottom indicating a date and name.
Black and white portrait of a young man in a suit, looking directly at the camera. The image has handwritten notes at the bottom.
A portrait of a young girl sitting on a rock, wearing a traditional patterned outfit. The background features foliage and a blurred bridge.
A young girl in a traditional dress stands next to a seated doll on a rock, with a decorative backdrop featuring plants and structures.
Photos from NARA- NY, File 134/237

Photo information:
Top row: Chin Tah Fu’s sons by his 1st wife: Chin You Tong, age 18 and Chin You Hing, age 13, taken ca. 1937; Chin Tah Fu; Chin You Tong
Bottom row:
Chin Tah Fu’s common law wife, Lin Sue (wife #3)
Chin Tah Fu’s daughter, Chin Sue Kin, age about 22, with her baby

[I was unable to find more information on Lee Tok Fu or his children by Caroline but according to Ancestry.com, Caroline Virgina Greger married Henry Keuvir on 12 April 1942, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. phn]

National Archives in San Bruno, CA threatened with immediate closure

File

Please Share Widely:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AbmM0t5MbeCnB8jex34JqEOkea-HtFjB2SbwX7spcCU/edit?tab=t.0

Please express your opposition by writing to

Edward Forst, Acting Archivist of the United States
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

Louis Loy – Seattle Merchant’s many trips to China

Affidavit, Application for Certificate of Identity, File, laborer, Marriage name, merchant, peddler, reference sheet, Return Certificate, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In June 1895, Louis Loy (Louie Loy)  雷來; 雷 sought approval for a trip to China. He was born in Jung Share (Jung Sea) Village, Sun Ning District, China. His marriage name was Louie Ngee Goon. J. Edgar Mills, wrote to the Chinese Inspector in Spokane, Washington, certifying that he had known Louis Loy for over three years and Louis was doing business in 1891 as Loy On & Co., a Japanese bazar [market], on Pike Street, in the Wa Chong Building.

“Louis Loy (Louie Loy), Affidavit photo,” 1893, CEA case files, RG 85, NARA-Seattle, Louis Loy, Box 908, #7032/999.

William Y. L. Rutherford swore in an affidavit in November 1893 that he had known Louis Loy as a merchant since 1890 in the business of manufacturing and dealing with ladies’ underwear. Since 1891, Louis and his partner, Lou Suie, continued the business under the name of Quong Lee Yuen & Co. The business was in the back of the Chinese grocery, Wa Chong Company. 

In June 1901, W. Y. L. Rutherford and Walter Bernett swore that they had known Louis Loy as a merchant for over ten years. Thomas M. Fisher, Chinese and Immigrant Inspector in Seattle sent a summary of his findings for interviews with Rutherford, M. S. Booth, Walter Burritt, and Alexander Wilson, to the Deputy Collector’s Office in Port Townsend. Booth was a manager at Ballargerin [a downtown Seattle department store] and lived in Seattle for twenty-nine years. Burritt and Wilson both knew Louie Loy for about ten years. Wilson, a merchant, testified that Louis visited Wilson’s store about every third day to buy silk, lace and dress goods for gowns.  Louis Loy’s trip was approved. He traveled to China and returned on 1 July 1901.

In August 1909, Louis Loy applied for a trip to Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. He wanted to bring his wife, Leong She, and his minor daughter, Louis Gim Won, back with him.
His witnesses were L.B. Jackson and W. H. Greeley, both employees at Western Dry Goods Company and longtime residents of Seattle. They swore that Louis was a merchant for more than five years at 316 Yesler Way in Seatle and had done no manual labor during the last year. A photo of Louis Loy was attached to the affidavit.

A note at the end of Louis Loy’s interrogation, says, “This applicant is personally known to the examining inspector as a reputable Chinese merchant of this city.” Signed by Henry A. Monroe

A partnership list of Louis Loy & Company as of 8 October 1909 is included in the file.

Louis Loy’s trip to Canada was approved. Louis and Leong She were married at 728 Commonwealth Street, Victoria, B.C. on 19 October 1909 in the Methodist Church by A. E. Roberts, clergyman, with witnesses L. Chewkum, Chan Sui and Maggie Smith.
Louis, his wife, and daughter returned to Seattle on the 20th of October. Louis’ first wife died in 1908. The immigration inspector examined Louis’ marriage license, approved it, and returned it to Louis.  Ah Foon (Woon), Louis’ ten-year-old daughter by his first wife was interrogated. The family was admitted.

In February 1929, Louie Loy submitted a Request for a Return Certificate. He was now sixty-six years old, [his interrogation lists his age as 67] considered a laborer, a peddler selling Chinese pastry. Louis and his second wife, Leung She, had eleven children, all born in the U.S. He provided the names and dates of birth for his children. They were living at Canton Alley in Seattle. Ah Chung owed him $1,000. [Laborers were required to have property or debt of $1,000] Ah Chung was questioned and his testimony agreed with Louie Loy.
 Louis Loy was originally admitted into the United States in 1895 as a returning merchant. He was in China during the original registration period, so he did not have a Certificate of Residence. On each of his trips he used his affidavit to prove his status as a merchant. When he returned from his 1929 trip to China, he received his Certificate of Identity #62558. 

“Louis Loy (Louie Loy), M143 photo,” 1930, CEA case files, RG 85, NARA-Seattle, Louis Loy, Box 908, #7032/999.

 According to his file, Louis Loy’s last trip to China was in March 1931, returning and admitted in January 1932.                                       

The reference sheet in his file lists the names and file numbers for Louis Loy’s wife, two sons, and seven daughters–potentially containing much more information on this family.

Ng Chin Gar – Columbia Refugee, El Paso, TX

Certificate of Identity, laborer's return certificate, Liberty Bond, Overtime Certificate, Return Certificate, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In April 1931 Ng Chin Gar 伍傳家 applied for a laborer’s return certificate, form 432. The Seattle Immigration Service wrote to the immigration office in El Paso, TX requesting a copy of his immigration file #5032/84-200. Ng Chin Gar handed over his certificate of identity #40650 which was issued to him as a “Columbus refugee” in El Paso, TX in 1923. It would be given back to him when he returned from his trip. They verified that he had the necessary $1,000 liberty bond. To qualify for reentry into the U.S., he had to return within one year and still be the owner of the $1,000 bond. Since he fulfilled all the requirements for a laborer under the Chinese Exclusion Act, the El Paso office recommended that Ng be issued a return certificate. While waiting for the approval of his documents, he was staying at the Wah Yuen store in his departure city, Seattle. He returned to the Port of Seattle in April 1932 and was admitted.

“Ng Chin Gar, Form 432, Return Certificate photo,” 1934, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, National Archives-Seattle, Box 911, File 7032/1072.

Ng Chin Gar applied again for a return certificate in 1934. He was working as a kitchen helper in Austin, Texas. He was married with two sons, ages 12 and 6 years old. In his application, he stated that he originally arrived as a refugee with the U.S. army and was admitted near Columbus, New Mexico, in 1917. He went to Mexico when he was twenty years old (ca.1912).

The Immigrant Inspector Roy M. Porter made a note saying: This certificate bears the following indorsement: “Registered under Public Resolution No. 29 approved November 5, 1928.”

[This was part of a later effort to standardize and reaffirm the validity of Chinese registration certificates issued under earlier exclusion laws.]

In 1935, Ng Chin Gar was unable to return within the one-year deadline because his wife was ill. He applied to Charles L. Hoover, the American Consulate General in Hong Kong for an Overtime Certificate.  Ng was asked why his wife’s mother couldn’t take care of her. Hoover approved the certificate because he thought if Ng appealed, it was likely the certificate would be approved.  Ng was admitted to the Port of Seattle on 22 May 1936.

The following information is not included in the Ng Chin Gar’s CEA file:

Army camp Columbus, N.M., auto truck supply train about to leave for Mexico / Shulman
. New Mexico Columbus, 1916. [?] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002719615/.

Migration Memorials Project, The Pershing Chinese

Edward J. M. Rhoads, The History of Chinese Immigration to Texas

Mina Tavakoli and Krystal Tilley, Borderlands: Chinese History in El Paso (2024-2025), EPCC Library Services, https://epcc.libguides.com/c.php?g=754275&p=10532944

“Unsung Allies: The ‘Pershing Chinese’ and the legacy They Left Behind in Texas,” Texas Capital News, May 13, 2025
https://texascapitalnews.substack.com/p/unsung-allies-the-pershing-chinese

Chi Che Wan – Chinese biochemist and college professor

Form of Chinese Certificate, Return Certificate, Return Permit, Section 6 Student, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In April 1931, Wang Chi Che 王季茝 (Chi Che Wang) was applying for a Return Permit so she could attend the annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in Montreal, Canada. Wang Chi Che’s file contains a Form of Chinese Certificate from 1907 when she originally arrived in the U.S.as a Section 6 student. A photo was attached and the document was signed by M. P. Boyd, American Vice Consul General in Charge, Shanghai, China.

Black and white portrait of a woman with an elegant hairstyle, wearing a high-collared blouse. The image is enclosed in an oval border, with a small round object in the top left corner.
Wang Chi Che (Chi Che Wang), Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, National Archives-Seattle, Box 908, File 7032/1000.

Wang Chi Che had the documents she needed to enter Canada temporarily in 1931 but was applying for the documents she would need to reenter the United States after she attended the meeting. She planned to go by way of Detroit, Michigan.

In February, Thomas Thomas, District Director of Immigration in Cincinnati, wrote to the Immigration office in Seattle asking them to furnish a landing record of Miss Chi Che Wang. She arrived as a sixteen-year-old student on the SS Minnesota in August or September 1907. She had not left the country since she arrived.

The Seattle office sent a summary of the 6 March 1931, six-page interrogation of Chi Che Wang.:

  1. She was born in Soo Chow, China on 30 October 1891 and was admitted to the U.S. as a student in August 1907.
  2. Attended Walnut Hills Boarding School in Natick, Massachusetts to improve her English, then Wellesley College.
  3. Employed as head of the Department of Biochemistry at Michall Reese Hospital in Chicago from April 1920 to April 1930.
  4. Did biological research work at the Marine Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts
  5. Taught biochemistry in the Department of Home Economics at Chicago University.
  6. Since December 1939, employed as Senior Fellow, in charge of the Department of Metabolism of the Pediatric Research Foundation in Cincinnati, receiving a salary of $4,500 a year.
  7. Member of Honorary Scientific Society of Sigma Psi, American Chemical Society, American Society of Biological Chemists, Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, and Institute of Medicine-Chicago section.
  8. Speaks English fluently and idiomatically.

Information in Chi Che Wang’s interrogation that was not included in the summary:
1. Living at 825 Locust Street in Cincinnati, Ohio.
2. Her sister, Chi Tsau Wang, a Theology student, was living at the International House in Berkeley, California.

After a review of Chi Che Wang’s documents in 1931, a Return Permit was issued to her.
A Reentry Permit was issued to her in 1939 with no additional paperwork.

For more information on Chi Che Wang go to:
Wikipedia
Wellesley College/Alumnae Corner/Chi Che Wang (1914)
AWIS (Association for Women in Science)
Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center

Thank you Andrew Sandfort-Marchese, for calling this file to my attention.