Louie Chuck Lum, son of Louie Lang Jin, arrived in Seattle on the SS President Taft on 16 January 1928. He was 22 years old, single, a rice farmer, on his way to visit his cousin Louie Jew in Portland, Oregon. He was seeking admission to the United States as the son of a native. He was born in Hang Mee village, Hoy San district, China on 15 April 1905.
His village had about 300 houses in nine rows–his was the 5th house, 4th row from the head. [The interview contains copious details about the size of the houses, the direction of the rows in relation to the village, the amount of space between the houses and an exhaustive description of his house.
Louie Chuck Lum’s father, returned to China in 1914 and eventually died there. On his 1928 trip to Seattle, Louie Chuck Lum brought some of his father’s clothing with him. He wore his father’s suit on the ten-day trip from China even though it was a little big for him and he wore his father’s vest at his interview. He showed the interviewers the undated street car transfer in the pocket of his father’s suit. The ticket became part of the file.
He was asked why he and his older brother were not married and he said it was because they did not have enough money to get married.
Four Chinese witnesses made affidavits testifying that Louie Chuck Lum was the son of Louie Lang Jin, a U.S. citizen. On 9 March 1928 Louie Chuck Lum was admitted to the United States.