Category Archives: reference sheet

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.]

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.

Rev. Shiu Chiu Yiu – Vancouver, BC; Los Angeles, CA; Portland, OR

nonquota visa, Photographs, reference sheet, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In September 1925, C. Y. Shiu, age 37, applied to the American Consular Service at Vancouver, British Columbia for a nonquota immigration visa. He was 37 years old and was born at Canton, China. He had lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada since 1920 and was a Methodist minister. He had eight children, Mary, age 11, born in China, and seven younger sons all born in Canada. His church would be paying for the family’s passage from Vancouver, B. C. to Los Angeles, and they expected him to minister to his congregation for about five years.

His birth certificate, a letter of recommendation, a letter from his church and his Section 6 certificate were reviewed by Immigration and his application was approved and his photo was attached to the form.

Shui was ordained as a minister in the Methodist Church at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in June 1922 and a member of the British Columbia Conference since 1923. Rev. S. S. Osterhout, Superintendent of Methodist Oriental Missions in Canada, confirmed that Shui had been a missionary for the past nine years and a member in good standing. A letter from Rev. D. H. Klinefelter, superintendent of Pacific Coast Methodist Episcopal Chinese Missions, confirmed Shui’s transfer to Los Angeles and Pasadena with a salary of $100 per month and a house to live in.

In his letter of recommendation, George Bell stated that Shui carried out his missionary duties faithfully in Kamloops and the District of North Saskatchewan for nine years.
The nonquota visa issued to Shiu Chiu Yiu contained photos of him, his wife, and their eight children.

“Shiu family photos,” 1925, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, National Archives at Seattle, Shiu Chiu Yiu, Rev., Box 858, file 7031/581.

Top row: Tai Duck, wife; Rev. Shiu Chiu Yiu, baby Andrew (b. 1925)
Middle row: Paul (b. 1917), Timothy (b. 1923), Luke (b. 1922)
Bottom row: Peter (b. 1919), Mary (b. 1914), John (b. 1920), overlap: James (b. 1921)

The family arrived at the Port of Seattle on 26 September 1925 and were admitted.
In his Board of Special Inquiry interview, Shiu testified that his marriage name was See Wai and that he was born on 1 October 1888 in Canton, China. His parents were David Shiu and Leong Shee. He had one brother and three sisters. His mother had died but his father and sisters were all living in China. His brother, Shiu Chiu Chung, a Presbyterian minister, was living in Winnipeg, Canada. After their arrival was approved, the family left for Los Angeles on the Princess Marguerite.

The ship must have stopped in San Francisco. Although Shiu intending to on going to Los Angeles, he found out he was needed in San Francisco. He and his family were there three years, then went to Sacramento for five years and had been in Portland for two years. In 1935, his salary was $120 a month.

In 1935, Shui applied for a reentry permit. It was approved, and he spent two weeks in Canada.
In June 1937, Shiu Chiu Yiu and his daughter, Shui Kuo Ying (Mary Shiu) applied for re-entry permits. Shui gave his marriage name as Chew Lui. By then he had ten children, eight living. His sons John and Andrew had died. His children Thomas and Ruth were born in California. Shiu’s wife and the children were living in Portland, Oregon. Mary, now 23 years old, was going to China to teach for two years. She graduated from Albany College in June 1936 and her father had been teaching her Chinese. Mary had a separate file, 4009/1-3. Her father planned to go to with her as far as Vancouver, Canada and then return to Portland within two months. Mary presented her diplomas from Albany College in Albany, Oregon; Oregon State Teachers Certificate, Sacramento High School, and Junior High School in Sacramento. Their reentry permits were approved.

Shiu Chiu Yiu returned to Portland in August 1937 and was admitted.

The reference sheet in the file gives the file numbers for his wife, eight sons, one daughter, and his brother.

Ng Sen Wing – Vegetable Farmer, Jacksonville, Florida

Affidavit, application for citizen's return certificate, Board of Special Inquiry, bound feet, Certificate of Identity, Form 430 Native’s Return Certificate, passport, reference sheet, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ng Lee Fong swore in an New York State affidavit, dated 21 August 1921, that he was an American born citizen. He had a valid U.S. passport #1053-C. The purpose of his affidavit was to bring his wife, Wong Shee, age forty-three, and his son, Ng Sen Wing, age thirteen, to the United States. His witness was one of his other sons, Ng Jung Fie, of Jacksonville, Florida. Photos of all four of them were attached to the affidavit.

Lower: Ng Lee Fong, Wong Shee, Ng Sen Wing    Upper: Ng Jung Fie, witness
“Ng Lee Fong Affidavit,” 1921, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, NARA-Seattle, Ng Sen Wing, Seattle Box 416, 7030/351.

When Ng Lee Fong, his wife, Wong Shee, and their son, Ng Sen Wong, arrived at the Port of Seattle in October 1922, Wong Shee was interviewed. She gave her maiden name as Gin Woon. She was born in Hong Hen Village, Sunning District, China. She had four sons, no daughters. Her two elder sons and their families were living in Jacksonville, Florida. The third adult son came on the ship with them and was a witness for the affidavit. Wong Shee described her family, her husband’s parents and his extended family. When asked, she said they worshiped their ancestor’s graves at Bo Hill, near Bo Chung; and patronized Ng Sum Market and the Sai Ning Market. She identified photos of her daughters-in-law and her grandchildren and gave their dates of birth.

Ng Sen Wing 伍新榮 was interviewed the same day. He testified that he came with his parents, his brother Ng Jung Fai, his wife Lee Shee and his brother Ng Jung Go’s wife, Lee Shee, and their son Wah Poy. His mother had bound feet. He described his village, which faced south, as having six houses and a small schoolhouse. It was the second house from the left-hand side of the village and had five rooms.

Ng Lee Fong, the father, testified that his marriage name was Ng Yee Hung. He correctly identified the photographs of everyone in their traveling group. Ng Lee Fong was originally admitted at Malone, New York, on 31 January 1910, as a returning native born Chinese. [This is why his 1921 affidavit was from New York State; Immigration authorities were verifying his claim of U.S. citizenship from his first re-entry into the U.S. from a visit to China.]

Everyone was examined separately and asked the same questions and asked to identify the same photos. Immigration Service wanted to be sure that everyone’s answers agreed. Inspector Mangold and the committee unanimously approved the admittance of everyone in the family. They had made an exceptional impression on the Board of Inquiry—not only did the son resemble the father but they all arrived as first-class passengers. Mangold declared it “a very excellent case.” Ng Sen Wing was admitted on 26 October 1922, as a student, and given Certificate of Identity 42852.

Ng Sen Wing
“Ng Sen Wing, Certificate of Identity Application photo, Form M135,”
1922, CEA, RG 85, NARA-Seattle, Ng Sen Wing, 7030/351.

In May 1930 Ng Sen Wing applied to visit China. He was traveling with his parents, a nephew, a brother and his wife and their five children. His father, Ng Lee Fong, testified that he was born in San Jose, California. He and his sons and their families worked on a forty-acre vegetable farm about six miles from Jacksonville valued at about $10,000 [worth about $182,000 in 2023]. He updated all the family information on his sons by giving his grandchildren’s names, ages, and place of birth.

Witness statements for Ng Sen Wing and his three brothers are included in Ng Sen Wing’s file. The questions and answers were mostly the same as in previous examinations. His trip was approved. He left for China and he returned in January 1932.

Six months later he was seeking approval for another visit to China. His application was brief. When asked if he brought his wife, Lee Kim How, with him when he returned in January 1932, he said he had. Now she was being deported because she was not the same person mentioned in her return citizen’s certificate. He was making the trip back to China with her. The Reference Sheet included in Ng Sen Wing’s file lists Lee Kim How’s file as 7030/3463. [Her file should give more information. I will find her file and let you know what was going on. THN]

When Ng Sen Wing returned in May 1934, he was married Lee Kim How and they had a son, Wah Kuey, age 2. His wife and son stayed in China.

In October 1934, Ng Sen Wing of Jacksonville, Florida applied for a Citizen Return Certificate to visit China. He was interviewed about his status as a United States citizen. He was considered a citizen because he was the son of a native, Ng Lee Fong. He presented his Certificate of Identity #42852, which was issued to him when he first arrived in 1922.

His application included his physical description: age 25, height 5’ 4”, 130 pounds, yellow complexion, black hair, and brown eyes. He had a brown mole below the outer corner of his right eye, and marks on the lobe of his right ear and right and left side of his neck. He testified that he lived on a Chinese farm on Lake city road, route 5, Jacksonville, Florida. He was married on 3 February 1931 in Hong Kong, to Lee Kim How, age 21, born in Washington, D.C. His marriage name was Ng See Quong. His wife was living in Lung Chill Loy, China, with their child, Ng Wah Kui [also spelled Kuey].

His request was approved, and he left on 3 December 1934. His Certificate of Identity #42852 was retained at the district office. [The certificate would be returned to him when he re-entered the U.S. This was to assure that if he decided to stay in China, he could not sell or give his certificate to someone else.] His application included sworn statements of his two brothers, Ng Jung Fie, and Ng Jung Go, who were citizens of the United States.

When Ng Sen Wing returned on 23 July 1935 he was admitted at the Port of Seattle. The reference sheet in Ng Sen Wing’s file lists the names and file numbers for his wife (with a note saying she had been deported), his parents, three brothers, five nieces and nephews, and three sisters-in-laws. [This is a gold mine of information for someone researching this family.]

Lee Gum Sing – Interrogations of five-year-old, his father and aunt

Affidavit, Application for Certificate of Identity, Certificate of Identity, discrepancies, funeral custom, Interrogation, photos, reference sheet, released feet, San Francisco file, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In January 1938 Lee Yok Tin swore in an affidavit that he was the son of a native of the United States and was last admitted at the port of San Francisco. Photos of Lee Yok Tin and his son were attached to the affidavit. In September 1938 he was applying to have his son, Lee Gum Sing, who was a citizen through him, come to the U.S.

Lee Yok Tin affidavit with photos of Lee Gum Sing and Lee Yok Tin,” 1938

“Lee Yok Tin affidavit with photos of Lee Gum Sing and Lee Yok Tin,” 1938, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, NARA-Seattle, Lee Gum Sing file, Seattle Box 769, 7030/11419.

Lee Gum Sing, age 5, the son of Lee Yok Tin, a U.S. citizen, arrived at the Port of Seattle on 6 September 1938 with his aunt, Lee Ah Yee, and his  father. Their destination was San Francisco. Gum Sing had a scar on his forehead over his right eyebrow, a scar on the back of his right ear and another scar on the right side of his neck. [There was no explanation for the scars, and interrogators did not ask about them in the interviews. THN]

His file contains twenty-nine pages of interrogations. Most questions were directed at his father and aunt but there were four pages of interrogation and two pages of re-interrogation for five-year old Lee Gum Sing. The father and aunt, the son and daughter of Lee Lock, also have separate files.

Gum Sing’s aunt, Lee Ah Yee, was twenty years old when she arrived in Seattle. She had a large brown burn scar on the right side of forehead which she said was from a boil and that no one in the family had had smallpox. She was born on 11 March 1919 in Macao City, China and lived in Sheuk Kee city from the time she was two or three years old. Her citizenship status at her arrival was as the daughter of a native citizen. According to the Chinese Exclusion laws it was necessary for her to prove her right to enter the U.S. She told the interrogator that her father, Lee Lock, marriage name Poy Lum, died in July 1936 at the age of 58. Her father’s funeral was held at their home, but she did not attend it. Her mother, Wong Shee, age 52, had released feet and was still living in the family home in China. Japanese warplanes bombed the business section of their village but not the residential section. [In 1938 the Japanese launched several military campaigns in China.]  Ah Yee’s brother brought her to the U.S. to take care of his son, Gum Sing, and told her she could go to school if she was interested.

Lee Gum Sing’s mother, Ow Young Shee, died in 1938. Gum Sing identified his mother’s photo from her San Francisco file #12033/7572 and his father’s photo from his Seattle file 7030/10699. Gum Sing was born in Jung San on 4 October 1933. He had two older brothers and a younger brother. After his mother died his father married again to Leung Shee.

The interrogators asked Gum Sing about his family, home, street, and neighborhood. Gum Sing spoke in a mixture of Heung San and Sam Yip dialect and told them that the family lived in a small house with no upstairs. It had three bedrooms and three parlors, a clock with a pendulum, red tile floors, no courtyard, a toilet near the kitchen, no outside windows, no framed pictures, one outside door in one of the parlors, and a skylight. There was a round wooden table in the kitchen and a clay stove. The house was lit with kerosene lamps at night. He described who slept where. His grandmother had small feet and walked slowly. His father smoked cigarettes. His father’s new wife, Leung Shee, had bobbed hair and wore earrings, rings and bracelets. On their way to Hong Kong to start their trip to the United States they traveled by autobus and boat. The interrogators asked the same questions and more to his father and aunt.

Gum Sing’s father, Lee Yok Tin, marriage name Jock Sang, testified that he was 32 years old and born in Shauck Kee city, Jung San district, China. He was first admitted to the United States at San Francisco in 1922. He lived in Rockport near Walnut Grove. Since then, he had made three trips to China through San Francisco and one through Seattle. His most recent address was at the Hai Goon Grocery Store, 740 Jackson Street, San Francisco. He worked as a truck driver for the store. Lee Yok Tin’s first wife, Ng Shee died in 1923. They had no children together. His second wife, Ow Young Shee died in early 1938. They had four sons and no daughters. Lee Yok Tin married Leung Shee, age 21, a few months after Ow Young Shee died.

Lee Yok Tin explained that his sister, Ah Yee, was not allowed to attend their father’s funeral in 1936 even though it was in the family sitting room, because she was a girl. [Ah Yee would have been about 18 at the time of her father’s death. It is not known If she could have attended if she was older or if she was not allowed to attend simply because she was female; her age may not have mattered. Does anyone know the customs for females attending funerals? TNH]

The interrogator asked Lee Yok Tin why he did not bring his two older sons to the U.S. Yok Tin said he wanted them to attend school in China. The interrogator was also troubled by some of the discrepancies between the family’s description of the neighborhood. The three agreed on most of the details about the house and neighborhood but did not agree on whether the building directly to the right of the family home was an ancestral hall or if a fruit stand and grocery store stood at that place. And they disagreed about how much space there was between the buildings.

When Lee Ah Yee was being reexamined about some of the discrepancies between her statements and her nephew’s, she said Gum Sing’s answers might be different because he was only five years old and probably too young to know the answers.

In the summary of the interrogations by Roy C. Matterson, chairman of the Board of Special Inquiry, he explained the citizenship of Lee Look, the father of Lee Ah Yee and paternal grandfather of Lee Gum Sing. Lee Look’s file stated that when he was leaving San Francisco for China in March 1906, he claimed he was born in San Francisco. An affidavit from his mother and another witness confirmed his birth. After an investigation he was admitted as a citizen. In May 1922 Lee Yok Tin, the son of Lee Look, applied for admittance as the son of a U.S. citizen and was admitted. They both had made several trips to China and were readmitted each time. Although there were several discrepancies in the testimonies for this trip, when all the evidence, testimony and records were reviewed the discrepancies were not enough to detain Lee Ah Yee and Lee Gum Sing. They were admitted to the U.S. on 24 October 1938.  Lee Gum Sing received Certificate of Identity #78259. His application includes his photo at age 3.

“Lee Gum Sing, form M143,” 1938, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Record Group 85, NARA-Seattle, Lee Gum Sing file, Seattle Box 769, 7030/11419.

The reference sheet in the file included file number 7030/12466 for Gum Sing’s older brother, Lee Mai Hing.

Gee Moon Jew, farmer on Vashon Island, Washington

Affidavit, Photographs, reference sheet, San Francisco file, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

[The National Archives is still closed because of COVID-19. This file was copied before the closure in March 2020. I will let you know when the archives reopens. THN]

“Gee Moon Jew, Certificate of Identity” 1930, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, RG 85, National Archives-Seattle, Gee Moon Jew case file, Seattle Box 441, file 7030/1001.

Gee Moon Jew 朱文周 was 35 when he applied for a return certificate to allow him to make a trip to China. He was a poultry farmer in Vashon, Washington. He was born about 1897 in Hong How village, Sunning District, China. He came to the U.S. in 1909, at the age of 14, arriving in San Francisco. He was considered a U.S. citizen, the son of a native. His father, Gee Fee Yee, marriage name You Ming, was born in San Francisco. His mother was in China. He had three brothers and one younger sister. His older brother, Gee Moon Bin [sic] and his younger brother Gee Moon Taw, were both living in California. Gee Moon Jew married a Caucasian woman, Charlotte Irene Rogers in Vancouver, Washington in November 1918.  After marrying he took the name George W. Jenn.  George and Charlotte had six children; Mary Frances, born 1919; George Walton, born 1921; Alice Martha, born 1923; William Lawrence, born 1925; Eugene, also called Wee Jee, born 1927; and Helen Elizabeth Jenn, born 1927. Mary Frances was born in Seattle and the other children were born in Vashon.

Gee Moon Jew was taking his two eldest children, Mary Frances and George Walton, to China so they could attend a private Methodist school in Canton City. He was also going to visit his mother and other relatives and expected to be gone about three or four months. The children would probably stay three years.

Immigration authorities also interviewed Gee Moon Jew’s wife. Charlotte Irene Ward was 28 years old and born in Larned, Kansas. Her stepfather’s surname was Rogers. They could not afford to take the whole family to China, so she was staying home with the younger children. Her mother was coming from California to stay with her. There were short interviews for Mary Frances and George Walton. They identified their parents and their birth certificates were examined.

Roy M. Porter, the Immigrant Inspector, examined Gee Moon Jew’s 1909 San Francisco file. His father, Gee Fee Yee, had a Seattle file showing that he was admitted at Port Townsend, Washington in 1897. He also had a San Francisco file with a discharge statement showing that he was a native-born U.S. citizen. Porter approved the application for a return certificate for Gee Mon Jew and his children. A copy of Gee Fee Yee’s 1909 affidavit was included in the file.

“Gee Fee Yee affidavit with photos of Gee Fee Yee and Gee Mun Gew [sic]” 1909, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, RG 85, National Archives-Seattle, Gee Moon Jew case file, Seattle Box 441, file 7030/1001.

The reference sheet in the file included the case numbers for the files of Gee Moon Jew’s father, his brother, Gee Moon Ben; and Ben’s two sons, Gee Quong Sam and Gee Suey Gin.

Wong F. Pershing – Seaman on the U.S. S. Explorer

Application for Pre-investigation Status, Form 430, Photographs, reference sheet, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In 1917 Wong F. Pershing’s father, Wong Chun Wah, applied to Immigration for pre-investigation as a merchant intending to visit China. The examining inspector believed that the place Wong was working, W. J. London Company, was involved in gambling. The inspector did not believe Wong qualified as a merchant according to the exclusion law. Wong abandoned his connection with this employer and became a merchant for the Quan Yuen Chong Company, a legitimate and bona fide mercantile concern. His status as a merchant was reinstated.

1921 Form 430 of Pershing Wong with Hersheys Chocolate bar.

Form 430 Photo of Wong F. Pershing,” 1942, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, RG 85, National Archives-Seattle, Wong F. Pershing case file, Seattle Box 827, file 7030/13628.

Wong Chun Wah again applied to take his wife and three sons, Raymond, Pershing and Chester, to China with him in 1921. Wong showed Immigration Inspector B. A. Hunter the Seattle birth certificates for his children. They were issued return certificates but did not use them. The family did not travel to China and several more children were born in Seattle.

Pershing F. Wong was applying to visit Vancouver, British Columbia by bus via Blaine, Washington in October 1941. He had three days of leave from the merchant marines. He was a seaman on U.S. S. Explorer, Coast and Geodetic Survey ship. He gave the following information in his interview: his Chinese name was Wong Gok Way. He was born on 27 October 1919 in Seattle, the son of Wong Chun Wah (Wah Fat) and Ann Quan Gee. His mother died in Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle in 1930. Pershing had five brothers and one sister. He had attended Garfield high school before joining the marines. Ensign John Guthrie of the Explorer verified that Pershing F. Wong was the correct name for W. F. Pershing Wah, the name he used on his original application.

The Reference Sheet list the file numbers for his father, mother, two brothers, and sister.

Additional information not included in the file:
A newspaper article from the 6 February 1945 issue of the Seattle Daily Times, states that Pershing Wong was the only Chinese deck officer sailing out of Seattle in the American merchant marines; he was a member of the Masters, Mates & Pilots’ Association; and joined the merchant marines in 1941. Wong had just spent 110 days in the Pacific combat area.  It was a turbulent time, besides the heavy WW II bombing, three navy craft were sunk by a typhoon.

According to Pershing F. ‘Perky’ Wong’s obituary in the 14 July 1999, Oregonian newspaper, he retired as a captain in 1985.

Updated 19 January 2025

Mei Lai Gay (Agnes) – Washington D.C.

Birth Registration, photos, reference sheet, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mei Lai Gay Agnes 1927 baby photo
Mei Lai Gay (Agnes) 1927 birth registration
“Mei Lai Gay (Agnes), Form 430 photo and birth registration” 1927, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, RG 85, National Archives-Seattle, Mei Lai Gay (Agnes) case file, Seattle Box 817,file 7030/13284.
The father of Mei Lai Gay (Agnes), Mei (Moy) Kong Kay (marriage name: Mei (Moy) Kung Sun) first came to the United States in 1908 and was admitted as a merchant at the Port of San Francisco. He was born in 1882 in Sai Yuen village, On Fun section, Hoy San district, China. He and his wife, Ng Shee, had six children; two sons living in China and four in D.C. where they had been living since 1923. Mei Kung Sun was a merchant at Hong High Company, 343 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Agnes’ 1927 birth was registered by Dr. Mary Parsons. Dr. Parsons had been practicing medicine in D.C. for fifty-three years and had worked with the Chinese population for 31 years. It was thought that she officiated at the birth of the first Chinese baby born in the city.

The return certificates as American citizen applications for the parents, Agnes, her two brothers and sister were approved and they left Washington, D.C. for China in 1927.

In October 1940 Mei Lai Gay Agnes and her sister Mei Bow Ngook Ruby returned to the U.S. through the Port of Seattle. They were going to live with their brother, Mei (Moy) Bow Duen Earnest, in Washington, D.C. The interrogators questioned Ruby, age 16, then Agnes, age 13. Their father, Mei (Moy) Kung Sun, died in the U.S. in 1938. Their mother moved from her husband’s home village to Hong Kong after her husband’s death. The examining inspector had no questions about the identity of Ruby and noted after careful examination of the photograph of Lai Gay Agnes that “the left ear of this applicant shows outer and inner rim close together and a ridge in the center of the right ear.” [Evidently this scrutiny of her left ear agreed with her baby photo.] Their applications were approved and they were admitted into the U.S.

Mei Lai Gay Agnes 1940 photo
“Mei Lai Gay (Agnes) M143 photo,” 1940, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, RG 85, National Archives-Seattle, Mei Lai Gay (Agnes) case file, Seattle Box 817,file 7030/13284.

The Reference Sheet in Mei Lai Gay (Agnes Mei)’s file includes the name, relationship and file number for Agnes’ parents, four brothers and her sister.

Floor plans for Schoolhouse in Gong Mee Village, China

Affidavit, floor plans, Interrogation, photos, reference sheet, student, , , , , , , ,

Yee Tom Wing Schoolhouse F
“Floor plan for Schoolhouse in China, Exhibit F” 1939, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, RG 85, National Archives-Seattle, Yee Ton Wing case file, Seattle Box 805,file 7030/12842.

This file contains nine floor plans for the schoolhouse and family home in Gong Mee Village, China and an affidavit with photos of Yee Ton Wing and his father, Yee Gim Cheow. Yee Ton Wing was coming to live with his father in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Additional information: 11/17/2018
Yee Ton Wing was 16 years old when he arrived in the Port of Seattle with his 12- year old brother, Yee Ton Yow, on 2 February 1940. They were students joining their father in Ohio. The transcript of Yee Ton Wing’s first interrogation was nine single-spaced typed pages long. (Eventually there were almost fifty pages of questioning.) Most of the inquiry pertained to his extended family and their village. He correctly identified photographs of his alleged father, grandfather, and uncles. He was asked things like: Where does your mother keep the rice that she cooked for your family? Who lives in the house on the first lot in the 4th row in your village? What are that person’s occupation, age, and the names of his children?
There were five diagrams of the floor plan of the schoolhouse in Gong Mee Village. They were made by the applicant, his younger brother, their grandfather, Yee Bock; their paternal uncle, Yee Gim Gin (Gane); and Yee Gim Cheow, a witness. The witness’ diagram looked considerably different than the other four. There were four diagrams of the floor plan of the 1st and 2nd floors of the family home. They were all in agreement.

Yee Ton Wing House Diagam I
“Floor plan of family home in China, Exhibit I” 1939, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, RG 85, National Archives-Seattle, Yee Ton Wing case file, Seattle Box 805,file 7030/12842.

Yee Ton Wing and his brother Yee Ton Yow were interrogated on 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 March 1940 and finally admitted to the United States on 25 April 1940 as citizens and as the sons of Yee Gim Cheow, a citizen.
The reference sheet in the file contains the file numbers, names, and relationships for Yee Ton Wing’s bother, grandfather, four uncles, aunt-in-law, cousin, and his mother.

Chin Wah Pon (Frank) – School teacher, Portland, Oregon

Birth Certificate, Certificate of Identity, photos, reference sheet, Return Certificate, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chin Wah Pon Birth Certificate 1916“Chin Wah Pon birth certificate,” 1916, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, RG 85, National Archives-Seattle, Chin Wah Pon  (Frank) case file, Seattle Box 810,file 7030/13041.

In 1921, Wong Ah Look applied for a return certificate for her son, Chin Wah Pon 陳華泮. She presented his Oregon State birth certificate stating that he was born on 6 July 1916 in Portland. She was leaving for China with Chin Wah Pon and her other children, Chin Wah Ching (James), age 3; and Chin Oy Gim (Marguerite), age 2 months. It was alleged that her husband, Chin Ten/Ton, the father of the children, absconded with a large sum of money and his whereabouts were unknown. Wong Ah Look did not plan on returning to the U.S. so she gave the immigration office her Certificate of Identity to be cancelled. Chin Wah Pon 1921

“Chin Wah Pon Form 430 photo,” 1921, CEA case files, RG 85, NA-Seattle,  Chin Wah Pon  (Frank) case file, Seattle file 7030/13041.

Their applications were approved and they left for China on 15 October 1921.

James Chin and Marguerite Chin both returned to the U.S. in 1939; were married and living in Seattle, Washington. Chin Wah Pon, also known as Frank Chin, [marriage name Moon Sin] arrived in the United States via Seattle in June 1940. He was a school teacher in China and hoped to continue teaching in the U. S. He married Wong Shee and they had three sons. J. P. Sanderson, Immigration Inspector, asked the following questions about their sons:
“Is it your understanding that it is customary for American Citizen Chinese to claim that all their children are sons, until after five sons are born?” [Answer: “I don’t know about that.”]
“What are the names of your three alleged sons?”
“Do you expect that another son will be born to your wife in the near future?” [Answer: “No.”]
Chin Wah Pon was admitted to the U.S. at Seattle. The Immigration Chairman concluded that his birth certificate was legitimate; he had some of the same identification marks as the person in the 1921 application; and the ears in the 1921 photo appeared to be the same as those of the applicant in the 1940 photo.Chin Wah Pon 1940

“Chin Wah Pon Form M143 photo,” 1940, CEA Act case files, RG 85, NA-Seattle,  Chin Wah Pon  (Frank) case file, Seattle 7030/13041.

The reference sheet in his file includes the file numbers for his parents, three brothers and a sister.