Are You Ready for the 1950 Census?

April 22, 2022

Have you found yourself or family members in the 1950 Census records? Join us on Friday, April 22, 2022 at 7pm PDT as Marisa Louie Lee will share her findings on the 1950 US Census. 

The Chinese American population increased from 77,504 in 1940 to 117,629 in 1950– a time of enormous growth after many decades of Chinese Exclusion. This was partly due to the War Brides Act, which enabled the alien spouses of United States service members and their children to immigrate. They were allowed to do so as “non-quota immigrants”, outside of the narrow quota put in place after the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943. Perhaps your mothers or grandmothers are among the thousands of war brides who came in the late 1940s.

The official 1950 census website for the National Archives is at:
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1950

Access Marisa Louie Lee’s Handout of Tips and Tricks:

Events

By duda December 9, 2023
To quote a wise and renowned Chinese American genealogist, Tony King, genealogy … “It’s about hearts, not charts.” The data—names, dates, places, etc—and charting are the solid groundings of genealogy, but are just the ‘skeleton’ that stories provide the ‘flesh’ to and for in family history. As we close out 2023, we’re taking a closer look at what to do with all that data and how to package it all up. Please, join us for an engaging and insightful webinar, “The Journey to Publishing ‘Mott Street’: a casual conversation,” where Patrick Chew, current President of the CFHG, will lead a candid discussion with Ava Chin. This webinar will delve into the fascinating journey of Ava Chin’s recent publication, “Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming,” which was released in April of this year. As we dip into some of this poignant family history, we will explore the intricacies of the journey: from conception to research to publication, offering a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse into the writing process and the challenges and triumphs of bringing this compelling story to the public. Don’t miss this opportunity to join a casual and enlightening conversation, as the author shares insights into the rich tapestry of “Mott Street” and the intricate layers of Chinese American heritage it unveils. Like our last webinar, we’ll not only have a Q&A session, where the audience can send in questions, but we will also again have a book raffle! (Though you’ll have to be registered and present to win.)
By duda November 18, 2023
An estimated 18,000 – 20,000 Chinese Americans served during WW2, but researching their wartime and veteran stories presents some unique challenges. In a continuing segment, KB Barcomb’s presentation discusses strategies to leverage the ever-increasing availability of WW2 records and resources to further your research. Last year, KB Barcomb, a military researcher and social historian, took us through the lives of some our loved ones, from the formation of a unit through their travels before deployment from the United States to the final destination of the China-Burma-India theater. Her examination focused on the 14th Air Service Group, a Chinese-American unit, but also shared the experience of any person of color who served in World War II and the challenges they faced in serving our country. She will expand on resources for other branches of the armed forces – taking into consideration that many of the U.S. Army records were lost in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. She will provide mini-case study examples of Chinese-American WW2 service across the military branches, walking us through scenarios that any researcher might encounter. KB Barcomb specializes in conducting WWI and WWII research through the lens of family history. She is a retired US Army officer with over twenty years of active-duty service, and is the daughter of WWII veterans. She is passionate about sharing the many nuances and details discoverable in military and war-era records.
By duda September 30, 2023
A Screening and Conversation with the Director
By duda June 18, 2023
Ever wonder what to do with all the research you have gathered on your family history? How do you begin to document your ancestor’s stories? Join us for this workshop of three 90 minute sessions via Zoom to start writing. The sessions will have short, five-minute prompts to get participants writing, which will help writers focus on specific scenes or memories to develop into longer stories. We will also discuss tone and point of view in the writing, as well as use of sensory details and dialogue. Participants will share their writing in a safe setting (note: sessions will NOT be recorded). In addition, writing prompts will also be given as homework for the following session. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants. You must be a member in good standing and commit to attend all three sessions. (If you’re not already a member and would like to become one in order to participate, join now !) Who is this workshop for? It’s intended to be: An Introduction/Primer for completely new (not-started/inexperienced)/unfamiliar writers who did not participate in the previous Writing Group Workshop Inspiration for experienced writers, who are not in the writing group, and not did not participate in the previous Writing Group Workshop At the conclusion of this introductory workshop, writers will be invited to join the monthly (members-only) writing group, where prompts are given and writing is shared with the larger group.
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Marisa Louie Lee has been our guest speaker several times and is a contributing member of our organization. Marisa is a freelance researcher who specializes in federal government records and Asian American history and genealogy. Not only has she conducted workshops for our group, but she has also been an instructor for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the Southern California Genealogy Society’s annual Jamboree, the California Genealogical Society and the Nikkei Genealogical Society. She is also an alumna of the Roots program, where she explored her own roots both within the US and in China. 


Marisa previously worked for the National Archives in San Francisco so is intimately familiar with, not only the holdings of the Archives, but also how to navigate both in-person research at the Archives and the online databases available to us. These are the topics that she will address today.

RECENT ARTICLES

By duda December 9, 2023
To quote a wise and renowned Chinese American genealogist, Tony King, genealogy … “It’s about hearts, not charts.” The data—names, dates, places, etc—and charting are the solid groundings of genealogy, but are just the ‘skeleton’ that stories provide the ‘flesh’ to and for in family history. As we close out 2023, we’re taking a closer look at what to do with all that data and how to package it all up. Please, join us for an engaging and insightful webinar, “The Journey to Publishing ‘Mott Street’: a casual conversation,” where Patrick Chew, current President of the CFHG, will lead a candid discussion with Ava Chin. This webinar will delve into the fascinating journey of Ava Chin’s recent publication, “Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming,” which was released in April of this year. As we dip into some of this poignant family history, we will explore the intricacies of the journey: from conception to research to publication, offering a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse into the writing process and the challenges and triumphs of bringing this compelling story to the public. Don’t miss this opportunity to join a casual and enlightening conversation, as the author shares insights into the rich tapestry of “Mott Street” and the intricate layers of Chinese American heritage it unveils. Like our last webinar, we’ll not only have a Q&A session, where the audience can send in questions, but we will also again have a book raffle! (Though you’ll have to be registered and present to win.)
By duda November 18, 2023
An estimated 18,000 – 20,000 Chinese Americans served during WW2, but researching their wartime and veteran stories presents some unique challenges. In a continuing segment, KB Barcomb’s presentation discusses strategies to leverage the ever-increasing availability of WW2 records and resources to further your research. Last year, KB Barcomb, a military researcher and social historian, took us through the lives of some our loved ones, from the formation of a unit through their travels before deployment from the United States to the final destination of the China-Burma-India theater. Her examination focused on the 14th Air Service Group, a Chinese-American unit, but also shared the experience of any person of color who served in World War II and the challenges they faced in serving our country. She will expand on resources for other branches of the armed forces – taking into consideration that many of the U.S. Army records were lost in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. She will provide mini-case study examples of Chinese-American WW2 service across the military branches, walking us through scenarios that any researcher might encounter. KB Barcomb specializes in conducting WWI and WWII research through the lens of family history. She is a retired US Army officer with over twenty years of active-duty service, and is the daughter of WWII veterans. She is passionate about sharing the many nuances and details discoverable in military and war-era records.
By duda October 22, 2023
Prompt: Write about the person that raised you. Write about the things he/she did that annoyed you or things that you are grateful for. Write about the things you realized as an adult but didn’t understand as a child.
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