Documenting Family History

While other ethnic groups might consider written family documents as containing mostly true information, Chinese Americans do not always have that luxury if their ancestors immigrated during the Exclusion Act period from 1882 to 1943.

Because of the Exclusion Act and other immigration restrictions, many Chinese were and still are reluctant to talk about family history. Fears about deportation were real. Interviews might remind our elders of the interrogation process when they entered this country. The following are steps to take that may help you gain accurate information from your interviews.

1. Interview Your EldersIf you have living elders and have started conversations with them about your family history, ask if you can record the conversations so that you can get the details accurately. Never record without knowledge of the person you are interviewing. Use digital equipment or you may wish to have an informal session and just take written notes.
2. Record Your InterviewIf you are recording, label each recording immediately with the date, location, narrator (person being interviewed), and general topic. Summarize the interview soon after so that you have important information easily accessible. Do this while the interview is fresh in case there are words that are inaudible.
3. Start with General FactsStart with general family information such as a family tree to focus on the factual. You may verify information in documents you have obtained in your search, which can be a major task if there were paper sons or paper daughters involved.
4. Use Life Stage Outlines or QuestionsConsider using life stage outlines and questions found in such common sources as grandparent books as well as oral history sites. For example, "What type of holidays did you celebrate?" might elicit a description of Chinese New Year and other typical Chinese holidays.
5. Look for ThemesLook for themes to develop out of your relative's responses. Developing these will give you a more interesting story or set of information. Some possible themes: separation from family, hardships of the times, help from family, being the first to...
6. Share Your StoriesConsider donating a copy of your interview(s) to the Angel Island Immigrant Voices Project. You can contact them at info@aiisf.org.