FamilySearch has started publishing indexed records from its collection, Registers of Chinese Immigration to Canada, 1885-1949. As of yesterday, 12,244 records were available on the website.
Researchers can now benefit from these registers that were maintained during a dark time in the country’s history.
In 1885, after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Government of Canada passed the Chinese Immigration Act.
The act, described by The Canadian Encyclopedia as the country’s most racist and exclusionary law, was intended to limit the entrance of Chinese immigrants to Canada by charging each immigrant with a head tax of $50. The head tax was increased to $100 in 1900 and to $500 in 1903.
Blogger and genealogist Linda Yip commented on the significance of this collection. She said, “The registers are way more than what people think they are. For example it’s not a once and done register, but rather a system of tracking people over time — years in fact.”
The General registers of Chinese Immigration to Canada were created at the headquarters of the Chinese Immigration Service in Ottawa. These registers contain all immigrants from China to Canada between 1885 and 1949. The names are arranged numerically by serial number in approximate chronological order by the date the notice of the immigrant’s arrival was submitted to Ottawa.
The registers contain serial number, names, port or place where registered, date of registration, certificate issued or file number, fees, sex, age, place of birth, title or occupation, last place of domicile, arrival in Canada port or place of, arrival in Canada name of vessel or railway, date of arrival in Canada, physical marks or peculiarities, and remarks.
Learn more about the Chinese Immigration Act and amendments on the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21’s website and in The Canadian Encylopedia.
Linda Yip’s website, Past Presence, is a good family history resource, and her blog is excellent.
Addendum: Library and Archives Canada scanned and indexed the General Registers of Chinese Immigration, 1885-1949, several years ago. They can be searched for free, along with other Chinese immigration records from the same period.
