-
The curious case of Laura C. Morgan
Can a woman have two maiden names? Sort of. Likely she had one maiden name, but due to circumstances such as a blended family, an adoption, or being born to an unmarried mother, she might either choose to use (or others might mistakenly use) a different surname. I stumbled across…
-
The original Bracher brothers
In Santa Clara County in close proximity to each other you will find both Bracher Elementary School and Bracher Park. According to the Santa Clara city website, the school was named for Karl E. Bracher, whose family had extensive orchard properties and operated the Bracher Fruit Company (originally Bracher Bros….
-
A Guide to Honolulu Case File Numbers (Chinese Exclusion)
If you browse through the Chinese Exclusion Case File numbers, you’ll notice that the numbers differ depending on which INS office they come from. Honolulu categorized their files into different “Series” usually depending on immigration status. Why does the series number matter? It gives you a glimpse into how your…
-
AU Yip: Finding alternate entries into Hawaii
Reading AU Yip’s file teaches us about native-born women losing their citizenship, Chinese women being resourceful about returning to the US, and NARA Case file #s.
-
The embellished tale of Henry Stimper’s parrot
I ran across a story in the newspaper that humorously illustrates how family stories can adapt and change. The story isn’t humorous per se; it’s a rather morbid tale about a pet parrot killing chickens in a coop. However, a later retelling made me laugh outright. The bones of the…
-
Why was Sam Chong interrogated about the restaurant in his store?
In my great-grandmother’s Chinese Exclusion Case File is an interview between an immigration official and my great-grandfather SAM Chong. This was in 1918, when the Chinese Exclusion Era was in full force. The only reason GOO Tan Choy, my great-grandmother, was not excluded from entering the Territory of Hawaii as…
