Research Tips – Your Personal Belongings

The curious case of Laura C. Morgan

November 9, 2023Find your Stories, Research Tips, Santa Clara County

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...

A Guide to Honolulu Case File Numbers (Chinese Exclusion)

September 6, 2022Research Tips, Understand your History, Understanding Chinese Exclusion Case Files

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...