Do you have questions about Chinese-American family research, immigration history, migration patterns, neighborhood demographics, or likewise subjects related to genealogy and local history? These are the types of questions librarians answer daily in The Irma and Paul Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History, and Genealogy.

A few things to help get started:

Guidebooks

Guidebooks are a productive point of entry into genealogy and local history research. A guidebook or handbook will give you a sense of the first steps involved, what resources are available, and how they are accessible. There are a handful on the subject of Chinese-American genealogy on the open shelves in our reading room. In particular:

• Basic Guide to Chinese Genealogy / Boey (2002). A compact overview of genealogical resources and research strategies related to conducting family history research in China.
• In Search of Your Asian Roots / Chao (2000) explores researching Chinese surnames, with a focus on navigating historical materials in China. Chinese American Names; Tradition and Transition / Louie (2008) explores the context of researching Chinese immigrants using American resources, like the federal census and ship passenger lists.
• Chinese Genealogies at the Genealogical Society of Utah (1983) was published almost forty years ago, yet remains a unique overview of the types of materials published on the subject, and includes a thorough historical introduction with numerous footnote citations. “The Chinese people possess perhaps the oldest and richest continuous, literate genealogical tradition in the world today.”

Subject Headings

It is also suggested to browse the NYPL research catalog for materials on the subject. When browsing the catalog, use keywords that include a subject (“genealogy,” “history”) and a locale (“China,  ”Fujian”). To narrow your search, add the type of material (“newspaper,” “map”). Use these suggested subject headings to  get a feel for browsing the catalog for NYPL collections related to Chinese American genealogy and local history:

• Chinese Americans — Genealogy 
• Chinese Americans — History
• Chinese Americans  — Social conditions
• Chinese Americans — Biography
• China — Genealogy
• Kinship — China
• Guangzhou (China) — History
• Villages — China — Hong Kong
• Fujian Sheng (China) — Genealogy
• Taishan Xian (Guangdong Sheng, China)
• Taiwan —Census
• Zhejiang Sheng (China)

Collections and Online Resources

• Chinese Newspapers Collection (1832-1953)—available from home with a library card
• The Chinese Heritage research page at the National Archives includes a guide to Chinese Immigration and the Chinese in the United States
• Collections at the Museum of Chinese in America—notably the Oral History Archive and Chinese American Newspapers
• How to Find My Chinese Ancestors / Family Search
• Chinese Genealogy / Family Search
• Jia Pu, or Zu Pu, are Chinese family history books and lineage histories. Shanghai Library is noted for its significant collection of these materials. You can also browse the NYPL catalog using these terms
• Zhongguo jiapu zongmu is a Chinese family history bibliography available in the collections at Queens Public Library and at the libraries of New York University and Columbia University
• Researching and Building Chinese Family History and Genealogy in Curriculum / CUNY (2016)
• The Collection and Digitization of the Genealogies in the National Library of China
• Asian American / Asian Research Institute
• Village Database