Welcome to Part Three of a seven-part blog series! If you need to catch up, here’s the introduction with links to all the blog posts.

As the first photographic identification document widely required of non-citizens, Certificates of Residence are often requested by genealogists seeking that one elusive image of their great great grandparent.

The Geary Act of 1892 (27 Stat. 25) required Chinese laborers already in the U.S. to obtain and carry with them at all times proof of their legal entry and residence. The McCreary Amendment of 1893 (28 Stat. 7) later made photographs mandatory on these certificates. In addition to paying a fee, the application process also required white witnesses to testify to their lawful status.

Initially, the Chinese American community rallied against this new measure by refusing to register and challenging it in court (Fong Yue Ting v. United States, 149 U.S. 698 (1893), no. 15315). After failing to overturn this law, Chinese Americans recognized that these certificates could be used as a measure of protection. Whereas Chinese workers represented the majority of applicants since they were required by law to register, those exempt, like Chinese merchants and U.S. citizens, actively sought to procure these documents for security and peace of mind against anti-Chinese harassment in the late 19th Century.

The first set of Certificates of Residence were issued between 1892 and 1894 on the U.S. mainland. Registration was also required in several American territories after annexation: 1901 in Hawai’i, and 1902 in Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Outside these issuance periods, replacement certificates were provided to individuals who lost or damaged their original documents.

1894 Certificate of Residence issued to Caug Mun, in deportation case, United States v. Ham Kong Kim, Central District of California (Los Angeles), no. 630 (NAID 294995)

1901 Certificate of Residence issued to Loo Kam Far (NAID 257664617)

Where can I find these certificates?
No full duplicate set to the Certificates of Residence exists. Due to the nature of the certificates (the requirement that they were to be carried at all times), surviving original certificates will most likely be found among family papers. Certificates may have been turned over to federal officials as part of federal court filings or immigration investigations.

Though incomplete, the only set of these certificates housed at the National Archives remains an essential resource for researchers:

  • Duplicate Chinese Certificates of Residence, June 13, 1901 (NAID 257664617)

References to these certificates, including registries, may be found in the following series:

  • Applications for Duplicate Certificates of Residence, 1893-1920 (NAID 4750261)
  • Chronological Records Relating to Chinese Certificates of Residence, 1892-1903 (NAID 4750744)
  • Selected Records Relating to Chinese Certificates of Residence, 1892-1903 (NAID 4757273)
  • Numerical Records Relating to Chinese Certificates of Residence, 1895-1901 (NAID 4752898)
    • Includes a registry of applications for duplicate certificates of residence from Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • Application Case Files for Replacement Certificates of Residence (4390 Files), 1921-1938 (NAID 628454)

Additional Certificates of Residence may be found at other archival repositories, including:

Want to learn more? Continue on to Part Four!