Welcome to Part Four of a seven-part blog series! If you need to catch up, here’s the introduction with links to all the blog posts.
Ratified in 1894, the Gresham-Yang Treaty repealed the Scott Act, enabling Chinese laborers to once again obtain permits to reenter the U.S.
From 1895 to 1909, Chinese workers intending to travel outside the U.S. resumed applying for certificates of return, also titled "Chinese Laborer's Certificate". Applications required that they meet certain conditions outlined in Section 6 of the September 13, 1888 Act (25 Stat. 476). This included having a family residing in the U.S. at time of departure and/or having property or debts with the value of $1000 deposited in the U.S. Before traveling back to the U.S., individuals had to inform officials of their intention to return and the grounds upon which he claimed the right of admission (namely the return certificate number). This often triggered another round of investigations.
Certificates of return were not issued to exempt classes, but merchants and U.S. citizens still filed applications for preinvestigations before leaving in order to facilitate reentry. The process included providing testimonies and documentation confirming their legal status including procuring affidavits from white witnesses for merchants and from other witnesses for American born individuals.
Where can I find these certificates?
Just as scarce as the Red Eagle Certificates, very few certificates of return have survived. If the certificates were surrendered to immigration officials, you may be able to locate these certificates in individual immigration files. Most records that still exist are the applications themselves which can also offer valuable insights.
Certificate of Return for Goo King, front and back, case file 4380/2889 (NAID 628298)
Return Certificate Application of Chinese Laborers for Joe Linn (NAID 29915748)
Return Merchant Application for Chin L. Poo, case file 12260/027 (NAID 117693899)
Return U.S. Citizen Application for Chin Jee Chee, case file 11770/037 (NAID 117692887)
Records related to these certificates include:
- Applications of Chinese Laborers for Certificates of Return to the United States, 1895-1900 (NAID 5757040)
- Numerical Records Relating to Chinese Certificates of Residence, 1895-1901 (NAID 4752898)
- Includes a registry of the return certificates.
- Return Certificate Application Case Files of Chinese Americans and Chinese Nationals, February 8, 1894-January 23, 1913 (NAID 1566759)
- Letters Sent Pertaining to Chinese Immigrants, June 1895-December 1903 (NAID 566870)
- Letters concern the enforcement of the convention of December 8, 1894, which provided for the reentry of certain classes of Chinese laborers.
- Correspondence Regarding Chinese Immigrants or Deportees, January 2, 1896-June 19, 1900 (NAID 4723892)
- Letters also relate to reentry.
Want to learn more? Continue on to Part Five!