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Re: Seeking minutes of the Board of Special Inquiry & the Barge Office
Cara JensenJan 25, 2021 3:16 PM (in response to Gene Armstead)
Dear Mr. Armstead,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
Unfortunately, not all of the Board of Special Inquiry related files from that timeframe survive as records from most ports were destroyed years ago. Between the early 1890s and 1902, detained immigrants were noted directly on passenger lists, but no additional records survive of these detentions or the initial Board of Special Inquiry (BSI) hearings. Today, files exist only for cases appealed to INS headquarters in Washington, DC. There is usually no surviving record for non-appealed exclusion hearings, which made up the majority of cases.
If this is the case, the entry on the manifest should be the only documentation that exists related to the BSI action. We suggest that you check the end of the manifest for details about her BSI hearing. For background on manifest notations, please see Manifest Markings - Left Margin and Manifest Markings - Board of Special Inquiry
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!