In 2010, an anonymous donor gifted a box of old and fragile documents to the Northwest News Network, and shortly thereafter researchers discovered that the documents provided details on hundreds of deceased Chinese immigrant workers. Recently, Oregon State University digitally archived the collection, which dates back to the mid-20th century, and placed the entire collection online. The physical copies are currently being held at Portland State in special collections. The disinterment documents are in Chinese and are still in the process of being translated to English.
This project was a result of collaboration between the Northwest News Network, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, PSU and OSU. “For us being in Portland and being part of the same community as the CCBA, it is a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Cristine Paschild, PSU head of special collections and university archivist. “We get to share materials with faculty and students. It has been a nice way to collaborate.”
The papers themselves pertain to the disinterment process, which began in 1948 by the CCBA. During the Gold Rush of the early 19th century, thousands of Chinese men immigrated to America with the hope of making money for their families. Chinese death customs of the time involved two separate burial processes: an impermanent initial burial followed by a second burial after a permanent tomb was located. Immigrants of the time wanted to be assured that should they die, their remains would be returned to China and paid associations like the CCBA could ensure the remains’ relocation.
“This collection not only adds to the documentation of Oregon’s Chinese history, it adds to the state’s history,” wrote Natalia Fernández, Oregon Multicultural Librarian, in an email. “The Chinese immigrants that came to Oregon beginning in the mid-19th century had a significant impact on the state, especially economically via various industries, and even though they made arrangements for their remains to be returned to China, their impact should not be forgotten and, in fact, should be celebrated,” Fernández added.
However, the remains from this disinterment process did not make it back to China. Due to an individual absconding with the funds, the ship carrying the remains was not allowed to dock and deliver the cargo. Shortly after, war broke out in China and the borders were closed. Today, many of those remains are still held at the Tung Wah Hospital in Hong Kong.
The documents contain information on the purchases of boxes to hold the remains, shipping invoices, receipts, insurance, names of the deceased and even the names of their home villages. This is significant because many documents at the time would simply record the Chinese as “Chinaman” instead of with actual names. The papers can now be used to reconstruct lost history and family lines.
“These are important because they work in hand with some of the other documents we have of the Chinese disinterment,” said Marcus Lee, member of the CCBA board of directors. “It is part of the overall puzzle and gives a more complete picture of the process. Every time you get another piece of the puzzle, you get another part of the story.”
Lee said that while trying to research Chinese family history, a person could hit a wall because names of the Chinese were often recorded incorrectly in official documents. “These make the opportunity for success much greater while researching,” Lee said.
Lee added that the goal behind these groups is to help people who may be doing research on the Chinese in the Pacific Northwest and hopes that a new interest may be sparked.
The documents’ donation was conditional on the anonymity of the donor and that the Northwest News Network would do a story on them. The documents’ history before that and how they came into the hands of the donor is unknown. The network contacted the CCBA as the documents were connected to the association’s history, but the organization was nervous to hold on to them, as its headquarters are undergoing construction.
The association approached PSU because the university had the appropriate equipment to store and scan the documents. PSU agreed and also made them available to researchers in secure areas. Once the CCBA is equipped to hold them, the documents will be returned.
“We are very happy and grateful to have the ownership return to us,” Lee said.
Appointments can be made to view the documents at the library in special collections, and more information about them can be found at the online exhibit hosted by OSU at archives.library.oregonstate.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/oregondisintermentdocuments.
“They are fascinating historical resources and important if one is studying Chinese Americans or western immigration,” Paschild said. “It is an unmined treasure trove of historical information.”
Paschild said that professors and their classes are welcome to utilize the documents while they are at PSU. “Our goal in special collections is not to hide things away, we really want students to use, think about and interact with the materials,” she said.
According to its website, the Oregon CCBA is a volunteer organization that “formed in the late 19th century to assist Chinese individuals in their struggle with discrimination, in employment, business and citizenship.” Its headquarters in Portland’s historic Chinatown are more than 100 years old. Historically, the organization provided support to Chinese immigrants who often faced hostile social conditions and rampant racism. Today, the CCBA carries on some of its original services, maintains a Chinese language school within its building and provides assistance to the Chinese community.
These papers provide greater insight into the CCBA’s activities in its early days, and Lee hopes they will make a positive impact on the Chinese community and help repair some of the lost history surrounding the time.
“Chinese immigration is not really a big part of our history,” Lee said. “Our history is not told in the history books—it is true not just of the Chinese, but of Native Americans and African Americans too. There were Chinese exclusion laws, but there were also a lot of people that stood up for the Chinese people,” he added.