The same basic techniques and sources used to research any American can be used to research a Chinese American family or person living in the United States.
Unless followed by a $, the database is free.
General
Ancestry, ($) https://www.ancestry.com/ Ancestry has census, immigration, naturalization and citizenship records, and more. Some databases, such as the 1880 federal census, are free.
• “Arizona Territorial Census, 1864-1882,” viewed on 9/4/2022 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61064/ Free to residents of Arizona; must sign up for a free user account to access.
“Arizona.” Cyndi’s List, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://www.cyndislist.com/us/az/
“Arizona . . . ” Linkpendium, May 22, 2020, viewed on 9/4/2022 http://www.linkpendium.com/az-genealogy/
“Online Tools.” Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records. State of Arizona Research Library, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://azlibrary.gov/dazl
• “Genealogy: How to Get Started,” viewed 9/4/2022
FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/en/ You must set up a free account to access the information. It is the world’s largest family tree and genealogy archive.
• FamilySearch Digital Books, https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/ This source can be used to locate many different types of books including some on Chinese genealogy. Once you have your results, look for or limit your search to Access Level “public” to access the books on your computer.
“Links.” Pima County Genealogy Society, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://azpimagensoc.org/links.php?sid=1
City Directories
City directories are useful for locating data on urban relatives between the censuses. Many urban Chinese were businessmen, so using directories you can find and their business locations. City directories will also tell you if someone owned or rented their home, give you their spouse’s name, sometimes they will tell you where the person worked, etc.
• Ancestry. ($) “U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995,” 2011, viewed on 9/4/2022
• Arizona Historical Society, Library & Archives, Tucson, AZ – Extensive collection of city directories for Tucson and other towns in southern Arizona.
• FamilySearch Digital Books – see above. To locate city directories for Tucson, input “Tucson city directory,” or modify for other cities.
• University of Arizona Special Collections, print city directories (see below for online access)
• Other
o Tucson City Directory, 1881. Internet Archive, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://archive.org/details/directoryofcityo00bartrich
o Arizona Business Directory & Gazetteer, 1881. Internet Archive, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://archive.org/details/arizonabusinessd00districh
Local Libraries
NOTE: Not everything is online. You may have to visit/contact a local historical society or archive to further your research
Arizona Historical Society Library and Archives, Tucson, AZ (All links viewed on 9/4/2022)
• The AHS has an excellent collection of information on Tucson’s Chinese community, including books, ephemera files, a biographical clippings file, manuscript collections, photographs, and oral histories. Online Catalog, https://catalog.azhsarchives.org/
• The James Ayers Newspaper Index: Early Southern Arizona Newspaper Index, 1859-1911 https://arizonahistoricalsociety.org/research/library-archives/manuscript-collections-a/ayres-newspaper-index/ This index has a “Chinese” collection of articles. Other articles on the Chinese can also be found in a variety of other sections of the index such as “Fort Lowell” and “Southern Pacific Railroad.”
• Journal of Arizona History, Index 1960-2014 https://arizonahistoricalsociety.org/publications/index-journal-arizona-history/
• More information on the library and archives is located at https://arizonahistoricalsociety.org/research/library-archives/#locations-hours
Tucson, Arizona Family History Center (onsite research assistance & library), FamilySearch, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Tucson_Arizona_Family_History_Center
University of Arizona Special Collections, viewed on May 27, 2020 http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/
Newspapers
Arizona Daily Star: 1869 – 2022, ($) viewed 9/4/2022 https://tucson.newspapers.com/?xid=1009# This online archive also includes The Weekly Arizonian, daily and weekly Tucson Citizen, El Fronterizo and the Bisbee Evening Miner.
Arizona Historical Digital Newspapers. Arizona Memory Project, viewed 9/7/2023 https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/3
Ayers, James. James Ayers Newspaper Index: Early Southern Arizona Newspaper Index 1859-1911: Topic: Chinese, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/upLoads/library_Ayres-Index_Chinese.pdf
California Digital Newspaper Collection. Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside, visited 9/4/2022 https://cdnc.ucr.edu/. Many Tucson Chinese were closely tied to California via family relationships or they moved to California.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress, visited on 9/4/2022 https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
GenealogyBank, ($) viewed 9/4/2022 https://www.genealogybank.com/
NewspaperARCHIVE. ($) viewed 9/4/2022 https://newspaperarchive.com/
Vital Statistics (Birth, Death & Marriage)
Arizona Genealogy Birth & Death Certificates. Arizona Department of Health Services, viewed on 9/4/2022 http://genealogy.az.gov/ Birth certificates from 1870 (spotty before 1912) are available 75 years after the date of birth; death certificates are released 50 years after the date of death.
Arizona State Genealogical Society. Arizona Death Records: An Index Compiled from Mortuary, Cemetery and Church Records, 3 Volumes,1976. Not everyone who died had a death certificate, but they were all buried somewhere. The graves cited in this book may not have been intact or have had readable head stones when the Find a Grave project was started.
• Arizona Historical Society, Library & Archives, Tucson, AZ. Print copy.
• Online version FamilySearch. Catalog, viewed 9/4/2022 https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/49849?availability=Family%20History%20Library OR
o FamilySearch Digital Books using the full title.
Find a Grave, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://www.findagrave.com/ Note, not every grave in every cemetery is in the database; information about the decedent may not be accurate.
Online Arizona Death Records & Indexes: A Genealogy Records Guide, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://www.deathindexes.com/arizona/index.html
Social Security Death Index, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://www.deathindexes.com/ssdi.html
Western States Marriage Index: Search Form, Brigham Young University, Idaho, viewed on 9/4/2022 https://abish.byui.edu/specialCollections/westernStates/search.cfm