Ancestors from the Far East

This is a follow-on guide to Researching Immigrant Ancestry.

It relates specifically to sources that may help you discover more about your ancestors in the Far East.

Hopefully, oral family history will have told you where your ancestors came from and when and why they moved to Britain.

It is useful to know why, because certain groups of people have particular records associated with them. 

The history of migration to Britain from the Far East goes back some 200 years and the majority of early migrants were seamen.

More recently, migrants from the Far East have come primarily from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

If your family still have contact with family members who have stayed in the country of origin, getting in touch with them may provide all sorts of interesting information.

If you do not know where your family originated, census details, naturalisation or denization papers can hopefully provide the answers.

Our immigrant ancestry and tracing your family tree guides contain further details on accessing and using these records.

There are several institutions here in the UK that are worth contacting.

They hold some specific records which may help your research and more information about sources and archives in the country of origin.

• The Oriental and India Office Archives (opens new window) - Part of the British Library, they hold a large collection of material relating to the parts of the Far East which were under British control. The East India Company ran the ships that sailed the trade routes between Britain and the Far East and there is an extensive collection of their records.
• The School of African and Oriental Studies (opens new window) - This is part of the University of London, but has an extensive library which members of the public can visit and an online guide to their holdings. 
• The National Archives (TNA) (opens new window) - If your ancestor was a merchant seaman who enlisted with British vessels, there may be a record among the 5th Register of Seamen. If your ancestor served in branches of the British military, there may be records. Some of these can be searched via Ancestry (opens new window) and Find My Past (opens new window). These are subscription websites, but can be accessed free of charge at Norfolk Record Office (NRO), the Norfolk Heritage Centre (NHC) and King's Lynn Borough Archives.
• Familysearch (opens new window)  - This website has filmed a number of genealogical sources from China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Jia Pu or Zu Pu

This is the Chinese genealogical record and it contains the origins of a surname, the family tree, information on migration and a certain amount of biographical information.

These records can go back as far as the Shang dynasty and were written, recorded with a system of objects and knots and/or passed down orally.

A Jia Pu usually begins when a man moves to a new place and starts a family there. It should continue to a current generation.

It records names, aliases, dates of birth and death and also notes of achievement, education, occupation, etc.

Sons and brothers are recorded for each generation. Women do not feature prominently on a traditional Jia Pu, as they are considered to join their husband's family upon marriage.

Nevertheless, their names, at least, should appear on both the Jia Pu of their birth family and that of their husband's family.

These records are held in archives and libraries in China.

Surnames

Chinese surnames (opens new window) can be very useful for helping identify the region from which your ancestor came.

Once you have established a likely region, it will be easier to find a regional library or archive which may be able to help you make a link to your family's Jia Pu.

Calendar converter

This is an essential tool (opens new window) for any family historian trying to trace events in China.

Websites

• The National Library of China (opens new window) has an English version of its website
• Asiawind (opens new window) has some interesting articles about Chinese communities and culture, including one on Hakka genealogy
• Siyi Genealogy (opens new window) has a good collection of Chinese genealogy sites
• Another website containing useful information is GenealogyLinks  (opens new window) 

The following websites may help with your research.

Ancestors from Hong Kong  

• Hong Kong Forum (opens new window)
• The Hong Kong Public Library (opens new window) has an English version of the website
• Catholic Church in Hong Kong (opens new window)
• GenealogyLinks (opens new window) has links to Hong Kong-related websites

Vietnamese ancestors

• Genealogical Society (opens new window) of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam  

Malaysian ancestors

• For birth and death certificates, plus marriage certificates from the mid-1800s onwards, contact the National Registration Department (opens new window) 
• Malaysian Forum (opens new window)
• National Library of Malaysia (opens new window)

Ancestors from Singapore

• Singapore Forum (opens new window)
• National Archives of Singapore (opens new window)