The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago invites you to visit our archive and trace your Chinese family ancestry.
In honour of the 220th Anniversary of Chinese Arrival Day, this public event will be held on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th October, by appointment only. Please reserve your spot early via email at enquiries@archives.gov.tt, as spaces are limited.
Using your family knowledge, you will have access to the National Archives’ Chinese Indentureship Collection (1852-1866), as well as a database of Chinese Ship Passenger lists from Hong Kong-Vancouver-Trinidad (1900-1941) which depict Chinese passengers travelling from Hong Kong to Trinidad via Vancouver, Canada between the years 1900 and 1941.
Visitors will be able to locate passengers individually by name (in English), in alphabetical order, according to their year of travel and personal details. These free migrants travelling to Trinidad in the early 20th century travelled as individuals or in small groups on ships between Hong Kong and Vancouver, before taking transcontinental trains to the East Coasts of Canada or the USA, where they boarded vessels bound for Trinidad.
This compilation was done by Hong Kong-Australia scholar John Asome, author of “Coolie Ships of the Chinese Diaspora (2020)”, based on a thorough examination of the Vancouver Ship Passenger Lists in the Library and Archives of Canada (LAC), as well as the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States (NARA). It is of particular benefit to most Chinese-Trinidadians whose ancestors arrived between 1900 and 1941.
For additional guidance on gathering preliminary information before your visit, please see our Introductory Guide to Tracing Your Ancestral Roots here: https://natt.gov.tt/.../FAW%20NATT%20AAW%20-%20Tracing...