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Immigration through Angel Island
A photograph of the Lee family, including their “paper son,” in San Francisco, ca. 1920.

A photograph of the Lee family, including their “paper son,” in San Francisco, ca. 1920.

In this family portrait, the Lees pose with their seven children and their “paper son.” Relatives of American citizens were allowed to enter the country under the Chinese Exclusion Act, so many immigrants purchased false identities and pretended to belong to a family who had already immigrated; they were relatives on paper only. Paper relatives had to remember the details of their “family” long after leaving Angel Island, as they could still face future inspections from the Bureau of Immigration. The Lee family immigrated from China through San Francisco and later moved north to Chico, California in 1924.

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Citation Information
“Lee Family,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/2da637457d827b93d6d7fa35d2b05741.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of California State University, Chico via California Digital Library.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 10 of 15 in the Primary Source Set Immigration through Angel Island

Previous ItemNext Item
A 1901 letter from a Los Angeles banker asking US Secretary of State John Hay to reconsider a portion of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
A letter from a Sing Fat & Company executive asking immigration officials to cancel sponsorship for two employees, 1905.
An excerpt from Angel Island: The Ellis Island of the West by Mary Bamford, 1917.
A photograph of immigrants arriving at Angel Island, 1939.
A photograph of young immigrants standing outside Angel Island’s hospital, 1923.
A photograph of an Angel Island dormitory room as it looked when the immigration station was in use, 2003.
A photograph of immigration officials interviewing an Angel Island detainee, 1923.
A photograph of a missionary conducting an English lesson for a group of immigrant women, 1933.
A photograph of a Chinese poem carved into an Angel Island dormitory wall by a detainee.
A photograph of the Lee family, including their “paper son,” in San Francisco, ca. 1920.
A photograph of the Angel Island administration building soon before the station’s closure, 1930s.
A photograph of the Angel Island administration building on fire, August 12, 1940.
A photograph of a note left by a Japanese prisoner of war held at Angel Island during World War II.
A poster advertising a San Francisco art gallery’s exhibition about the Chinese experience at Angel Island, 1976.
A photograph of a former Angel Island detainee returning with his family, 2003.

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