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The Chinese Immigrants in Cuba collection includes hundreds of original documents, manuscripts and photos covering the migration of 125,000 Chinese who signed up to be cheap labor in Cuba from 1847 until the later 1890s. The archive continues until the 1970s and records the Chinese community in Cuba and is rich with photos. This massive collection, from the archive of James and Ana Melikian Collection, is probably the largest one in private hands concerning Chinese in Cuba. At present, the physical collection contains over 1,341 records and about 8,000-9,000 pages.

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Cedula

Created1864-12-16
Description

This is an identity card, known as a cedula, that was issued for a Chinese settler named Lucas. At the time that this cedula was assigned to Lucas, he was 29 years old, and in the process of completing his eight year contract as an indentured servant. The names of…

This is an identity card, known as a cedula, that was issued for a Chinese settler named Lucas. At the time that this cedula was assigned to Lucas, he was 29 years old, and in the process of completing his eight year contract as an indentured servant. The names of two of his past landlords and his current one were listed on the cedula. Originally, when he arrived in Cuba, his contract had been transferred to M. B. Pereda who then transferred the contract to Juan Peyra. Jose M. Criado was Lucas's present owner at the time that this cedula was issued. Havana, 1865.
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Identity Record

Created1861-01-02
DescriptionAn identity card, or cedula, for Proto. Proto was 33 years old when this card was issued.
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Ship Documentation

Created1857
Description
Ship manifest on a shipment of Chinese settlers in the Spanish ship “Encarnacion” from Swatao City. List of the 316 Chinese settlers in Havana. 1855. General information to the Captain of the island that has hired a boat to bring Cuba Chinese settlers. List of the 365 boarding Chinese settlers…

Ship manifest on a shipment of Chinese settlers in the Spanish ship “Encarnacion” from Swatao City. List of the 316 Chinese settlers in Havana. 1855. General information to the Captain of the island that has hired a boat to bring Cuba Chinese settlers. List of the 365 boarding Chinese settlers in Havana in the American ship “Florida”, from Swatao from 1857
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Certificate of Nationality

Created1880
Description

Certificate of nationality issued to a Chinese settler by the Chinese consulate in Havana.

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Formal Letter

Created1899
DescriptionA letter from the Consul General of China in Havana to Chang Yin Jung, the mayor of Matanzas. It details how the Consul General congratulates him on his recent appointment to the position of mayor.
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Cedula

Created1876-05-24
DescriptionThis is a cedula de vecinidad, or a neighborhood identity card, that belonged to a Chinese settler. At the time that this ID card was issued, the settler was single, 29 years old, and employed as a fieldworker. 1876.
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Letter

Created1906
DescriptionA 1906 letter from the Chinese consul general.
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Investigations

Created1885
DescriptionThese letters detail investigations into illegal Chinese lotteries, including how the police should proceed and the names of people who were interviewed in the proceedings.
Chinese Lottery

Chinese Lottery

Created1886
DescriptionProsecution of a group of Chinese settlers for running an illegal lottery. Police Officer Pablo Delgado discovered the lottery and details those involved, including a settler named Damien.
Chinese Lottery Case Proceedings

Chinese Lottery Case Proceedings

Created1886-01-27
Description
This collection of documents pertains to the discovery of an illegal Chinese lottery in the home of a Chinese settler, and the ensuing investigation to determine the culprits and amass sufficient evidence against them to determine an appropriate punishment for the crime. An index was provided at the beginning of…

This collection of documents pertains to the discovery of an illegal Chinese lottery in the home of a Chinese settler, and the ensuing investigation to determine the culprits and amass sufficient evidence against them to determine an appropriate punishment for the crime. An index was provided at the beginning of the packet to outline the various testimonies, minutes, evidence, and sentence included in the packet. Antonio Alli and Jose Alem were the two Chinese settlers who were charged with organizing the Chinese lottery and distributing the lottery ballots. The first document proceeding the index page is the testimony that was provided by Gabriel Gonzalez Reynaldo, the police officer who discovered the ballots in Antonio Alli's home, in which he described the initial suspicions of the unauthorized lottery taking place inside the home and the evidence that he discovered upon entering it on January 27, 1886. Both Antonio Alli and Jose Alem were found together in the house when Gabriel entered and discovered the evidence of the Chinese lottery. Both men were subsequently interviewed upon being arrested. The two men claimed that Jose had been visiting Antonio when an unidentified Chinese settler entered the house to ask if they knew about any job opportunities and forgot the ballots there when he left. An order was issued by the law enforcement to interview Antonio's neighbors and ascertain whether or not they knew about Antonio's involvement in the Chinese lottery. Another order was issued to send the ballots confiscated at Antonio's home to the Chinese consulate to be translated and interpreted, and a third order was made to determine whether Antonio and Jose were the Chinese lottery organizers and distributors or if they merely bought the ballots. All of the neighbors who were interviewed claimed that Antonio was most likely innocent based on their observations of his good work ethic and dedication to his job as a cigar seller. The neighbors of Jose Alem claimed that his involvement in the Chinese lottery was unlikely. A report from the Chinese consulate revealed that the papers sent to them to translate were indeed related to the Chinese lottery. No further evidence was found against the two men, and neither of them had committed any previous infractions. However, both of them were sentenced to serve two months and one day in jail, pay a fine of 1,625 pesos each, and had their voting rights revoked. 1886.