Chinese Immigrants in Cuba: Documents From the James and Ana Melikian Collection
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.
This group of documents pertain to the disappearance of 14 Chinese settlers and their cedulas, and the search that ensued to locate them and return them to their owners. A claim was made by the owners of the cedulas- D. Antonio and Eduardo Betancourt, on November 27, 1858. Various authority…
This group of documents pertain to the disappearance of 14 Chinese settlers and their cedulas, and the search that ensued to locate them and return them to their owners. A claim was made by the owners of the cedulas- D. Antonio and Eduardo Betancourt, on November 27, 1858. Various authority figures in several of the Cuban towns responded to the report and promised to keep an active search, and to remain in constant communication regarding the missing 14 settlers. However, it was later established within the reports that D. Antonio Betancourt had provided fraudulent contracts about the 14 settlers, and he was therefore arrested and held in prison. After appealing for his freedom, D. Antonio Betancourt was released from the prison, el Castillo de la Punta, on February, 15, 1859.
This was a request written on the behalf of Eloy- a Chinese settler, who having just won 1,000 pesos in a lottery was seeking to buy out his eight year contract with D. Joaquin Garcia Anguerica for the 219 pesos needed to do so. The request spurred a lot of…
This was a request written on the behalf of Eloy- a Chinese settler, who having just won 1,000 pesos in a lottery was seeking to buy out his eight year contract with D. Joaquin Garcia Anguerica for the 219 pesos needed to do so. The request spurred a lot of conversation between Spanish officials in Cuba about whether or not Eloy's request could legally be granted; there were concerns about his minor status and about some contradictions between articles 27 and 28 of the cedulas, and the seventh clause within the contracts. Ultimately, Eloy's request was not granted.
DescriptionRelates that Federico, a Chinese settler, was granted permanent residency in Cuba after fulfilling the legal requirements. He worked for the Gran Azucaria, a sugar cane producer.
DescriptionThis file includes several document. One of them is a contract written in both Spanish and Chinese. According to the contract, Xie Tian was willing to go to Cuba as a worker. So he was requested to sign the contract and should follow the rules listed on it.
The cedula or an identity record for a Chinese settler, Francisco. He was brought from Soltero, China to Cuba to work for M. B. Pereda for eight years. Then, his contract was transferred to R. A. Leull for an additional eight years. 1864.
This is a request for a certificate of naturalization that was made by a Chinese settler named Agustin Cisneros. According to the handwritten request form (which begins on page six), Agustin had already been granted his carta de domicilio, or permanent residence card, five years prior to this request. The…
This is a request for a certificate of naturalization that was made by a Chinese settler named Agustin Cisneros. According to the handwritten request form (which begins on page six), Agustin had already been granted his carta de domicilio, or permanent residence card, five years prior to this request. The document also reveals that Agustin was married to a woman named Lorenza Pastor, had four children with his wife, had been baptized, and worked as a cook. The document proceeding the official request for naturalization is the death certificate of Lorenza Pastor, which was signed on September 14, 1871. The next document is the marriage certificate that belonged to Agustin and Lorenza that was signed on June 18, 1870. The consecutive documents in this selection consist of supporting materials and documents that were used in his application for naturalization. Interviews with two of Agustin's past owners were conducted to gather evidence of Agustin's good conduct, work ethic, and intentions, and the transcribed interviews were included in the application. The landlords who were interviewed were Francisco Angela and Ramon Cueto. A cedula and the carta de domicilio that belonged to Agustin were presented in the packet, but caused some controversy because they contained the name Ricardo Cisneros as opposed to Agustin Cisneros. He was interviewed by officials so that they could understand why the documents had a different name other than his own, and to verify that he was not stealing some other person's documents to support his case. Agustin informed them that before he was baptized with the name Agustin Cisneros, he was called Ricardo by every person that he ever knew since arriving in Cuba. His request was subsequently accepted, and his carta de naturalizacion, or naturalization certificate, was signed on January 5, 1872.