The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and subsequent legislation was remarkable for how relentlessly it targeted a single national and ethnic group. Chinese genealogists and others know that anti-Chinese legislation radically constrained and shaped Chinese communities and personal histories for over six decades. Similar legislation was extended to Japanese and other Asian groups, with important implications. The extent to which Chinese Exclusion spilled over to Americans with non-Asian ancestries is less clear or well-known. Understanding the pressures of Exclusion can shed light on Chinese interactions with other groups (known as “FAN” research). Records that look strictly Chinese-related may contain information for researchers of (apparently) non-Chinese individuals. Dede also shares Exclusion’s hidden impacts on ethnic identities.

In an article hosted by the National Park Service, Alan Marsh argues that “an estimated 20,000 Americans were held as prisoners of war and 8,500 died in captivity.” With records scattered between different levels of government, learning the history of your ancestors can be challenging. In her presentation, Bryna will introduce the history and records of prisons and prisoners during the American Revolution.

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Bryna is the owner of Charter Oak Genealogy,  a lineage society application specialist who strives to make her clients' application processes as stress-free and enjoyable as possible. She has assisted clients in joining the Mayflower Society, the National Society of Colonial Dames, and many others, often using family trees that extend across North America and through difficult-to-document regions.