Seking Memories of Upper Chinatown

Oaklanders have recently been rediscovering one of Oakland’s earliest Chinatowns was actually along San Pablo Avenue. Does your family have any stories from this old Uptown Chinatown?

So far we've found names from the 1870 and 1880 census of Upper Chinatown residents, and names of the major property holders next to or in the Chinatowns. The 1880 census also provides the names of men who ran a laundry near the corner of 19th and San Pablo. Do you have memories or photos related to any of the names below?

The San Pablo Avenue Chinatown was founded by the mid 1860s. Early Chinese pioneers established the Chinatown on the east side of San Pablo between 19th and 20th Streets, according to Edward W. Chew's history published in the May 13, 1952 Oakland Tribune, "Chinese Residents Proud of 'Men from Oakland' Title".

When the City authorities decided to build the City Hall at the foot of San Pablo Ave, they forced the Chinese residents to move further north along San Pablo Avenue. By 1880 the Chinese had established a settlement around 22nd Street, then farmland known as the Tuttle Tract. "Upper Chinatown" thrived, surviving multiple relocation efforts before finally being dismantled.

The 1880 census recorded scores of Oaklanders living in the Upper Chinatown. Below are the names and ages the census enumerator wrote down on June 5, 1880--as best as we can make out from the old handwriting. Upper Chinatown residents' occupations included fisherman, woodcutter, tinker, farmhand, laundry work, cook, waiter, barber, nurse, and storekeeper.

New! San Pablo Avenue Chinatown residents found in 1870 census--view names from the 1870s lists by clicking here and here.

Below: The 1880 census recorded more than 70 names associated with Upper Chinatown. Probably there were more residents; it wasn't uncommon for census enumerators to skip buildings.

**Residents of Upper Chinatown in the 1880 census**
Ah Lock	60	married male	Ah Han	25	single male	Ah Man	41	married male
Ah Cong	31	single male	Ah Leem	27	single male	Ah Luey	21	single male
Ah Gah	40	married male	Ah Leund	32	single male	Ah Bung [?]	14 [?]	single male
Ah Fan	20	single male	Ah Guy	75	married male	Ah Lung	40	married male
Ah Pang	50	married male	Ah Fou	19	single male	Ah Long	20	single male
Ah Fluy	40	married male	Ah Lang [Qang?]	20	single male	Ah Wing	38	married male
Ah Chock	42	married male	Ah Cow	14	single male	Ah Sing	26	single male
Ah Toy [Joy?]	30	single male	Ah Lem	38	married male	Ah Fuck	17	single male
Ah Cheung	27	married male	Ah Wong	40	married male	Ah Loung	38	married female
Ah Le Ay [?]	21	single male	Ah Fuy	30	married male	Ah Cow	12	single male
Ah Tea	36	married male	Ah Wey [?]	58	married male	Ah Cue	36	married female
Ah Pock	45	married male	Ah Gel [?]	27	married male	Ah Lune	21	single female
Ah Lem	18	single male	Ah Jim	24	single male	Ah Lay	30	married male
Ah Sing	30	married male	Ah Gee	34	married male	Ah Chung	22	single male
Ah Gid [Girl?]	26	married male	Ah Sin	40	married male	Ah Sahm	30	married female
Ah Ting	25	single male	Ah Fong	47	married male	Ahoom [?] Lay	41	married male
Ah Cow	19	single male	Ah Choing [?]	16	single male	Ah Low	16	single male
Ah Tot [Jot?]	21	single male	Ah Cong	20	married male	Ah Jin [?]	29	married male
Ah Han	33	single male	Ah Coy	32	married male	Ah Cow	21	single male
Ah Lay	21	single male	Ah Lang	17	single male	Ah Hin	37	married male
Ah Towy [Tuuy?]	20	single male	Ah Man	12	single male	Ah Lay [Tay?]	42	married male
Ah Lay	26	married male	Ah Mut	28	married male	Ah Quan [Guan?]	19	single male
Ah Hay	40	single male	Ah Gin	36	married male

Why are all the above names listed "Ah ----"? There are many possibilities. Howard Ah-Tye explains of his grandfather, who immigrated in 1845: "When he was asked what his name was, he replied, 'Yee Lo Dy.' 'Oh, Ah Dy, Ah Dy,' the Caucasians chanted." (Resourceful Chinese, San Jose: Matai Press, 1999, page 12)

**Men who lived and worked at a Laundry at 19th and San Pablo**
Lung An	37	single male
Fao An	26	single male
Hing [?] Wong	21	single male
Sing Lang	19	single male
Sue Sam	22	single male
Wang Lang	28	single male
Wah Lin	24	single male
Wah Fook	22	single male
Sing Low	29	single male
Wah Tao	32	single male

Above: The 1880 census enumerator recorded the full names of the men who lived and worked at a laundry near the corner of 19th and San Pablo, and wrote a note that "All read and write in their own language".

Maybe your family has memories of the following people who held property next to or in one of the Upper Chinatowns? The order of names in the partial list below reoughly follows the alignment of their property, from north to south. Not all landowners are listed. City Council records from the late 1860s and early 1870s mention the City Marshall evicted other (unnamed) residents and/or owners in the area to build new roads.

**Some of the Property Owners next to or in Upper Chinatown**
W.F. Kelsey, nurseryman and hoteler	J.J. Gardiner
T.B. Simpson	F.M. Campbell, City Council President
Charles Albon Tuttle (former owner of Tuttle Tract)	G.C. Potter
E.H. Jones	Elijah Bigelow, lawyer
John A. Hobart, City Council President	Capt. P.S. Wilcox
F. B. Tarbett, Chief of Police	R. E. Cole, Trustee of Town of Oakland and physician
James T. Hogan or Edmund W. Hogan	George W. Fountain
Frederick Delger

We’re trying to learn more about the early Chinese pioneers of this area. If you would like to share stories, pictures, or information please contact us!

Anna Naruta is acting as information clearinghouse for this project. Please email her directly at naruta@berkeley.edu. You can reach us by mail at P.O. Box 1514, Oakland, CA 94604.