11 · FAMILY STORIES
Mangal Singh
Born c. 1891
Gharka
Son of Wasakha Singh
Profile
Mangal Singh, son of Wasakha Singh, came from Gharka. He lived in Manila before travelling to the United States. On 29 August 1913, he left Manila aboard the Nippon Maru, arriving at San Francisco on 22 September. 5 A twenty-two-year-old watchman, he stood five feet seven inches tall, with a mole at the inner end of his left eyebrow. His arrival-index card recorded his birthplace as “Gorka, India” and gave Manila as his last permanent residence. 2
Mangal’s return to India began on 21 November 1914, when he and Naron Singh were deported from San Francisco aboard the Siberia. He had purchased a ticket to Manila, but his deportation warrant directed him to Calcutta. His Manila ticket was surrendered for exchange, and arrangements were made for his onward passage to India through Hong Kong. 3 4
Contemporary shipping reports trace the steamer to Manila, where it arrived on 18 December, and then to Hong Kong on 22 December. 6 The immigration correspondence had arranged onward passage to Calcutta via Hong Kong, but the final stage is less clearly documented.
Mangal returned to India on 8 January 1915. The return list identifies him as the son of Wasakha Singh, of Gharka, records Manila as his residence abroad, and places his entry under the combined heading “s.s. Lopez and Kistana Maru.” An order dated 14 January restricted him to his village. 1
The Lopez was likely C. Lopez y Lopez, which sailed from Manila for Singapore on 28 December and was reported arriving at Colombo on 5 January. This remains a working identification: the return list does not establish which of the two named ships carried Mangal, and his final connecting passage remains unresolved. 7
Photographs & Documents
SS Lopez
Mangal Singh — arrival-index card, 22 September 1913
Mangal Singh — SAADA image 1 transcription
Mangal Singh — SAADA image 2 transcription
Mangal Singh — SAADA image 5 transcription
Mangal Singh — SAADA image 6 transcription
Read the full document transcriptions
Modern typesetting; not facsimiles. Brackets mark uncertain readings.
Source: https://www.saada.org/explore/archive/items/20131116-3479
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IMAGE 5 | 21 November 1914
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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
IMMIGRATION SERVICE
IN ANSWERING REFER TO
No.
Nos. 12815/8-12
12924/4-20
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER
ANGEL ISLAND STATION
VIA FERRY POST OFFICE
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
November 21, 1914.
Pacific Mail Steamship Co.,
Passenger Department,
Flood Building,
San Francisco, Cal.
Sirs:
You are respectfully advised that Mangal Singh and Naron Singh, both East Indians, will be placed aboard your s/s “Siberia” sailing today for deportation under Department warrants to Calcutta, India. For Naron Singh you will be furnished transportation request covering [obscured] through passage over the entire journey. Mangal Singh, having purchased transportation from San Francisco to Manila, to which point under his warrant he cannot be deported, and his having agreed to deportation to Calcutta, India, you will be furnished with transportation request in the amount of the difference for his transportation from San Francisco to India and that of the amount he has already paid for his ticket reading to Manila, said ticket covering transportation San Francisco to Manila, form T.C.A. [unclear prefix]-19147, is herewith handed you in the exchange. It is understood that you are to arrange for expenses incident to detention if necessary, and their transfer to a vessel at Hongkong sailing for India, which no doubt you will cover in the usual vouchers.
Respectfully,
[Stamped:] Exact copy as signed by H. Edsell
Mailed this day by [handwritten initials unclear]
Acting Commissioner.
WTB/LMD.
[Below dashed separator:]
Nov. 21, 1914.
Carbon copy respectfully forwarded to Inspector in Charge, Immigration Service, Honolulu, Hawaii.
[Stamped:] Exact copy as signed by H. Edsell
Mailed this day by [handwritten initials unclear]
Acting Commissioner.
[Departure stamp:]
DEPARTED FROM SAN FRANCISCO
PER STEAMER
Siberia
NOV 21 1914
M. [initial unclear] Duffy
TRANSCRIPTION NOTE: Transcription from held PDF embedded SAADA image 5, visually inspected with magnification. Line wrapping modernized. Bracketed notes mark uncertain or obscured text; editorial labels are not original wording. Ticket suffix 19147 is legible, but its preceding form/prefix characters remain uncertain and must not be silently expanded from the prior summary. Source: National Archives at San Francisco, Immigration File for Naron Singh, file 12815/8-12; SAADA item 20131116-3479, image 5. https://www.saada.org/explore/archive/items/20131116-3479
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IMAGE 2 | 27 November 1914
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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
IMMIGRATION SERVICE
IN ANSWERING REFER TO
No.
Nos. 12815/8-12
12924/4-20.
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER
ANGEL ISLAND STATION
VIA FERRY POST OFFICE
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
November 27, 1914.
Commissioner-General of Immigration,
Washington, D. C.
Inclosed herewith please find duplicate warrants of deportation as hereinafter specified covering the aliens Mangal Singh and Naron Singh, both of whom were deported on the s/s “Siberia” sailing November 21st. The original warrants will be held here until disposition is made of the other aliens included therein.
[Warrant-reference row partly obscured] — Mangal Singh
53627/39A Oct.10 ″ — Naron Singh.
Attached to warrant of Mangal Singh is memorandum copy of transportation request 16780 covering his transportation from San Francisco to Calcutta, India. Attached to warrant for Naron Singh is memorandum copy of transportation request 16891, covering his transportation from Hongkong to Calcutta, India. The reason therefor is that this alien had provided himself with transportation from San Francisco to Hongkong and it was possible to arrange with the steamship company for the exchange of through ticket to Calcutta, India, with an allowance of his already secured passage to Hongkong.
[Stamped:] Exact copy as signed by Samuel W. Backus
Mailed this day by [handwritten initials unclear]
Commissioner.
Inclosure-420805.
WTB/LMD.
[Handwritten marginal note: unclear]
TRANSCRIPTION NOTE: Transcription from held PDF embedded SAADA image 2, visually inspected with magnification. Line wrapping modernized. Bracketed notes mark uncertain or obscured text; editorial labels are not original wording. The first warrant-reference row is crossed by the watermark and has not been reconstructed. Source: National Archives at San Francisco, Immigration File for Naron Singh, file 12815/8-12; SAADA item 20131116-3479, image 2. https://www.saada.org/explore/archive/items/20131116-3479
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IMAGE 6 | 21 November 1914
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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
IMMIGRATION SERVICE
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
Nos. 12815/8-12
12924/4-20.
November 21, 1914.
American Consul,
Hongkong, China.
Sir:
I have the honor to inform you that there are being deported
today on the S. S. “Siberia”, Naron Singh and Mangal Singh, whose
transportation has been arranged for with the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company for their journey to India, who will arrange for their
maintenance charges pending departure of a vessel from Hongkong.
Would you, in the usual manner, exercise such diligence as you deem
necessary to see that the understanding with the Pacific Mail as to
their actual departure from Hongkong is really carried out.
Respectfully,
Acting Commissioner.
OTHER VISIBLE MARKS
[Magenta stamp]
Exact copy as signed by H. Edsell
Mailed this day by ____________________
[Blue departure stamp]
DEPARTED FROM SAN FRANCISCO
PER STEAMER
Siberia
NOV 21 1914
[illegible name/initials]
[Lower-left typed initials]
WTB/LED.
TRANSCRIPTION NOTE: Transcribed from held PDF page 5. Line-end word divisions joined; wording retained. Brackets are editorial. The departure stamp overlaps the lower-left typed initials; WTB/LED. is the apparent reading, not a secure expanded name. Modern archive watermark is not part of the historical letter.
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IMAGE 1 | 23 December 1914
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ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO
THE AMERICAN CONSUL
AMERICAN CONSULAR SERVICE
Hongkong, December 23, 1914.
H. Edsell, Esqre.,
Acting Commissioner of Immigration,
San Francisco, Cal.
Sir:-
I have pleasure in acknowledging the receipt
of your letter of November 21, 1914, applying to cases
Nos.12815/8-12 and 12924/4-20 in relation to Naron Singh
and Mangal Singh and can report that these Indians will
[obscured by watermark]
Trusting that I can serve you further,
I am, Sir,
Very respectfully yours,
[signature illegible]
Consul General.
File No.855.1
OTHER VISIBLE MARKS
[Upper-right receipt stamps, partly illegible]
1915
JAN
26.
[remaining stamp wording illegible]
TRANSCRIPTION NOTE: Transcribed from held PDF page 6. Brackets are editorial. The modern archive watermark obscures one movement line; it is deliberately not reconstructed. No onward vessel or sailing date can safely be supplied from the held image. The visible word 'will' remains future tense.
Sources & Notes
Sources and notes (7)
[1] National Archives of India, Home Political A, June 1915, proceedings 345–369, PDF page 155 of 208, Amritsar row 12. The return-to-India date is 8 January 1915; the restriction order is dated 14 January 1915. The collective heading “Lopez and Kistana Maru” does not assign Mangal to a particular vessel. His final ship and Indian landing port remain unresolved. Open source
[2] National Archives and Records Administration, RG 85, M1389, reel 28, image 2348, arrival-index card; arrival reference 12924/4-20. The card records age 22 on 22 September 1913. “Born c. 1891” is approximate, not a full independently established birth date. Open source
[3] SAADA, Immigration File for Naron Singh, item 20131116-3479, images 1, 2, 5 and 6. Originals: National Archives at San Francisco, file 12815/8-12. The images presented here are modern typeset transcriptions, not original scans; brackets retain uncertain or obscured readings. Open source
[4] National Archives and Records Administration, RG 85, A3569, roll 4, volume 4, image 63, row 41; ticket 19147. Open source
[5] San Francisco customs passenger list, NARA M1412, roll 9, images 145–148 (stamped pages 575–578). The opening names the Nippon Maru and its Manila departure on 29 August 1913. List No. 4 continues to “Singh Mangal”, age 22. The arrival-index card supplies the direct evidence for arrival on 22 September 1913. Open source
[6] London and China Telegraph, 21 December 1914, printed p. 1083, viewer image 9, article 046, “Arrivals at”: Manila, 18 December, Siberia from San Francisco. Open Telegraph report. The China Mail, 22 December 1914, scan 8 of 8 (printed page number not separately verified), “Shipping / Arrivals / December 22”: Siberia from San Francisco, 21 November. Open China Mail catalogue. A parallel notice in Overland China Mail, 26 December 1914, printed p. 24, viewer image 27, article 201, lists the same particulars under 22 December without an explicit arrival heading. Open parallel report. These are ship-movement reports, not named-passenger lists; shared shipping-news sources may overlap. They do not establish Mangal’s disembarkation or transfer at either port.
[7] Lloyd’s List, 30 December 1914, printed/viewer p. 6, article 038: C. Lopez y Lopez sailed from Manila on 28 December for Singapore. Open Manila report. Lloyd’s List, 9 January 1915, printed/viewer p. 6, article 219: arrival at Colombo on 5 January from Manila. Open Colombo arrival report. Later reports record departure from Colombo on 6 January for “Brclna” (unexpanded) and passage northward at Perim on 14 January: 11 January 1915, printed/viewer p. 7, article 073, and 15 January 1915, printed/viewer p. 6, article 230. Open Colombo departure report; Open Perim report. Identifying the return list’s abbreviated “Lopez” as C. Lopez y Lopez remains a working hypothesis. These notices name neither Mangal nor Naron and establish no Calcutta call or individual connecting-vessel allocation; Mangal’s final ship and Indian landing port remain unresolved.