The Marriage and Landing of Chinese Merchants
A customs decision allows the wives of three Chinese merchants to enter Seattle, citing the legal status of marriage.
The Port Townsend Argus reports that for some time, two Chinese merchants from Seattle and one from Portland have been in Victoria to marry. As a result of this trip, three pairs were united according to Chinese rites. Subsequently, two of these couples were married by a minister in Victoria to satisfy Christian religious rites and the laws of British Columbia. The third couple was married at the port of Port Townsend by a Justice upon arrival. The matter was officially submitted to Collector Bash, who rendered a decision permitting the brides to land and remain upon American soil upon proof that the husbands were merchants and the wives were legally married. The decision followed a ruling by Secretary Folger of the U.S. Treasury, stating that 'a wife follows the status of her husband.' Descriptions of the brides were taken for future identification purposes.
“A wife follows the status of her husband.”
This event took place during the height of the Chinese Exclusion Act era, where anti-Chinese sentiment was rampant in Seattle. While the law often sought to tear families apart, this specific case highlights how even within exclusionary systems, merchant status was used as a lever to preserve domestic rights.
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