Download Finding data about individuals interned at the Topaz

Who were they?
Finding personal data about the Japanese Americans interned
at Topaz Relocation Center and other relocation centers
The War Relocation Authority collected information about each of the people housed at
the Japanese American relocation centers from 1942-1946. Compiled by the National
Archives in Record Group series 210, this data is now available as a searchable database
via NARA’s Access to Archival Databases (AAD) at:
http://aad.archives.gov/aad/index.jsp
Description of Record Group Series 210:
Records about Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II
Function The War Relocation Authority (WRA) collected information on individual
and Use: evacuees on WRA Form 26. The WRA used the data to support the
management of individuals and the relocation centers, in general. The
series also served as a locator index to the separate series of individual
evacuee case files created and maintained by the WRA. After conversion
of the punch cards to an electronic form by the Bancroft Library of the
University of California at Berkeley in the 1960's, the Civil Rights
Division of the Department of Justice, used a copy of the data file to
support distribution of reparations to former evacuees.
Scope & This series contains personal descriptive data about Japanese Americans
Content evacuated from the states of Washington, Oregon, and California to ten
Note: relocation centers operated by the War Relocation Authority during World
War II in the states of California (Tule Lake and Manzanar Centers), Idaho
(Minidoka Center), Utah (Central Utah Center), Colorado (Granada
Center), Arizona (Colorado River and Gila River Centers), Wyoming
(Heart Mountain Center), and Arkansas (Rohwer and Jerome Centers).
Each record represents an individual and includes the name; relocation
project and assembly center to which assigned; previous address;
birthplace of parents; occupation of father; education; foreign residence;
indication of military service, public assistance, pensions, and physical
defects; sex and marital status; race of evacuee and spouse; year of birth;
age; birthplace; indication of the holding of an alien registration number
and/or Social Security number, and whether the evacuee attended Japanese
language school; highest grade completed; language proficiency;
occupations; and religion.
How to get to the searchable database
1. Go to the NARA AAD Main Page at: http://aad.archives.gov/aad
2. Under the Wars/International Relations category, click on World War II. One of
the four entries that will result is:
Records About Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II,
created, 1988 - 1989, documenting the period 1942 - 1946 - Record Group
210 109,384 [Japanese-American Internee Data File], 1942 - 1946
3. Directly to the right of this entry are two search icons
. Click the top one for
a series description; click the bottom one to open a field search.
4. On the field search page In the fourth row where you see the entry for Relocation
Project, click where it says Select from Code List in the second column. A new window
will open.
5. In the Relocation Project Field display that results, either type in the number 6 in the
ENTER CODE box or check the box next to the entry Central Utah (Abraham). Click
on the Submit button. This takes you back to the previous screen where you now see a
"6" displaying next to Select from Code List.
6. Click the Search button at the bottom of the screen.
7. A list of 8,575 partial records will display.
8. To view the full record for any of the individuals listed, click next to the name on the
page icon in the far left View Record column.
The entire set of data for the person appears with these fields (sample on next page):
Last name
First name
Middle initial
Relocation Project
Assembly Center
Last Permanent Address
Last Permanent Address State
Last Permanent Address County
Last Permanent Address Density
Birth Place of Parents
Fathers Occupation in U.S.
Fathers Occupation Abroad
Total Years of Schooling in Japan
Years of Schooling in Japan
Education Degrees
Year of First Arrival in
Territorial U.S.
Total Length of Time in Japan
Number of Times in Japan
Age at Time in Japan
Military and Naval Service,
Public Assistance and Pensions,
Physical Defects
Individual Number
Sex and Marital Status
Race of Individual and Spouse
Year of Birth
Birth Place
Alien Registration Number, SSN,
Japanese Language School
Highest Grade Completed or Grade
Attending
Language
Religion
Primary Occupation
Secondary Occupation
Tertiary Occupation
Potential Occupation 1
Potential Occupation 2
File Number
Blank 1