Resources
On Albert Street and the Chinese Community in Ottawa
Researching Albert Street
There isn’t a huge amount of information publicly available about the Albert Street Chinatown, and the early Chinese immigrants who populated it. However, Denise Chong’s book “Lives of the Family” and the companion website are the best sources for detailed information about the first Chinese to settle in the Ottawa Valley.
Since Ottawa is home to a relatively small population, compared to bigger Canadian cities, the majority of information available in broader publications about Chinatowns in Canada is miniscule compared to that which has been produced about Vancouver, Toronto, or even Winnipeg. However, those books which speak to the larger Chinese immigration to Canada are excellent resources for gaining a better understanding of the larger Chinese Canadian experience in the late 1800s going into the twentieth century.
Sources Consulted
On Chinese Communities in Ottawa
Lives of the Family: Stories of Fate and Circumstance. By Denise Chong. Toronto: Vintage Canada - Random House, 2013.
From survival to success: the Chinese in twentieth-century Ottawa. Essay by Dr. Jean-Guy Daigle. Ottawa: University of Ottawa, July 2000. // Available for consultation at the Ottawa Room or the Ottawa City Archives
The Ottawa Journal Printed 1885 - 1980. Articles and advertisements used. // Available through digital access at the Ottawa City Archives.
The Ottawa City Directory Years consulted; 1931-1961. Used to find business locations, dates and their owners. // Available on microfilm at Ottawa Library Main Branch.
On Chinese Communities in Canada (including Ottawa)
Enduring Hardship: The Chinese laundry in Canada. By Ban Seng Hoe. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2003.
Chinatown: An illustrated history.By Paul Yee. Toronto: James Lorimer & Co., 2005.
From China to Canada: A history of the Chinese Communities. Edited by Edgar Wickberg. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1982.
Chinatowns: Towns within cities in Canada. By Chuen-yan Lai. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1988.
Chinese Canadians: Voices from a Community. By Evelyn Huang and Jeffrey Lawrence. Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 1992. // A collection of interviews with prominent members of the Chinese Community in Canada.