{"id":"ddr-janm-22","model":"collection","collection_id":"ddr-janm-22","links":{"html":"https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-22/","json":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/ddr-janm-22/","img":"https://ddr.densho.org/media/ddr-janm-22/ddr-janm-22-1-mezzanine-68740c317a-a.jpg","thumb":"http://ddrmedia.local/media/ddr-janm-22/ddr-janm-22-1-mezzanine-68740c317a-a.jpg","parent":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/ddr-janm/","children":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/ddr-janm-22/children/"},"parent_id":"ddr-janm","organization_id":"ddr-janm","signature_id":"ddr-janm-22-1-mezzanine-68740c317a","title":"Fukuda and Whitney Families Collection","description":"Approximately 115 letters from the Fukuda family to the Whitney family, sent primarily from Fumiko and Louise Fukuda at Poston to their friend Mrs. Olive Whitney of Upland, California.","breadcrumbs":[{"id":"ddr-janm-22","model":"collection","idpart":"cid","label":"22","api_url":"https://ddr.densho.org/api/0.2/ddr-janm-22/","url":"https://ddr.densho.org/ddr-janm-22/"}],"_fields":["id","record_created","record_lastmod","status","public","title","unitdateinclusive","unitdatebulk","creators","extent","language","contributor","description","physloc","rights","accessrestrict","userrestrict","prefercite","bioghist","scopecontent","relatedmaterial","separatedmaterial","signature_id"],"record_created":"2025-04-17T11:18:27","record_lastmod":"2025-04-28T12:57:55","status":"completed","public":"1","unitdateinclusive":"1940-1943","unitdatebulk":"1942-1943","creators":[{"namepart":"Fukuda, Fumiko","role":"author"},{"namepart":"Fukuda, Louise","role":"author"}],"extent":"Approximately 115 letters.","language":["eng"],"contributor":"Japanese American National Museum","physloc":"Japanese American National Museum","acqinfo":"Donated to JANM in 2007.","custodhist":"Donated to JANM in 2007.","processinfo":"Processed by Jamie Henricks in 2017.","rights":"nocc","prefercite":"Courtesy of Japanese American National Museum (Gift of the George H. Whitney and Isabel C. Whitney Family Trust, 2008.16)","bioghist":"The Fukuda family was connected to the Whitney family by way of the Whitneys’ home in Upland, California. Mr. Fukuda (a widowed father of 7 daughters) was the caretaker of the Whitneys’ property and lived in a home on the grounds. Fumiko Fukuda lived with her father in the caretaker’s home prior to evacuation and was a companion to Mrs. Olive Whitney.\r\nAfter being forced to evacuate, Mr. Fukuda and five of his daughters were sent to Poston Relocation Center and lived together in one room. One daughter (Alma) and her husband and son were at Santa Anita Assembly Center before requesting a transfer to Poston. Mrs. Whitney kept the Fukuda family’s cat at her Upland home, and frequently sent care packages and goods the family requested (paper, cowboy boots, cloth, canned fruit, and many other items). The Whitneys and Fukudas corresponded almost daily, commenting on camp life and Catholicism (to which some of the daughters and Mrs. Whitney had converted). During the war, Mr. Whitney was frequently ill, and both their sons were abroad with the Navy.\r\nMrs. Whitney died unexpectedly in 1943 in a car crash, and the Whitneys tried to request that Fumiko be released from Poston to care for Mr. Whitney in Upland, but the request was denied. The families continued to correspond for a while, but writing dropped off dramatically after the Fukudas traveled to Oregon and Utah to try resettling and when Mr. Whitney died in 1945.\r\nMrs. Whitney’s daughter-in-law, Isabel, collected items related to the Fukudas and Whitneys in the early 1970s. She transcribed all of the letters, did research about Poston and Japanese Americans, and hoped to publish a book about the Fukudas in the early 1990s. The book project fell through, and the collection was eventually donated to the Japanese American National Museum.\r\nFukuda family members:\r\nHichirouyemon Fukuda [Fukuda, or Mr. Fukuda] (2/19/1874 – 2/15/1946)\r\nKotora Sugsta Fukuda [Mrs. Fukuda] (12/24/1889 – 9/30/1926)\r\nVirginia Fukuda Ciaranello (6/19/1909-2/8/1984)\r\nAlma Fukuda Watari (husband Jimmy Watari, son Layne Watari)\r\nMary Masako “Socks” Mariya Fukuda Okita (3/28/1919-2/16/1987)\r\nFumiko “Micky” Fukuda Emoto (6/2/1923-7/6/1972), (husband George Emoto, 5/1/1925-4/14/1983)\r\nShizue “Sue” Fukuda Ono\r\nDorothy “Dot” Fukuda Itami\r\nLouise “Lou” Fukuda Sagata\r\nWhitney family members:\r\nAlden Bradford Whitney [Mr. Whitney] (12/1/1885-1/5/1945)\r\nOlive Harrison Whitney [Mrs. Whitney] (12/29/1884-2/10/1943)\r\nGeorge Harrison Whitney (3/3/1914-1/15/2000), (wife Isabel Agnes Whitney 5/26/1915-5/7/2007)\r\nBradford “Braddo” Whitney (9/6/1917-1/20/2005)","scopecontent":"The collection contains materials sent between the Fukuda and Whitney families during WWII. The collection is primarily letters from Fumiko Fukuda at Poston to Mrs. Olive Whitney in Upland from 1942 to 1943. The collection was assembled, and organized, and transcribed by Isabel Whitney.\r\nThough the families wrote letters back and forth, the majority of the remaining collection are letters received by Mrs. Whitney. The bulk of the letters are from Fumiko, but also include letters from Louise (whose cat was cared for by Mrs. Whitney) and the other sisters. Louise collected a group of letters from Mrs. Whitney, which Louise sent to Isabel. Fumiko’s husband collected a group of letters and ephemera from the Whitney family, which he sent to Isabel. Other letters come from Mrs. Sanderson (the Whitneys' housekeeper), George and Braddo, Catholic priests, and others.\r\nThe letters are mostly descriptions of camp life (including a diagram of their barracks layout, descriptions of food and activities, jobs, and other details) and requests for items sent to camp. There is also a handful of letters and items about Catholicism, as a few of the daughters converted to Catholicism and tried to attend church at Poston.","search_hidden":"Fukuda, Fumiko author \nFukuda, Louise author","download_large":"ddr-janm-22-1-mezzanine-68740c317a-a.jpg"}