<Begin Segment 5>

JA: And during this time she gave birth to yourself...

MH: Uh-huh.

JA: ...and other children.

MH: Uh-huh.

JA: When were you born, Mitzie?

MH: I was born in 1921. And so, when my mother goes out to work, she used to put us in paper box and take us out in the field, and set us out in the middle of the field, is how she raised her children. And then as, then as I started growing up, then I had to help with the other work so taking care of the sisters and brothers that came along every two years.

JA: And these sisters and brothers are, when, are who?

MH: Are what?

JA: Can you give me the names?

MH: Oh, yes, excuse me. My sister's name -- my sister next to me is called Masako, M-A-S-A-K-O, and she was born in 1922; and then I had a sister Chiyo and she was born in 1924; and then Haruko was born in 1926; then I had a brother Hiroshi, was born in 1928; then I had a youngest brother, Tio, who was born in 1930.

JA: And with all these births, what type of health assistance did your mother receive?

MH: All the Japanese people in Bellevue all had midwife from Seattle. Mrs. Beppu had a business in Seattle as a... a midwife and every time she was on call. And so she was a midwife for all the Japanese people. No one went to hospital at that time.

JA: But even on call, it was a process for her to travel from Seattle to...

MH: That's right, it was. She came on the boat and she made it, though. And then somebody had to go after her to the boat because that came in to Medina from Seattle, Leschi.

JA: And did your mother ever return to Japan?

MH: Yes, she did. She went to Japan only once, in 1935 when the two sisters were getting married. So my dad said she can go, because I was old enough that I can take care of the family while she was gone. So she was gone for three months to Japan at that time.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.