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AI: Well, and another thing that you had mentioned was that you, around this time, you were also taking some classes to get your United States citizenship back.

PB: Uh-huh.

AI: So could you tell a little bit about what happened that caused you to lose your citizenship?

PB: Well, if you married an alien, you lost your citizenship, because all aliens -- especially the Japanese, the Isseis -- they were not allowed to become citizens, therefore they couldn't allow, they couldn't own anything, either. So all the farmers had their children's name on farms or whatever they had, why, they had to put it in their children's name. And we had quite a bit of trouble, because after my sister passed away, then it was put in my brother's name.

AI: And, and when you had gotten married in 1926, then, your husband was technically not a United States citizen.

PB: No, he was born in Japan, and came to this country as a youngster. So I had to go and apply, I wanted to get my citizenship back, so immediately I went to class; 'course, you had to learn a little bit of history about the United States, then I had to go to court and answer some questions, and I was real happy when I got my citizenship back, and they gave me a little American flag. Of course, we got ribbed a lot about our citizenship when we went to camp, though. But I was real happy to get my citizenship back.

AI: Well, and that was in, I think you had said August of 1928 that you got your citizenship back, and then soon after that, Pat was born.

PB: Yes, she was born in September. In fact, today is her birthday. [Laughs]

AI: Oh, that's wonderful.

PB: Today is her seventy-seventh birthday, and it's also, it's... I'm really ashamed to say this, 'cause it's my great-great granddaughter's birthday, too, and I don't know exactly what day she was born. [Laughs] I just got some late pictures from my great-great-granddaughter. Our five generations, and her birthday is somewhere around... I think it's in September, because she wrote and said, "Hannah is going to be a year old."

AI: Isn't that wonderful; that's good news.

PB: Of course, my son was seventy-eight in July. He says, "Don't mention it," he didn't think he was that old. [Laughs]

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.