<Begin Segment 3>

TI: So you mentioned your father first came to San Francisco. Did he come with your mother?

BH: No, no. My mother didn't come 'til... see, my older sister was born in Japan. And I think right after she was born, he left, I guess. I don't know when that was. So I actually don't know when she was... she was born in 1904, I think.

TI: And what was your older sister's name?

BH: Tamako Kitajo. I mean, her married name is Kitajo.

TI: And any other siblings besides...

BH: Oh, I had a brother George. And then after George was Minoru. Then it was my sister Sumako, and then Yoshiko. I think that makes it seven. [Laughs]

TI: So one, two... so five children and then two adults? Or seven children?

BH: Seven altogether. My sister and me and then the rest.

TI: So do you know how they decided to go to Bellevue? I mean, what was...

BH: Well, my father came earlier, earlier than my mother. I guess, you know, when the men all started out. [Laughs] So he landed in San Francisco, I guess, with all the rest of the people. And they were looking for a job, I think. I don't know much about them because they didn't, you know, I wasn't interested in that when I was young. He told me a lot of stories about all the places he's been. I guess all over as far as Montana and all those places that they tried to get jobs, whatever they can get.

TI: And so Montana, what were some other places that you can recall?

BH: I really don't know. But I imagine, it was all Western part of, all over, Yakima. I've heard him mention Yakima sometimes.

TI: Did he ever talk about the type of jobs that he did from place to place?

BH: No, he didn't. All kinds of jobs that they can get, and I think one of the things that stands in my mind is when he was working in a ranch. He had to take care of cattle, I guess. One incident he told us about is -- now, how true this is I don't know. Maybe, you know how they all make up a lot of stuff, I think. [Laughs] But he was working a cowboy ranch, things like that.

TI: That's interesting. You wonder how they learned how to do these things. I mean, if I went to a ranch or something, I wouldn't know what to do as a cowboy or ride a horse or anything like that. So they would just go and do these things.

BH: And a lot of things I don't know because he died early, too. He died when he was only forty-eight.

TI: How would you describe him as a man? What kind of personality did your father have?

BH: Well, he was quite a knowledgeable man, I guess. 'Cause all the Isseis used to come and ask his advice for a lot of things. Like if this man has a, had a daughter and wants to get married or something, and then my father and all the others, Mr. Takizaki and them, they used to go around and inquire about the, what kind of a family they came from. I remember him doing that. So we used to have a lot of men come over and talk to my father about things like that.

TI: So this was in Bellevue?

BH: Bellevue, yeah.

TI: So he was, like, maybe described maybe as a community leader?

BH: Sort of, yes.

TI: How about your mother? How would you describe your mother?

BH: She was real quiet. When you're young kids, you're not interested too much about your family until they're gone, then you remember. I wished I had remembered more about them.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.