<Begin Segment 29>

AI: Well, I wanted to ask you about your birth certificate. How did you finally get your birth certificate?

TM: Oh, birth certificate. That's what you wanted to hear: birth certificate. My sister and she died, is Molly. She was a nurse. She was in Hawaii before the war. Anyway, she was in Hawaii and war started so she can't come home. Then the war is over. Meantime, asked her, "You ask my birth certificate, because I ask before. They said no, nothing." So Molly, she is ask my birth certificate and that went to Hawaii, and Hawaii was still not a state, a territory. Well, after the war, everything different because when she ask, that application went right to the State of Hawaii head, you know. So this went to the director of Hawaii, State Hawaii, and his name was Mr. Long. [Ed. note: Oren E. Long, then Secretary of the Territory of Hawaii] And I think all time those not the state, when the Territory of Hawaii is one year or so, every year or so, someone have to come to over here and go through Washington, D.C. and find out any trouble between Hawaii and this country. And Mr. Long, he came for that, I think. And, by gosh, he thought about me. There is application, birth certificate for Tom Takeo Matsuoka. One day I had a letter from Territory of Hawaii and it's Mr. Long, and this was mailed from Minneapolis, Minnesota. And he, this letter showed he want to see me at the Havre railroad station. And according to that letter, he said that he want me to ride on the train from Havre to...

RT: Shelby.

TM: Where was it?

RT: Shelby.

TM: Shelby. Yeah, that's right, that's right, Havre to Shelby. Well, so Kaz took me to the Havre station and Saturday, such and such a day, such and such a time, that train is once a day. So I went, and here he is. And Kaz told him he is a passenger and just ordinary passenger and not a high-class passenger ticket. "Oh, same thing," he said, Mr. Long. "I am on that." Oh, he was a heck of a nice person. Then he interview me inside the train between Havre and Shelby. Then I told him everything I know and I think there was the name called... what was it? Anyway, my brother, James Matsuoka, he have a real estate business in International Real Estate in Jackson and Sixth Avenue on the corner. If you call him, maybe the Nakamura, I think, this old man interviewed and asked about my birth certificate. And this Mr. Nakamura, I think Nakayama ka, Nakamura, something like that. Anyway, this man know I was in Hawaii. So I think Mr. Long, he came to Seattle, interviewed him and my brother, and he went back to Hawaii.

And after that I think he really done all kind of stuff to try to find my birth. Because when my dad was farming in Honolulu, his neighbors was there and this neighbor's name was... Noguchi. Anyway, one man and two boys was in this farm. Well, I guess he traced him and they are not anymore in Honolulu. They moved to Hawaii island, island of Hawaii. They are not there. Well, then he went, tried to find when my dad was worked in Honolulu, this Hawaiian mill. Anyway, this place. No. I think they couldn't find that. Well, then I guess Mr. Long went to ship company, I think. And, by gosh, there is a boy -- no, girl. Yeah. Girl and mother is riding the boat, went back to Japan the day I am sailing. And this kid is born in 1903, 1st of August, but when my baby picture, it sure look like a girl. Yeah. The hair was all pretty long on the top and really cut in here. That's what my baby picture was. Remember? And so must be, on the record, they thought it was a baby girl. And, anyway, he thought this is the one, I think, so he traced it. Sure enough, my dad and mother when came to Hawaii, first thing they came to Spreckelsville, Maui. That's where the sugar, sugar company plantation office is. They find out that I came -- I mean, my dad and mother was came to Spreckelsville, Maui. Then, I guess he must have went some other place and he knew it. That's what I get my birth certificate.

AI: So you finally got it.

TM: Finally they send me. Then, anyway, after war, after you get married maybe it was. [Looks at daughter, Rae]

RT: That's a long time ago.

TM: Yeah. Anyway, in '50 something. That's when I finally I get my birth certificate and I look and, by gosh, there is my name. Even they said, "Known as Tom Takeo Matsuoka." [Laughs]

<End Segment 29> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.