Densho Digital Archive
Manzanar National Historic Site Collection
Title: Sumiye Takeno Interview
Narrator: Sumiye Takeno
Interviewer: Richard Potashin
Location: Denver, Colorado
Date: July 5, 2008
Densho ID: denshovh-tsumiye-01-0003

<Begin Segment 3>

RP: Now, there were eleven brothers and sisters in the family. Can we just go over them very briefly?

ST: You mean from the top to the...

RP: From the top, the oldest... I know, that might take a half hour, but...

ST: You want the married name, or just the first name?

RP: Just the first name.

ST: The, the oldest one was Mary.

RP: Okay, and could you tell us a little something about Mary?

ST: Mary was the oldest and of course the two oldest sisters were married because we were so many years apart. So, but they were really nice sisters. Really, they really took care of us, us little ones. But I think I was only about five, seven years old when they both married.

RP: Already?

ST: Yeah, because there are so many.

RP: Who is after Mary?

ST: You want to know about Mary? You mean where she lived?

RP: Right, where did she...

ST: She lived... she married a person in Florin, but he had a farm. So, she worked in a farm after that.

RP: So she stayed.

ST: Uh-huh.

RP: She lived in Florin.

ST: Yeah. They stayed on the farm to evacuation. Most of us did, everybody who settled in Florin.

RP: And, and who is next after Mary?

ST: Ruby. Now she, she was sort of talented person. She used to win speech contests, things like that. And so she married a person in San Francisco. And he, he was from Japan, so he was bilingual. 'Course, my sister's bilingual, too, but... at first he was working at laundry. And then finally he, let's see... where did he work? Some office. And they lived there for several years until evacuation. And then, then next comes my brother.

RP: Elmer.

ST: Elmer. And of course we all lived on the farm and worked on the farm.

RP: Elmer and, and what do you remember about Elmer?

ST: He was a good brother.

RP: He would take care of you? Look after you?

ST: Oh yes. Took, looked after us. And of course he was active in local organizations, churches. We all were, actually.

RP: Right. Yeah, we'll talk a little bit about that in a few minutes.

ST: Okay. And then, oh, he and his friend owned a grocery store in Lodi. They both decided to, they were very good friends. His name is Harry. And I think they both owned two stores.

RP: Both in Lodi.

ST: In Lodi, together.

RP: And they kept those stores until evacuation?

ST: Yes, 'til evacuation. And then, of course after evacuation he married, and then of course he went to his family. They had nursery. So that's how we came to Los Angeles.

RP: Right.

ST: And then of course I came to Denver, but we all lived in Los Angeles for quite a while.

RP: Now, who is after Elmer?

ST: After Elmer was Ruth, but she was gone. And then Dan, he had a pneumatic heart disease so he didn't live too long after the war. And then came David. [Clears throat.] Excuse me. You didn't get to meet him. I think he's gone now. He was married to Florence. And then comes my sister. Then comes me. And then my sister May. She's gone. And then comes...

RP: Oh, Mieko?

ST: Uh-huh, May, Mieko, uh-huh. And then comes May, and then Leo, and then George. Eileen, oh... there's Eileen. [Laughs]

RP: I'm keeping count, you know.

ST: Yeah. Now do we have eleven children there?

RP: Yeah, we do. And then the two adopted kids.

ST: Yes, two adopted cousins.

RP: What were their names?

ST: Kazuo and Tatsuo.

RP: Okay.

ST: Kazuo, just when, after he became engaged, about month or so... no, maybe less, suddenly died of heart attack. It was a lady from Chico, California. And then, so the family asked would your, would your second cousin marry their daughter. And she was older but he said, he said, "Okay, I will." So he married her and they had a store, so he helped run the store. And then... let's see, did you want to know all the others? Are we finished?

RP: I think we're done.

ST: Okay.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.