Issei female, born December 15, 1893 to a successful rice farming family that enabled her to have a high school education, unusual for the time. Fudeyo came to America in 1912 at age nineteen as a picture bride and settled on her husband's farm in Florin, California. They raised grapes and strawberries. In May 1942 a neighboring Caucasian farmer offered to oversee the farm during internment. The family was sent to Jerome, Arkansas then to Rohwer, Arkansas. Fudeyo worked in the mess hall and did needlework. Her husband was ill much of the time. The family was separated upon leaving camp. One daughter went to Ohio and three sons went to Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Sekikawa and the younger children returned to California. For reasons unidentified during the interview, the family did not return to their farm or house. Fudeyo, age 95 at interview, had no memory of details. They lived in temporary housing until a home was purchased in Sacramento. Fudeyo was widowed in 1948 at age fifty-five and worked at Oki Nursery until her retirement at seventy.
Transcript
Transcript available at the California State University, Sacramento University Library
Copyrighted. Rights are owned by Japanese American Citizens League, Florin Chapter and California State University, Sacramento. Copyright Holder has given Organization permission to provide access to the digitized work online. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.