TAMEKI YONEMURA was born in 1876 in Japan. His parents were Rinsaku Yonemura and Echi Nakamura. His father died when he was very young and he was then adopted by his Uncle Denzo Yonemura. Nothing more is proven about his parents or any siblings he may have had. By 1899 he was married to Kiku Imamura. The 1st of their 8 children, daughter Sumiye, was born in Japan in 1900.
In 1902 Tameki and Kiku immigrated to Honolulu, Hawaii, leaving Sumiye behind with relatives. They worked in the pineapple fields for 3 years, and son Mino was born there in 1904. In 1905 they came to Riverside, CA where Kiku owned a neighborhood candy shop and Tameki rode his bicycle to gardening jobs.
Their next 3 children were daughters Yoshiko in 1907, Hisako in 1910, and Masako in 1913. In 1915, Kiku made her only trip back to Japan, when she took her 3 young girls there to be cared for by Tameki's relatives. Kiku returned to Riverside with her oldest daughter, Sumiye, then age 15. Their last 3 children were: - Masa in 1916, Aiko in 1920, and Masaru in 1923. Also in 1923, Tameki made his only visit back to Japan, when he went to escort home his 3 daughters who had been there for 8 years. Youngest son Masaru died in 1925. For the next 17 years the family grew up - children went to college, daughters married, and 12 grandchildren were born.
Shortly after the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tameki was caught up in the FBI's massive arrest of 4,500 ethnic Japanese men. He was sent, in secret, to the Prisoner of War Camp the government had established at Santa Fe, New Mexico. His daughter Hisako's husband, Frank Ishikawa, was also sent there. Meanwhile his son Masa, a Law student at UC Berkeley, was recruited by the Army's Military Intelligence Unit as a Linguist; and Kiku and all the other family members were evacuated to Internment Camps. Tameki was released from the POW Camp after a few months and then sent to the Colorado River Internment Camp at Poston, Arizona, where Kiku and 2 of his daughters were being held. In April 1945, Tameki's son-in-law, Victor Hada (husband of daughter Aiko), who was fighting the Germans in Italy with the 442nd Army Regiment, was killed. Victor was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal for bravery in action. Even though Tameki and his family had shown complete loyalty to the United States, he and Kiku were not released from the Internment Camp until after the end of the War.
Tameki and Kiku returned to Riverside, CA and lived out the rest of their lives on the family farm in Arlington with daughter Yoshi and her family. They had 19 grandchildren. Tameki died at the age of 84, sixty years after he had left Japan. Tameki never became fluent in English nor learned to read English.
Tameki left all his relatives and friends behind in Japan to try to provide a better life for his children in America. He succeeded in that and can Rest in Peace. He gave his descendants the American Dream. Four of his children were college graduates as were/are most of his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and gg grandchildren.
Tameki and Kiku were Buddhist.
In 1902 Tameki and Kiku immigrated to Honolulu, Hawaii, leaving Sumiye behind with relatives. They worked in the pineapple fields for 3 years, and son Mino was born there in 1904. In 1905 they came to Riverside, CA where Kiku owned a neighborhood candy shop and Tameki rode his bicycle to gardening jobs.
Their next 3 children were daughters Yoshiko in 1907, Hisako in 1910, and Masako in 1913. In 1915, Kiku made her only trip back to Japan, when she took her 3 young girls there to be cared for by Tameki's relatives. Kiku returned to Riverside with her oldest daughter, Sumiye, then age 15. Their last 3 children were: - Masa in 1916, Aiko in 1920, and Masaru in 1923. Also in 1923, Tameki made his only visit back to Japan, when he went to escort home his 3 daughters who had been there for 8 years. Youngest son Masaru died in 1925. For the next 17 years the family grew up - children went to college, daughters married, and 12 grandchildren were born.
Shortly after the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tameki was caught up in the FBI's massive arrest of 4,500 ethnic Japanese men. He was sent, in secret, to the Prisoner of War Camp the government had established at Santa Fe, New Mexico. His daughter Hisako's husband, Frank Ishikawa, was also sent there. Meanwhile his son Masa, a Law student at UC Berkeley, was recruited by the Army's Military Intelligence Unit as a Linguist; and Kiku and all the other family members were evacuated to Internment Camps. Tameki was released from the POW Camp after a few months and then sent to the Colorado River Internment Camp at Poston, Arizona, where Kiku and 2 of his daughters were being held. In April 1945, Tameki's son-in-law, Victor Hada (husband of daughter Aiko), who was fighting the Germans in Italy with the 442nd Army Regiment, was killed. Victor was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal for bravery in action. Even though Tameki and his family had shown complete loyalty to the United States, he and Kiku were not released from the Internment Camp until after the end of the War.
Tameki and Kiku returned to Riverside, CA and lived out the rest of their lives on the family farm in Arlington with daughter Yoshi and her family. They had 19 grandchildren. Tameki died at the age of 84, sixty years after he had left Japan. Tameki never became fluent in English nor learned to read English.
Tameki left all his relatives and friends behind in Japan to try to provide a better life for his children in America. He succeeded in that and can Rest in Peace. He gave his descendants the American Dream. Four of his children were college graduates as were/are most of his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and gg grandchildren.
Tameki and Kiku were Buddhist.
TAMEKI YONEMURA was born in 1876 in Japan. His parents were Rinsaku Yonemura and Echi Nakamura. His father died when he was very young and he was then adopted by his Uncle Denzo Yonemura. Nothing more is proven about his parents or any siblings he may have had. By 1899 he was married to Kiku Imamura. The 1st of their 8 children, daughter Sumiye, was born in Japan in 1900.
In 1902 Tameki and Kiku immigrated to Honolulu, Hawaii, leaving Sumiye behind with relatives. They worked in the pineapple fields for 3 years, and son Mino was born there in 1904. In 1905 they came to Riverside, CA where Kiku owned a neighborhood candy shop and Tameki rode his bicycle to gardening jobs.
Their next 3 children were daughters Yoshiko in 1907, Hisako in 1910, and Masako in 1913. In 1915, Kiku made her only trip back to Japan, when she took her 3 young girls there to be cared for by Tameki's relatives. Kiku returned to Riverside with her oldest daughter, Sumiye, then age 15. Their last 3 children were: - Masa in 1916, Aiko in 1920, and Masaru in 1923. Also in 1923, Tameki made his only visit back to Japan, when he went to escort home his 3 daughters who had been there for 8 years. Youngest son Masaru died in 1925. For the next 17 years the family grew up - children went to college, daughters married, and 12 grandchildren were born.
Shortly after the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tameki was caught up in the FBI's massive arrest of 4,500 ethnic Japanese men. He was sent, in secret, to the Prisoner of War Camp the government had established at Santa Fe, New Mexico. His daughter Hisako's husband, Frank Ishikawa, was also sent there. Meanwhile his son Masa, a Law student at UC Berkeley, was recruited by the Army's Military Intelligence Unit as a Linguist; and Kiku and all the other family members were evacuated to Internment Camps. Tameki was released from the POW Camp after a few months and then sent to the Colorado River Internment Camp at Poston, Arizona, where Kiku and 2 of his daughters were being held. In April 1945, Tameki's son-in-law, Victor Hada (husband of daughter Aiko), who was fighting the Germans in Italy with the 442nd Army Regiment, was killed. Victor was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal for bravery in action. Even though Tameki and his family had shown complete loyalty to the United States, he and Kiku were not released from the Internment Camp until after the end of the War.
Tameki and Kiku returned to Riverside, CA and lived out the rest of their lives on the family farm in Arlington with daughter Yoshi and her family. They had 19 grandchildren. Tameki died at the age of 84, sixty years after he had left Japan. Tameki never became fluent in English nor learned to read English.
Tameki left all his relatives and friends behind in Japan to try to provide a better life for his children in America. He succeeded in that and can Rest in Peace. He gave his descendants the American Dream. Four of his children were college graduates as were/are most of his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and gg grandchildren.
Tameki and Kiku were Buddhist.
In 1902 Tameki and Kiku immigrated to Honolulu, Hawaii, leaving Sumiye behind with relatives. They worked in the pineapple fields for 3 years, and son Mino was born there in 1904. In 1905 they came to Riverside, CA where Kiku owned a neighborhood candy shop and Tameki rode his bicycle to gardening jobs.
Their next 3 children were daughters Yoshiko in 1907, Hisako in 1910, and Masako in 1913. In 1915, Kiku made her only trip back to Japan, when she took her 3 young girls there to be cared for by Tameki's relatives. Kiku returned to Riverside with her oldest daughter, Sumiye, then age 15. Their last 3 children were: - Masa in 1916, Aiko in 1920, and Masaru in 1923. Also in 1923, Tameki made his only visit back to Japan, when he went to escort home his 3 daughters who had been there for 8 years. Youngest son Masaru died in 1925. For the next 17 years the family grew up - children went to college, daughters married, and 12 grandchildren were born.
Shortly after the Dec. 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tameki was caught up in the FBI's massive arrest of 4,500 ethnic Japanese men. He was sent, in secret, to the Prisoner of War Camp the government had established at Santa Fe, New Mexico. His daughter Hisako's husband, Frank Ishikawa, was also sent there. Meanwhile his son Masa, a Law student at UC Berkeley, was recruited by the Army's Military Intelligence Unit as a Linguist; and Kiku and all the other family members were evacuated to Internment Camps. Tameki was released from the POW Camp after a few months and then sent to the Colorado River Internment Camp at Poston, Arizona, where Kiku and 2 of his daughters were being held. In April 1945, Tameki's son-in-law, Victor Hada (husband of daughter Aiko), who was fighting the Germans in Italy with the 442nd Army Regiment, was killed. Victor was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal for bravery in action. Even though Tameki and his family had shown complete loyalty to the United States, he and Kiku were not released from the Internment Camp until after the end of the War.
Tameki and Kiku returned to Riverside, CA and lived out the rest of their lives on the family farm in Arlington with daughter Yoshi and her family. They had 19 grandchildren. Tameki died at the age of 84, sixty years after he had left Japan. Tameki never became fluent in English nor learned to read English.
Tameki left all his relatives and friends behind in Japan to try to provide a better life for his children in America. He succeeded in that and can Rest in Peace. He gave his descendants the American Dream. Four of his children were college graduates as were/are most of his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and gg grandchildren.
Tameki and Kiku were Buddhist.
Inscription
Father
Tameki Yonemura
1876 - 1962
