Finding Your Nikkei Roots

Newspapers allow us to see into the historical period in which our ancestors lived. Newspapers help us to understand the general information about a time and place, and they are chock-full of treasures pertaining to the lives of our ancestors. Often, we are able to glean specific details which cannot be found anyplace else: a baby who died; a winter storm on the day an ancestor arrived on Angel Island; the loss of a business after the 1906 earthquake; stories about family and friends; social events, weddings, and funerals; and the day-to-day lives and activities of our family members. FI

The new year celebrations are an opportunity to ensure that your traditions are passed down to your future descendants. Start by creating a journal or calendar of family events, keeping them organized chronologically. Do you celebrate Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year)? If so, how do you do that?

DNA is all the rage. Television commercials promise us that we can determine our precise ancestral origins. But it’s not quite that simple. People take DNA tests for a variety reasons. Some are looking for ethnicity estimates. Some are looking for health reports. Adoptees might be looking for biological family members. In terms of genealogy, or family history, DNA is very good at helping a researcher to prove a hypothesis, confirm or disprove an existing family tree, identify living relatives, and estimate general ethnic origins. Overall, DNA is a tool to add to your family history research.

Writing down your memories helps bring your family history to life. But your family history journey also requires some research. If you are looking to document the homes and addresses of your family members, the U. S. federal census is a good place to begin.

When visiting your deceased family members, there are a few things to remember. In Japan, there are customs for washing the stones, burning incense, and offering food to the ancestors. Even if your ancestors’ remains are in the U.S., there are some tips to remember.

For Nikkei, finding those immigrant ancestors on passenger records is a good way to begin reconnecting with the past. Do you know when your Issei ancestors arrived in the U.S.? Did they come first to Hawai‘i? Or did they arrive in another port, such as Vancouver, Canada; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Los Angeles; or San Diego? Did your ancestors first immigrate to Latin America or Canada, and then travel to the U.S.?

February is a time for contemplation in the Nikkei community as we reflect upon the signing of EO9066. This was the order that paved the way for tens of thousands of Nikkei to be unjustly incarcerated, for our loved ones to be detained, for our family members to lose their homes and possessions, and for their lives to be forever changed.
One way to honor the legacy of these individuals is to order their camp files from the National Archives. …

Are you curious about digging into your own family history? Have you taken a DNA test and wondered, “now what?” Perhaps you’ve seen one of the popular television shows, such as “Finding Your Roots” or “Who Do You Think You Are?” Or maybe you want to go get your records in Japan. Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in America.