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Finding Aid for the Toyota family papers, ca. 1910-1961
2010  
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Description
Fred Shizutaro Toyota (1885-1959) worked as a labor contractor heading the Japanese labor camp for the Nevada Consolidated Copper Corporation from 1912 to 1941. He arrived in the United States from Hiroshima Prefecture in 1905. In 1916 he married Kame Tetsumura, another Hiroshima native who came to join her husband in the United States the following year. Together they had five children. Kame and her children worked tirelessly to prove Fred's innocence and seek justice during his internment from 1941 to 1944 on false charges. The collection consists of personal and financial document of the family, numerous correspondence including letters of appeal, as well as records relating to the labor camp Fred headed. Materials are in both English and Japanese.
Background
Fred Shizutaro Toyota was born March 18, 1885 and a native of Hiroshima Prefecture. He arrived in the Untied States in 1905. After working as an interpreter and foreman for various railroad companies, he was put in charge of a Japanese labor camp of about 250 men for the Nevada Consolidated Copper Corporation at Ruth and McGill, Nevada in 1912. He remained in this position until 1941, when he was arrested and interned on the suspicion of loyalty to an enemy nation, stemming from the fact that he had been sending money back to Japan on behalf of some of his workers. In the span of December 1941 to Janauary 1944, he was interned at Fort Missoula, Montana; Fort Sill, Oklahoma: Fort Livingston, Louisiana; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He died on May 22, 1959 from a lingering illness.
Extent
2 boxes (1 linear ft.)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.