The Final Chapter
By JOYCETSE
RAFU STAFF WRITER
Saturday, March 10, 2007

One JA family puts to rest questions about whether belongings buried before internment survived all these years.

This is part two of a two-part story. Part one of this story on Saturday intro­duced the Tanaka family and their history in the Guadalupe, Calif., area before they were forcibly moved to an internment camp in Arizona. Before leaving their home, the Tanaka children buried items they knew they couldn’t take with them. Sixty-five years later, they’ve returned to the site of their old home, with few expectations.
>> Read Part One.

Photos by Mario G. Reyes/Rafu Shimpo
Three generations of the Tanaka family returned to Ferini Ranch in Guadalupe, Calif., to take part in the dig.

They met Stephanie Krouse, 37, granddaughter of Nadine Ferini, 92, and her late husband, Dario Ferini. Stepha­nie, who now lives in the old Ferini house with her husband, Marc Tosches and son, Ian, 4, said the sisters told her their story and agreed to speak with their relatives about the buried belongings.

Meanwhile, Krouse contacted her family to tell them of the sisters’ re­quest to search for their old keepsakes. The request was greeted by enthusiasm from all six of the Ferini Ranch own­ers: cousins Milo Ferini, Patrick Ferini, Jeanette Lenger, Anne Johnson, Alberta Lefler and Darlene Krouse (Stephanie’s mother).

“It’s been exciting for our fam­ily because this is so historical,” said Stephanie.

The Ferini home was built in 1925 by Dario Ferini’s parents, who lived there un­til his father’s death in 1939. In 1940, Na­dine and Dario moved into the home and lived there with their daughters Darlene (Stephanie’s mother) and Alberta. Krouse moved in around 1998, having already spent much time there during childhood visits to see her grandmother.

Following their initial return to Ferini Ranch, Sadami and Harumi also went to the site of their old schoolhouse, which is now the location of the City’s Build­ing Department. Guadalupe Fire Depart­ment Chief Carmon Johnson happened to be there when the sisters arrived. After a long discussion about the Tanaka family’s history in Guadalupe and their internment experiences, Johnson said he offered to help.

“I didn’t see them for a couple months after that, so assumed they were done with this. Then, they came back yesterday and asked me if still wanted to help,” said Johnson, as some of his firefighters continued digging areas the Ferinis had carefully planted, but generously allowed torn up. “I love history and it’s just some­thing for us to help with. Fire departments are good for holding onto traditions, and Guadalupe has a beautiful history for all the people living here.

“Alot of the reason we are out here is (the internment of Japanese Americans) was a tragic time in our history,” added Johnson. “We haven’t forgotten, nor should we.”

It wasn’t long before small things be­gan cropping up from the tilled dirt. Mud-caked metal, porcelain and glass pieces of all sizes were found. A marble, glass bottles and cups also appeared; each item carefully washed and laid-out on a towel on the ground.

The porcelain pieces looked like remnants of old china plates, pos­sibly the Tanaka’s, and sparked much interest among those present.

In the end, little else was found, however. But most people weren’t disappointed, and many of the items were divid­ed among family members to keep as mementos.

“This closes this chapter of our lives,” said Sadami. “Just the idea of it was exciting.”

To Melanie Merry, whose father was Hideto, just having the experience of be­ing out there with family was special.

“We’re so thankful the Ferinis were so kind to us to make this possible,” Merry said.

“The joy for me was just seeing my aunts being interviewed, talking to peo­ple and seeing the smile on their faces,” she said. “It’s not that they were really expecting anything. It was just a great way for all of us to acknowledge what they went through, and seeing them talk about what they experienced while be­ing at ease just made it worth it.”