The easiest way to tell our family history is to write this book from my perspective. Especially from the Kon/Maeda side. The Millin family history will be much more difficult since there is limited information available.
My mom, Hatsuko (Mimi) was born on March 6, 1933 in the mountaineous island of Hokkaido, Japan. Her birth was not registered by her family until December 5, 1933. No one really knows why. In accordance with tradition the registered date is the celebrated annual date of birth.
If we go back further in history, In the early 1900 Hatsuko’s mom, insert first name, Maeda had seven brothers and she was the only girl. Mimi has some memories of her uncles on her Mom’s side she talks about a couple of them. One was an artist and a creative type person and of course, Hadeo which is her uncle and became her brother-in-law later in life which is an entire chapter of information. Mimi’s dad, Hatchi Kon grew up and was also from the same region of Hakkaido as Insert name, they met there and eventually were married when my grandma was young. Like 17 or 18 years of age.
Her father, Hatchi, had four brothers and two sisters. One brother was killed during the war since he volunteered to be a kamikaze pilot and at nineteen went to war and did not return. Hatchi’s two sister were sold to a geisha house in southern japan after the war by Hatchi’s mom. Mimi has vivid memories of each of these women and even visited one of them in Tokyo in the early 1970’s on a return trip to Japan. Mimi remembers the beautiful kimonos and their makeup and hair mainly, but she does recall that they play instruments as well. She says that the money her grandmother received for the sale was wasted away in alcohol since her paternal grandmother was an alcoholic. We are not sure what happened to the other 2 brothers at this time.
On the Millin side of family like I stated earlier, there is limited information. My Dad’s name is David Leonard Samuel Angus Millin. He was full blood Scottish. His father’s name was Samuel Millin and he disappears from the family history after David’s mom was killed in a automobile accident in and around 1936. David’s mom’s name was Margaret Mathaney. In the early 1990’s I found a death certificate for Margaret in Culhogua Falls, Ohio. Most of my Dad’s family was immigrated to this area of Ohio. David had a younger brother named Samuel but it is my understanding that during the 60’s, 70’s he was in and out of prison and he lost touch with any of the Millin family. David did not have a relationship with him that I am aware of. After his dad disappeared and his mom died, David went to live with their grandmother. But for history sake we don’t really know if she was really his grandmother or a friend of the family. I vaguely remember her and we called her Grandma Genshimer. Sam went to live with an aunt. Their last names were “Hook” and again, I vaguely remember Aunt Hook. It was my understanding that she was Samuel Millin’s sister, but this is not substantiated either. David Millin joined the Army when he was 17. I will leave those adventures for another chapter.
