I recently realized that I had a printed copy of an interview my mother did with my great grandmother Antonia Montosa Juanes. She is a Hawaiian Spaniard, born to Spanish parents in Makaweli, Hawaii. I always knew she was a Spaniard, but it has recently come to my attention that Hawaiian Spaniards are part of... Continue Reading →
From as early as I can remember, I was taught to be proud of my Spanish heritage. My siblings and I all have Spanish middle names. “You are a quarter Spanish,” my mother would always say. My dad would teach me words and phrases, and Spanish colors and numbers were a regular part of my... Continue Reading →
My great uncle James Kelton January died in the Pacific theater of World War II. I discovered this by accident while doing family history work, which I love. Modern technology has made it easy (and addicting) to find and trace your relatives. While my family history work has slowed down because of my academic research... Continue Reading →
I have ancestors—my great grandmother, Alabama Gray (she preferred to be called Bonnie), in fact—who traveled from Oklahoma to California between 1910 and 1920, just before the dust bowl and depression were pushing people from the mid-west to the west in search of work. I have known this for some time now, and recently, in... Continue Reading →
My middle name is Antonia. It comes from my great grandmother, Antonia Montosa Juanes, who was born in Hawaii to immigrants from Spain. She married Felix Juanes, from Spain, and had eight children, one of whom is my grandmother, Eulalia. From these fantastic people, I got my beautiful middle name and I also got to... Continue Reading →
My college roommates once came home to find me weeping during an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I don’t remember the specifics of the show, but I do remember my embarrassment. They laughed at me, but I maintain that the series is one heartwarming and charming enough to cry over. There are many... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 