The family tree

We had explained that more and more of the newer generations will likely not be able to understand very much Korean, and this project is a way of passing down their legacy. The interview started with Grandpa wanting to emphasize the importance of learning Korean, that this interview was not an excuse for us to not learn Korean. With the new marriages to come, he wanted everyone to understand that we have a responsibility to learn Korean as well as those getting married to learn the language of their in-laws.

With that preface out of the way, Grandma eagerly asked us to get on with our questions. So, my first question was: what are your Korean names and what do they mean?

Grandpa: Bongho Park (박봉호) - Grandpa's last name is Park of the Miryang (밀양) clan. His first name is divided into two characters that come from Chinese characters. Bong 鳳 which is a type of bird like a phoenix and Ho 浩 which means wide or covering a large expanse.

Grandma: Ilsoon Lee (이일순) - FUN FACT: Grandma's real name is actually Soonil Lee (이순일) and was changed around when she came to the United States. When we asked her why that happened, she said it was because our uncles didn't know much English and when the paperwork was filled out that way, it was changed. Her first name is also divided into two characters. Il 一 which means first or one and Soon 順 which means gentle or good-natured.

I then asked, what are the names of your parents?

The familial line is carried on by the father of the household. The wives did not usually take on the husband's last name, but the children did. I will list the husband first, then the wife.

Grandpa's parents' names were: Jongsik Park (박종식) and Moonchul Lee (이문철).
We better know great grandma Moonchul as our great grandmother who lived until age 104 (correct me if I'm wrong). Grandpa wanted us to emphasize that she is the true first generation of our family that immigrated to the United States. Her brother's name was Moonsam Lee (이문삼). Grandpa is unable to remember his maternal grandparents' names.
Now, his paternal grandparents' names were Euijeong Park (박의정) and Seunghyun Noh (노승현). Grandpa's father Jongsik Park had a second wife and family that he lived with. So, most of Grandpa's upbringing was with his mother and his paternal grandparents.

Grandma's parents names were: Imha Lee (이임하) and Hwaksil Kim (김확실). She doesn't remember any other names of her grandparents. Her father was adopted into his uncle's family because they couldn't have any children. That is the extent to which we know at this time and hopefully we can go into more detail later.