Japanese Settlers of Webster

Japanese Settlers of Webster. . After two snowstorms in the 1890s destroyed crops along Galveston Bay, the local farming community struggled to rebuild. Around the same time, Japanese investors, looking for land to grow rice, began taking an interest in the area. In 1903, Houston area commercial interests invited Seito Saibara, a prominent Japanese entrepreneur, to Harris County. He purchased land in Webster and, along with 30 Japanese settlers, created a successful rice farm. Other farming communities opened around the state. The Japanese families became an important part of the Webster community, especially within Webster Presbyterian Church. Many of the families are buried in Fairview Cemetery, including several members of the Ando, Iio, Imai, Masuda, Masumoto, Nagai, Onishi and Saibara families., Despite their importance in the community, many of the original Japanese settlers never became American citizens due to restrictive citizenship laws. After Pearl Harbor, the Houston area experienced the largest roundup of Japanese Texans in the state. Japanese families in Webster experienced house searches by the FBI, had their bank accounts frozen and could not assemble in groups larger than five. However, several people in Webster supported the local Japanese families. Strong friendships between the Japanese and the Quakers persisted; a Japanese American student was chosen to raise the flag at a Webster High School ceremony honoring America; and when a few Japanese men were sent to an internment camp, non-Japanese neighbors used petitions and testimonies to get many released. Additionally, Seito Saibara's son, Kiyoaki, recorded messages for the American government to use in Japan. No Japanese Texans were ever found guilty of engaging in espionage. The loyalty, culture and contributions of the Japanese population have played an important role in Webster's history.