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One of Sant Ram's children
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He joined the farming partnership of Bally Ram and
Hako Singh in the early 1920's and lived in Calipatria. In 1924, Sant
Ram married Ricarda Martinez of Michoacan, Mexico, whose husband
had been killed in the Mexican Revolution. Although Sant Ram did
not eat beef, he didn't impose that restriction on his wife or, later,
his children. She baptized their sons, naming them Ramon, Manuel,
and Jwala. During those years, unknown to Raymond (Ramon), his father
had bought some land in his name. Imagine his surprise when later
in life he began to get billed for overdue property taxes!
Ricarda passed away in 1931. Sant Ram remarried and
survived his second wife as well. From 1932-1934 Sant Ram worked
on the construction of the Imperial Dam on the Colorado River. The
following year, he moved his family to Fresno, where he ran a cafe until
his sons started their own businesses. He then retired, and went to
India for a visit in 1960. When he saw his sister there was surprise
on both sides — each had believed the other was dead. He died in
Fresno in August 1978.
Sant Ram and sons |
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Raymond and family
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