Person Page

     Amy Adell Weston was born on 16 August 1899 in Deerfield Twp., Isabella Co., Michigan.^3,1 She married George Arthur Drake, son of Aden Willard Drake and Cora Viola Burlingham, on 14 April 1917 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.^1,2 They were divorced on 4 May 1951 in Ingham Co., Michigan.⁴ She died on 11 October 1997 at age 98.³
     She and her husband Arthur lived in Ingham Co., Michigan.^5,6,7 In June 1917, when George registered for the World War I draft, they were in Lansing⁵, and in the censuses they are listed in Delhi Twp. in 1930, and back in Lansing in 1940.^6,7

     Ruth Adell Drake was born on 24 November 1918 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.^4,2 She married Andrew Eugene Courser, son of Walter D. Courser and Nora M. Drew, on 24 December 1935 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.² She died on 6 November 2010 at age 91.^4,5 She was buried on 8 November 2010 at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in DeWitt, Clinton Co., Michigan.^6,5
     She and her husband Andrew are listed in Delhi Twp., Ingham Co., Michigan, in the 1940 census.⁷ She later worked at Colt Elementary School in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.⁵

     Lorraine May Drake was born on 18 June 1921 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.² She married first Paul Edgar Stokes on 24 May 1941 at Haslett Baptist Church in Haslett, Ingham Co., Michigan.^4,5 Lorraine filed for divorce on 25 October 1945 in Ingham Co., Michigan,⁶ and their divorce was finalized on 28 December 1945.⁶ She married second Francis Joseph Romano on 12 January 1946 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.⁷ She died on 20 August 1994 in El Dorado Co., California, at age 73.⁸
     Her second husband Francis was in the Air Force, stationed in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, England, in the early 1950s. She and their daughters spent three years living there with him. They left New York on the SS Washington on 17 May 1952, and arrived at Southampton, England, on 24 May. In the passenger list T. Sgt. Francis J. Romano is listed as their NOK (next of kin) and sponsor. They returned to the U.S. in 1955, sailing from Southampton on the USNS Geiger on 12 January, and arriving in New York on 20 January.^9,10,11,12
     They were living in Newport News, Virginia, about 1955¹³, in Sacramento, Sacramento Co., California, about 1960¹⁴, and in Roseville, Placer Co., California, from at least 1962 to 1965.¹⁵

     Andrew Eugene Courser was born on 4 March 1915 in Defiance, Defiance Co., Ohio.² He married Ruth Adell Drake, daughter of George Arthur Drake and Amy Adell Weston, on 24 December 1935 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.¹ He died on 21 June 1996 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan, at age 81.^2,4 He was buried at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in DeWitt, Clinton Co., Michigan.⁵
     He and his wife Ruth are listed in Delhi Twp., Ingham Co., Michigan, in the 1940 census.⁶
     He was a Seabee in the U.S. Navy during World War II, enlisting on 28 December 1944, and was stationed in the Aleutian Islands. He was discharged on 27 January 1946.^7,8
     He worked at Fisher Body Corporation both before and after the war, for 43 years, retiring on 1 January 1978.⁸

     Paul Edgar Stokes was born on 12 April 1921 in Pittsford, Hillsdale Co., Michigan.^2,1 He married first Lorraine May Drake, daughter of George Arthur Drake and Amy Adell Weston, on 24 May 1941 at Haslett Baptist Church in Haslett, Ingham Co., Michigan.^1,3 Lorraine filed for divorce on 25 October 1945 in Ingham Co., Michigan,⁴ and their divorce was finalized on 28 December 1945.⁴ He died on 16 July 1987 in Cheboygan, Cheboygan Co., Michigan, at age 66.² He was buried at McRae Cemetery (Plot I-A-11) in Mackinac Co., Michigan.⁵
     He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, enlisting on 21 May 1943, and was discharged on 29 November 1945.⁶

     Francis Joseph Romano was born (as Francesco Romano) on 28 March 1919 in Brooklyn, New York.^2,3,1 He married Lorraine May Drake, daughter of George Arthur Drake and Amy Adell Weston, on 12 January 1946 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.¹ He died on 1 March 2006 at age 86.³
     He was a career serviceman in the U.S. Air Force, starting at about age 18, and flew as a flight engineer on B-29 bombers during World War II.⁴ He was stationed in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, England, in the early 1950s, and his wife Lorraine and their daughters lived there with him from May 1952 to January 1955.^5,6,7,8 They were living in Newport News, Virginia, about 1955⁹, in Sacramento, Sacramento Co., California, about 1960¹⁰, and in Roseville, Placer Co., California, from at least 1962 to 1965.¹¹

     Mary E. Saylor was born about 1892 in Allen Co., Indiana.² She married first Ross A. Glover on 13 October 1910 in St. Johns, Clinton Co., Michigan.² She married second George Arthur Drake, son of Aden Willard Drake and Cora Viola Burlingham.^1,3 She died on 16 March 1961 in Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.^1,3 She was buried on 19 March 1961 at Eureka Cemetery in Eureka, Clinton Co., Michigan.^1,4

     John Bryce Mobley was born on 1 October 1879 in Givin, Mahaska Co., Iowa.¹ He was married by H. R. Hawley to Lelia May Burlingham, daughter of Charity Mabel Burlingham, on 6 March 1899 in Trowbridge Twp., Allegan Co., Michigan.² He died on 23 March 1962 in East Palo Alto, San Mateo Co., California, at age 82 of cancer.^3,4,5 He was buried on 26 March 1962 at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., California.⁴
     He and his future wife Lelia May Burlingham met as schoolmates in Michigan, in a class taught by John's brother Fred.⁶ After their marriage, they lived for a time in Spring Creek Twp., Mahaska Co., Iowa, and are listed there in the 1900 census, with John's occupation given as ice hauler.⁷ In 1902 they moved to Emmett, Canyon Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho, where they stayed with Lelia's uncle Justin Burlingham.⁸ They started a homestead in Gross, Boise Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho, where they grew wheat and corn, had their own grist mill, and planted fruit trees.⁸
     On 2 September 1909 their land was hit by a flash flood when Squaw Creek, which ran past their homestead, broke through upstream dams of trees and debris created by the recent heavy rains. The flood waters swept away their four-year-old son Chester, and caused extensive damage to their property and the loss of much of the fruit and vegetables they had stockpiled for the coming winter. The event was devastating to Lelia, and doctors told her husband John he should "get her out of the hills" to preserve her sanity.^8,9
     They did not move, however, at least not immediately, and are listed there in Upper Squaw Creek Prec. in the 1910 census, enumerated on 11 May.¹⁰ But that same summer, as noted by their granddaughter Eva Wingert, quoting her mother Ruth (Mobley) Smith, "The fruit trees and garden were up and doing good when we came home one day to find the cattlemen had cut our fences and herded their cattle all over the garden until it was a pile of dust."⁸
     They then moved to "the Bowman place" in Gross, where John worked half shares raising pigs and growing grain, but was never paid his share.⁸ He had also been working for a wheat farmer near Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho, and the family moved there about 1917 (when their son Herschel was "about 5"). He also found work there in the brickyards.^11,8 While in Weiser their daughters Ruby and Mourna became critically ill with typhoid fever. They were kept secluded in the house to prevent spreading the disease, and eventually recovered.¹²
     In the early summer of 1918 (when Herschel was "almost 6") they moved to Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon, where they lived a few months in a second-floor apartment above a slaughterhouse/butcher shop. John worked two jobs in the shipyards, and their daughters Bessie and Ruth worked in a box factory.^13,8 They were living there when John registered for the World War I draft in September 1918. He was then working as a planer at St. John's Saw Mill Co. in Portland.¹⁴
     Very soon after that they moved to the "Baldwin Ranch," an 80-acre farm John purchased near Brush Prairie, Clark Co., Washington, just across the Columbia River from Portland. They moved in a covered wagon, and are listed there in the 1920 census. In addition to running the farm, John worked at the Hidden Brick Co. in nearby Vancouver, Washington, and continued to work in the shipyards.^15,8,16
     On the evening of 18 September 1920 he was involved in a serious accident. As recorded in Eva Wingert's notes, again quoting her mother Ruth (Mobley) Smith, "Pop was riding my brother Ray's [Bryce Raymond Mobley] motorcycle home from work one night after dark when passing a car, he collided head on with a car driving with very dim lights. The lights on the motorcycle had gone out and he was following another car in front. At Orchards, when he went to pass, he couldn't see the dim lights. The boy had just returned from World War I, and thinking he had killed Pop, went home and shot himself. The collision shattered Pop's body and legs, he was laid up for two years." A newspaper article indicates the accident occurred not long after 8:00 PM, and that the car's lights had also gone out. The driver, 28-year-old Jacob Molencamp, had been in poor health since returning home from the war, and had undergone two operations. He shot himself with a 12-gauge shotgun, about a mile from his home in Hockinson, Washington.^8,17,18
     After several weeks in the hospital, a neighbor, Dell Smith (his daughter Ruth's future husband) brought John home to Brush Prairie, "through the deep spring mud" using a team and sled.¹⁸ After being laid up and unable to provide for his family for a few months, the stress caused a mental breakdown, and John was hospitalized at Steilacoom. During this period Lelia worked at times as a nurse's aide.^8,19
     After his release from the hospital in the fall of 1921, John's brother Fred and his wife Florence took him and Lelia, and their younger children, to San Bernardino, San Bernardino Co., California, where they owned a dairy farm. It was a five-day trip by car, towing a trailer, with four adults and six (or seven) children, plus a collie and John's pet rooster.^20,21
     Soon after arriving in San Bernardino the family split up for a time, probably because John's brother Fred couldn't afford to support all of John and Lelia's family in addition to his own. John and Lelia (and possibly their baby daughter Mildred, although she isn't mentioned) moved in with another of John's brothers, Mourna and Ruby lived with a neighbor, and Bob, Elden, and Herschel remained on the dairy farm. Herschel and Gertrude were later sent to live with John's sister May on a dairy farm near Dayton, Lyon Co., Nevada.^22,23,24
     Within a couple years the family was reunited in Oregon, where they made money by helping harvest farm crops. From about 1923 to 1925 they lived on a 40-acre farm near Scappoose, Columbia Co., Oregon, about 20 miles north of Portland, and later moved to another house closer to Scappoose.^25,26 They next moved to a ranch in Cedar Mills, near Beaverton, Washington Co., Oregon, where John worked as foreman for a Mr. Daniels, a "gentleman farmer" with about 100 acres. The cows there soon became infected with bovine tuberculosis and had to be destroyed, forcing Daniels to sell the ranch.^27,28 They then stayed in Gresham, Multnomah Co., Oregon, for a time, where they lived in tents while working on farms in the area.²⁹
     In the fall of 1927 they moved to a rented house about four miles from Alsea, Benton Co., Oregon. John soon left for Corvallis, presumably to find work, while Lelia and their youngest son Owen went to Bandon, Coos Co., Oregon. Their children Herschel, Elden, Robert, and Mildred were left in the care of their older sister Gertrude and her husband John Smith. Around this time John and Lelia rented a large boarding house in Corvallis and tried renting rooms to local college students, but were unsuccessful.²⁹
     The family then (about 1928) moved to Linn Co., Oregon, about four miles from Corvallis, where they rented a small farm from a widow named Millie Smith who John worked for, and built a house. They remained there for five years, and their son Herschel later wrote that this was "a record of sorts for our family."^29,30 They are listed there in the 1930 census, in Orleans Prec., with their children Raymond, Mourna, Herschel, Elden, Robert, Annabelle, and Owen.³¹
     About 1934, after the death of their daughter Mourna's husband William, John and Lelia, together with Mourna, bought a 165-acre farm about four miles east of Gates, Marion Co., Oregon, that had been repossessed by the government, for $2000, using part of William's death benefit for the $125 down payment. They referred to their farm as "The Ranch." Moving there, besides themselves and Mourna and her two children, were their children Robert, Elden, Annabelle, Owen, and at times Herschel, along with Lelia's mother Charity (Burlingham) Evans.³²
     He and Lelia are listed in Rock Creek, Linn Co., Oregon, in the 1940 census.³³ They moved to East Palo Alto, San Mateo Co., California, about October 1960.⁴
     In 1997 their son Herschel published a book, Herschel's Adventures - Growing Up in Hard Times, describing what life was like in a family of twelve children during the Great Depression. During Herschel's childhood his older sisters, especially Bessie, often acted as surrogate mothers since Lelia was "constantly pregnant," and his father John often worked two jobs to support his family. "Surely there were no two more honest and hard working people than my parents," he wrote. Because he was away from home so often, his father was "mostly a stranger to his younger children," and his "physical contribution consisted primarily of playing the accordion and whistling." But, "the music of the accordion and the firelight from the open door of the woodstove combined to create an atmosphere of close security."^34,35

     Bessie Lorena Mobley was born on 11 April 1900 in Oskalooska, Mahaska Co., Iowa.¹ She was married by E. J. Harper, Pastor, to Harvey Roy Steeprow on 17 November 1928 in Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon.^2,3,4,5,6 She died on 7 July 1961 at the Reid Nursing Home in Albany, Linn Co., Oregon, at age 61 from congestive heart failure.⁴ She was buried on 11 July 1961 at Crystal Lake Cemetery in Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon.⁴
     She and her husband Harvey are listed in West Philomath Prec., Benton Co., Oregon, in the 1930 census⁷, and in Alsea Prec., Benton Co., Oregon, in the 1940 census.⁸

     Ruth May Mobley was born on 15 September 1901 in Givin, Mahaska Co., Iowa.¹ She married Delbert Asher Smith, son of Samuel S. Smith and Clara Jane Messinger, on 9 February 1924 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.^2,3 She died on 23 December 1986 in Renton, King Co., Washington, at age 85.⁴ She was buried at Park Hill Cemetery in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.⁵
     She and her husband Delbert lived in Lackamas, Clark Co., Washington, from at least 1930 to 1940.^6,7 She was living in East Palo Alto, San Mateo Co., California, in 1962.⁸
     She was a licensed practical nurse at Vancouver Memorial Hospital in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.⁹

     Bryce Raymond Mobley was born on 1 September 1903 in Emmett, Canyon Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho.¹ He married first Grace Neil about 1923.^2,3,4,5 He married second Edna Josephine Mathews, daughter of William Thomas Mathews and Mary Magdalene Miller, on 1 June 1932 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.^6,7 They were later divorced.⁸ He probably married third Deneze L. (?) about 1942.⁹ Deneze requested an annulment in October 1942, and they were divorced about December 1942 in King Co., Washington.^10,11 He married, probably fourth, Laura June Penry, daughter of Elmer A. Penry and Hazel Pearl Everett, on 16 March 1949 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.^12,13 Laura filed for divorce on 20 August 1955 in Gooding Co., Idaho. The divorce was contested, but apparently later granted, with no alimony awarded.¹⁴ He married, probably fifth, Juanita D. Holt, daughter of Alfred Holt and Almeda Gleeson, on 24 September 1955 in Ada Co., Idaho.^15,16 They were later divorced, possibly within a year after their marriage, based on the dates of Juanita's name changes listed in her Social Security record.¹⁶ He died from cancer on 5 July 1962 (a newspaper death notice says 4 July 1962) in Seattle, King Co., Washington, at age 58.^2,17,18 He was buried at Cloverdale Memorial Park in Boise, Ada Co., Idaho.²
     He often went by his middle name Raymond.¹⁹
     He lived in several different places in the northwest during his lifetime. In 1923 he was living in Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon, probably with his parents.²⁰ He is listed twice in the 1930 census, once with his parents in Linn Co., Oregon,²¹, and also living in a hotel in Mount Angel, Marion Co., Oregon.²² At the time of his second marriage, in June 1932, he was living in Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon.⁶ He and his second wife Edna were living in Ellensburg, Kittitas Co., Washington, in 1935²³ and in Spokane, Spokane Co., Washington, in 1940, along with Edna's children Walter and Margaret from her first marriage.²⁴ He was living back in Portland at the time of his fourth marriage in March 1949²⁵, and in Boise, Ada Co., Idaho, at the time of his fifth marriage in September 1955.¹⁵ He was in Bellevue, King Co., Washington, at the time of his father's death in March 1962.²⁶
     In the 1930 census he was listed as a farmer in one entry (with his parents in Linn Co.), and as a mechanic for the state flax industry in the other entry.^21,22 He was still listed as a mechanic in the 1940 census and in his 1949 marriage license application^23,25, but as a salesman in his 1955 divorce record.¹⁴
     From newspaper reports, he was frequently in trouble with the law and spent time in prison on several occasions. In December 1921, after spending several weeks in jail in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington, for passing bad checks, he was returned to Idaho where he was wanted for violating parole by leaving the state after serving time for forgery.²⁷
     On 7 July 1923 he was arrested in Portland for robberies in Vancouver at the Battle Ground Lake resort, and two robberies at the office of the Hidden Brothers Brick Company. He stated that he needed the money to help in his pursuit of a young woman.²⁰ He was extradited to Vancouver, where he was charged with parole violation (for leaving the state after being released from the Idaho State Industrial School three month earlier), forgery, larceny, and burglary. He confessed to the robberies of the Hidden Brothers office, and of the Blue Moon Inn at Battle Ground Lake, where he took $64 in cash and jewelry. He also confessed to forging two $10 checks and stealing auto accessories in Portland, attempting to pass a $75 forged check, stealing $60 in gas tickets, and intending to rob a tire shop in Vancouver and a shoe shop in Portland.^28,29 He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced the next day to 1-15 years at the State Reformatory in Monroe, Snohomish Co., Washington. When asked by the judge why he had committed the crimes, he replied "I was earning only a little more than $4 a day and I couldn't get along on that."^30,31
     He was again arrested for forgery about September 1925, and told the police that he had hidden some stolen auto accessories in the woods, and that he could take them to the location. They agreed, and while leading them along a trail near Burlington he "laughed as he jumped ... into the underbrush and disappeared, leaving two bewildered Portland policemen to mourn his loss." But two months later, on 23 November 1925, the same two policemen found him at a logging camp near Deer Island and he was re-arrested.³²
     On 27 August 1926 he was arrested at his parents' home in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland for assault and battery, and possession of a deadly weapon. The victim, H. W. Reeder, was owner of the fishing boat America, and Bryce's former employer. Three weeks earlier, on 6 August while the boat was tied up at Sauvie Island along the Columbia River, Bryce robbed him at gunpoint, taking $100, a gold watch and chain, and a revolver. After tying Reeder up, he took the boat to near the Linnton ferry slip in Portland and fled.³³ After his arrest and indictment he pleaded guilty, and on 9 November 1926 was sentenced to five years in prison.^34,35
     He was again in prison in 1942, this time in Washington serving time for burglary, when on 14 May the state parole board reduced his sentence to a minimum of five years.³⁶

     Chester Arthur Mobley was born on 6 March 1905 in Gross, Boise Co., Idaho.^1,3,2 He drowned on 2 September 1909, at age 4, in a flash flood along Squaw Creek near their cabin in Ola, Boise Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho. A dam had been created by trees taken down by hard rains, and then burst. His father found the body after nearly a week-long search by family and neighbors.^1,3,4,5,2,6 He was buried at Ola Cemetery in Ola, Boise Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho.¹

     Grace Ruby Mobley was born at home on 7 January 1907, probably in Gross, Boise Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho.^3,1,4 She married Mac Martin Hollen on 15 November 1924 in Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon.^5,6 She died on 17 September 2004 at age 97.⁷ She was buried at Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park (Masonic section, in the southwest part of cemetery) in Hayward, Alameda Co., California.⁸
     She went by her middle name Ruby.^9,10,6
     About 1917, while her family was living in Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho, she and her sister Mourna contracted typhoid fever. They were kept secluded in the house to prevent spreading the disease, and eventually recovered.¹¹
     She and her husband Mac lived in San Francisco, San Francisco Co., California, from 1930 to 1935^9,10, and moved to Lomita Park, San Mateo Co., California, sometime before 1940.¹⁰ Mac worked as a streetcar motorman in San Francisco during that time.^9,10,12 By 1945 they had moved to Menlo Park, San Mateo Co., California,¹² where they owned the Park Restaurant for 10 years.¹³ They were still in Menlo Park at the time of Ruby's father's death in 1962¹⁴, but later moved to El Dorado Co., California, where they lived for many years^6,13, and where Mac worked for 30 years with the Golden State Milk Company in Placerville.¹³ They were living in Diamond Springs, El Dorado Co., at the time of their 60th anniversary in 1984⁶, and moved to Union City, Alameda Co., California, about 1991.¹³
     She was a member of Eastern Star, Golden Land, and the Home Garden Club.⁶

     Gertrude Mandana Mobley was born on 16 October 1908 at home in Ola, Boise Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho.^3,4,1,5,6,7 She married first John Edward Smith, son of Robert J. Smith and Nellie Clancy, on 17 July 1926 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.⁸ They were separated in 1938⁹, but may have thought about remarrying. In the 15 April 1942 Salem, Oregon, Statesman Journal, "John E. Smith, 36, storekeeper, Lebanon, and Gertrude M. Smith, 33, Lyons route one," are listed as having been issued a marriage license.¹⁰ She married second John Robert Rose on 15 April 1943 in Salem, Marion Co., Oregon.^11,12 They were later divorced.⁹ She married third Robert Raymond Russell, son of George Washington Fowler and Mary Maude Clifton, on 23 December 1948.^9,13 She married fourth Chester Cummings Feagley, son of Chester C. Feagley and Marion M. Pickel, on 6 December 1961 in San Bernardino Co., California.^14,3 She died on 13 October 2010 at age 101.¹⁵
     She and her first husband John Smith were both listed as being of Multnomah Co., Oregon, at the time of their marriage in 1926, and both were employed as mill workers.⁸ They are listed with their son John in Wren, Benton Co., Oregon, in the 1930 census.¹⁶
     In 1940 she and her three children were living with her parents in Rock Creek, Linn Co., Oregon. Her children are listed in the census with the surname Smith, but she is listed as Gertrude M. Mobley, and divorced.¹⁷
     She and her second husband John Rose were living at 538 W. Ralston in Ontario, San Bernardino Co., California, in 1945.¹⁸
     She and her third husband Robert were living at 322 E. Grove in Ontario in 1951.¹⁹
     She and her fourth husband Chester were living in Hollister, San Benito Co., California, in 1986²⁰, in Coulterville, Mariposa Co., California, in 1994²¹, and in Clearlake, Lake Co., California, in 1995.²²

     Mourna Flora Mobley was born on 31 January 1911 in Ola, Boise Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho.³ She married first William Harold Todd, son of William Todd, on 15 August 1930 in Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon.⁴ She married second Frank Repetto. They apparently had an erratic relationship. They were married three times, presumably with divorces in between, first on 13 November 1935 in San Mateo Co., California,⁵ then again on 19 December 1942 in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co., California,⁶ and a third time on 2 December 1953 in Carson City, Nevada.^7,8 They were divorced a final time, probably by about 1957 when Frank moved to the area of Lodi, California, and Mourna remained in Palo Alto, but definitely before September 1964 when Frank remarried.^9,10,11 She died on 18 December 1978 in Gilroy, Santa Clara Co., California, at age 67.^12,13
     About 1917, while her family was living in Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho, she and her sister Ruby contracted typhoid fever. They were kept secluded in the house to prevent spreading the disease, and eventually recovered.¹⁴
     After their marriage she and her first husband William lived for a time with her parents in Linn Co., Oregon. They then moved to Grass Valley, Sherman Co., Oregon, where William's parents had a wheat farm.¹⁵
     About 1934, after William's death, she and her parents bought a 165-acre farm about four miles east of Gates, Marion Co., Oregon, that had been repossessed by the government, for $2000, using part of William's death benefit for the $125 down payment. They referred to their farm as "The Ranch." Moving there, besides herself, her two children, and her parents, were her siblings Robert, Elden, Annabelle, Owen, and at times Herschel, along with her grandmother Charity (Burlingham) Evans.¹⁵ Before long, however, Mourna left and moved to California.¹⁶
     She and her second husband Frank lived in Menlo Park, San Mateo Co., California, from at least 1937 to 1942.^17,18 In 1948 they were listed together in the city directory for Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., California, at 2265 Bay Shore Hwy¹⁹, but in 1950 Mourna was listed at the same address, while Frank was listed nearby, at 2291 Bay Shore Hwy.²⁰ However, in the 1950 census they are both listed at 2291 Bay Shore, but in separate households (or perhaps apartments). Mourna is listed at "2291 #3" with her four children, along with her brother Owen, and a foster daughter. Frank is by himself at #2, and Ernest Bentley, a liquor salesman like Frank, is at #1.²¹
     From at least 1958 to 1960 she was living at 1499 Cowper in Palo Alto, along with her son Carlos, and working as a school bus driver.²² She is listed in the 1961 and 1962 Palo Alto city directories²³, and in the 1965 Menlo Park city directory, working as a nurse.²⁴

     Herschel Earl Mobley was born on 14 July 1912 in Ola, Boise Co. (now Gem Co.), Idaho.^3,4,5,6 He married Betty Jane Whisner on 14 June 1941 in Couer d'Alene, Kootenai Co., Idaho.^7,8 He died on 5 July 2003 in Marysville, Snohomish Co., Washington, at age 90 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease.^5,4 He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered over the bay at Gig Harbor, Pierce Co., Washington.⁹
     His father didn't see much value in education (although his mother Lelia did), and when his sister Mourna quit high school in 1930 to get married, so did he. At the urging of his father and brother Ray he decided to join the military. He had wanted to enlist in the Navy, but was turned down because of poor vision, so he enlisted in the Army about 15 December 1930 at Vancouver, Washington. After a couple weeks he was sent by railroad to San Francisco.¹⁰
     He sailed for Hawaii on the troop ship Cambrai, leaving San Francisco on 27 December^11,12, and arriving in Honolulu five days later, most of which he spent being seasick. He was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu as part of the Third Engineers. Three days after his arrival he came down with cerebral meningitis, and was confined to the hospital for about six weeks. After recovering he rejoined his unit, and volunteered as a mule team driver.¹³ He ended up spending just over two years in Hawaii, returning at the end of his tour on the troop ship Republic, leaving Honolulu on 25 January 1933 and docking in San Francisco on 31 January.¹⁴
     Shortly after arriving in San Francisco he bought a car and drove home to his family, then living near Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon. He was anxious to get there, not only to see his family, but to see a girl. While he was away his older brother Raymond had been remarried to a divorcee with three children, the oldest a 15-year-old girl with whom he had been corresponding. After about three months of "cuddling and cooing," their relationship ended.¹⁵
     About 1934 his parents and his sister Mourna bought a 165-acre farm about four miles east of Gates, Marion Co., Oregon, that had been repossessed by the government, for $2000. They referred to their farm as "The Ranch." Moving there, besides his parents and Mourna and her two children, were his grandmother Charity (Burlingham) Evans, and the five youngest children, including Herschel.¹⁶ He stayed just a few weeks, then moved to Salem, Marion Co., Oregon, where he rented an apartment that he shared with his sister Gertie and brother Robert. In Salem he worked for a season in a fruit cannery, and then for a gas station for about 1 1/2 years.¹⁷
     He moved back to "The Ranch" about 1939, where his brother Elden and their father were raising hogs and cutting wood. He became depressed. He was 28, "without a job, with no prospect, and no girlfriend." According to his memoir he decided to go to Hawaii and devote his life to caring for the lepers there, "a step short of suicide."¹⁸
     To return to Hawaii, he re-enlisted in the Army on 6 November 1940 in Salem. He was sent to McChord Air Base in Tacoma, Pierce Co., Washington, for training, and assigned to the Spokane Medical Detachment, headquartered at Fort George Wright. Because he had previous Army experience, he was made a corporal and assigned as a drill master. He made sergeant before leaving McChord for Spokane in the spring of 1941.^19,20
     Also by the time he left McChord, he had met his future wife Betty Jane Whisner at a USO dance.²¹ She went with him to Spokane, where they rented an apartment on Walnut St.²² After their marriage they moved into Garden Springs Terrace, a newly-built complex for ranked enlisted men near Spokane.⁷ Betty was a schoolteacher, and was hired at nearby Hayford School where she taught a one-room class with grades one through eight.²³
     In Spokane he soon asked for and was granted a transfer to the chemical warfare department at Geiger Field (now the Spokane International Airport). His unit was transferred to Ephrata, Washington, in June (1942?), then to Fresno, California, then to Reno, Nevada, and in September 1942 to Merced, California.²⁴
     In 1943 he was accepted into officers candidate school in Miami, Florida. His wife Betty, then seven months pregnant with their first child, flew home to Tacoma in July, and he followed by car. He had a train ticket back to Miami, but opted to spend a few extra days in Tacoma. He hitched a ride on a military plane to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he caught his train, traveled by first class to Jacksonville, Florida, then by a commuter train to Miami. The school was grueling, both mentally and physically, and back problems eventually ended his enrollment.²⁵
     He was next assigned to a fighter squadron in Dalhart, Texas. After a 15-day furlough in December 1943 to see his three-month-old daughter Haidee, he was sent to Salt Lake Army Air Base, and Betty and Haidee went with him. He was next stationed in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, then after about six weeks back in Dalhart, Texas, where he and Betty lived in a 16-foot trailer they bought for $300. They later shuttled back and forth between Dalhart and Colorado Springs, Colorado, upgrading their trailer a couple times.²⁶
     He was discharged in the fall of 1945, and he and Betty drove home to Tacoma pulling their 27-foot trailer. They took a southern route, stopping at his sister Ruby's home in Menlo Park, California, where their daughter Elody was born in February 1946.²⁷
     After the war he attended Pacific Lutheran College in Tacoma under the GI Bill, where he received his teaching certification in 1950. He later, in 1968, earned a master's degree in anthropology from New York University.^5,28 He was an elementary school teacher in the Tacoma school system for 22 years^28,5, and was an active volunteer for various youth groups, especially in sailing and scouting.⁵
     He was the author of Herschel's Adventures - Growing Up in Hard Times, a memoir covering his life through the end of World War II that was published in 1997. A note at the end hints that a follow-on book might be written, but unfortunately none was published.²⁸

     Elden Lee Mobley was born on 14 August 1916 in Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho.^1,2 He married Audna Iola Mills, daughter of Lloyd R. Mills and Geneva Cook, on 14 June 1941 at his sister Ruth's house in Brush Prairie, Clark Co., Washington.^3,4 He died on 5 February 2012 in North Pole, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, at age 95.^5,6
     He and his brother Bob both started high school in Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon,⁷ but the family moved to near Gates, Marion Co., Oregon, about 1934⁸, and they graduated from Gates High School in 1937, with just seven in their class.⁹ But Elden, at least, didn't much care for formal education. In his memoir he wrote "I enjoyed the outdoors and hated to be cooped up in a school room on sunny days." He was a member of the Future Farmers of America, and "learned more there than all my years in high school. I learned to weld, blacksmith, operate farm equipment and a lathe."¹⁰
     He worked at many different jobs throughout his life, usually outdoors. After graduation he and Bob both worked for a time for the Mt. Jefferson lumber company, using horses to carry blasting powder for blowing up tree stumps. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service during the summers of 1938 and 1939, at the Slate Rock fire lookout in 1938 and at the Marion Forks guard station in 1939. He then moved back to Salem, Marion Co., Oregon, where he worked for the Reid and Murdock cannery for a while. That fall and winter he and his brothers Herschel and Bob hauled lumber for the Seitsinger Lumber Co., and the next summer worked at the mill.¹¹
     He met his future wife Audna Mills about this time. She and Wreva Devericks, who his brother Bob was seeing and would later marry, were cousins and played softball together, and had a game in Salem.¹²
     He worked at a sawmill in Lyons, Linn Co., Oregon, for about a year, along with Bob, then drove logging trucks for a couple different companies. When World War II began, he and Bob got jobs in Corvallis helping build Camp Adair. He next worked in Salem on an airport runway for two months, then at a feed store in Portland for a few months, then as a driver for Greyhound for about two years.¹³
     He and Audna moved to the Mobley "Ranch" near Gates, where they farmed, and cut and peeled trees to sell for piling for about two years. They bought a small house nearby, and he and his brother Owen logged and ran a sawmill that was profitable for a time, but the price of lumber fell, and they went into debt. The place was later sold for what was owed on it. Elden began working as a foreman at a sawmill in Silverton, Marion Co., Oregon, but the company went broke. He then worked selling northern premium stamps, selling vacuum cleaners, and at a dairy.¹⁴
     In the early 1950s he joined the police force in Silverton. As part of their duties he and his partner Emory Jackson would work the night shift driving and checking doors, alternating who would be driving each night. Around 1:00 AM on 8 June 1952 they answered a call about a disturbance at a grocery store. It was Jackson's turn to drive, but Elden had the keys, so Jackson told him to drive. The store was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Brutus Ashcroft, and according to the initial newspaper article about the incident, Mrs. Ashcroft had made the call, saying that her husband was arguing with their son-in-law Gordon Altman who was visiting from Portland. While Altman and Mobley went across the street to look for a pistol that Altman said Ashcroft had hidden in a vacant lot, Jackson went up to Ashcroft and asked what the trouble was. Ashcroft replied "No trouble at all," then shot Jackson in the chest, killing him.
     Elden ran over, grabbed Ashcroft's .32 automatic as it discharged past his ear, and hit him in head with the butt of his (Elden's) gun. He called for an ambulance, but none were available close by. He told "the kid" (Altman, presumably) to watch Ashcroft and shoot him if he ran. He then went to the mortuary to get "the man" (the coroner?), called the police chief, and went back to the scene. He went home when the police chief arrived, but didn't immediately tell Audna what had happened. Soon Bob and Wreva came over and asked Audna what happened, then Elden told her.^15,16,17 Ashcroft was charged with first-degree murder, but was never tried. Instead, in October 1952 he was committed to the State Hospital, because according to doctors he "had delusions of jealousy and was mentally unable to assist in his defense."¹⁸
     In his memoir Elden wrote that he quit the police force "a week or so" later, but then served as constable for a time at the request of a judge, serving a few warrants and repossessing a few items.¹⁹ A later newspaper article says he left the force in August 1952 in sympathy with the police chief, who was threatening to resign over a dispute about vacation pay.²⁰
     He worked for about a year as a vacuum cleaner salesman in Salem, Silverton, and Corvallis, then as a mechanic in his own shop in Silverton, as a driver for a cannery in Silverton, and building a logging road in Dufur, Wasco Co., Oregon. He and Audna then bought a place in Douglas Co., Oregon, between Canyonville and Riddle, where they raised chickens, goats, and pigs, and sold milk, eggs, and butter. He worked for a time at a sawmill in Tiller, Douglas Co., where he lost part of the little finger on his left hand. He then got a job with the Hanna Nickel mine in Douglas Co., first as a mechanic for a few months, then at the smelter. He stayed there for almost ten tears, working as an oiler and welder, and in the yard crew operating cranes, loaders, forklifts, and shovels.²¹
     In 1964 he decided to look for work in Alaska, and convinced his sister Ruby's husband Mac Hollen to go with him. In Portland they contacted their unions and were told that they had no chance for jobs in Alaska, there was too much competition. They went anyway, based on the results of a coin flip. They crossed the Canadian/Alaskan border on 10 May 1964 and headed for Anchorage. After about 50 miles they came upon a road crew camp. Elden got a job there, while Mac went on to Anchorage. Elden's job lasted just two weeks, then he picked up Mac in Anchorage and both went to Fairbanks, where they did odd jobs for the same company running the road crew Elden had worked for earlier.²²
     He next went to work for the Usibelli Coal Co. in Healy, operating equipment to strip sandstone off a coal seam. Elden's wife Audna had joined him in Fairbanks on 1 June, followed by their daughters Sharon and Janice, although in the fall Sharon returned to Days Creek, Douglas Co., Oregon, for high school. Mac also began work there as a carpenter, and was joined by his wife Ruby.²³
     On 27 March 1964, before Elden's arrival, the Great Alaskan Earthquake hit, along with associated tidal waves, causing extensive damage throughout the south-central part of the state. Elden took a job with Brecken Construction in Kodiak helping rebuild the town. Audna and Janice, and later Sharon, joined him there.²⁴ He also bought a 36-foot boat and applied for a commercial fishing license. He sold the boat after taking three men out for a hunting trip, getting caught up in a large storm, and worrying his wife and daughters terribly by being delayed 2-3 days returning to Kodiak.²⁵
     He briefly worked at a cannery in Kodiak where Audna and their daughters also worked, then spent two months in early 1965 working on the construction of a cradle for a boat being converted for use as a floating cannery, the Star of Kodiak.^26,27
     While still in Kodiak he suffered a severe kidney stone attack. They traveled to Seattle for an operation, and while recovering he was cared for by his sister Ruth, who was a nurse. They then went home to Days Creek in Douglas Co., Oregon.²⁸
     In 1967 he, Audna, and their daughter Janice went to Forks, Clallam Co., Washington, to help clear land for a radio station being started by his niece Betty's husband Gordon Otos.²⁸ He also ran a hay pelleting machine in La Grande, Union Co., Oregon, for a few months, then worked for a time for Wildish Sand and Gravel in Springfield, Lane Co., Oregon.²⁹
     He, Audna, Janice, and their son Colis then headed back to Alaska. For two years he worked for a school bus company in the winter and did construction work in the summer. He worked for a year, probably 1973-74, on an Army Corps of Engineers project to build a flood control dam on the Chena River at Moose Creek.^30,31 He also worked on the construction of the Prudhoe Bay oil facilities and pipeline, as well as the pipeline road now known as the Dalton Highway, built in 1974.³²
     Growing tired of the long hours and isolation, he spent a couple weeks in Hawaii, then he, Audna, and Colis traveled to Brown City, Michigan, where they bought a motor home. They drove to Florida, then to Dallas, Texas, to visit his sister Mourna, and eventually back to Alaska.³³
     He worked in Anchorage for a while, went to Barrow to help build pads for oil rigs, then back to Prudhoe Bay working on the pipeline and oil rigs. That ended when an accident at Pump Station 4 left him with cracked ribs, a concussion, and multiple bruises. He was flown by helicopter to Prudhoe Bay, then by plane to Fairbanks where he spent just one day in the hospital.³⁴
     After a few weeks fishing with Audna, he worked on various odd jobs around town, on a new sewer line at the airport, and on various small pipeline jobs, including one from Valdez to an army base. In the summers he and Audna, along with their son Colis, their daughter Sharon and her family, and sometimes their daughter Janice and her husband, would head out into the wilderness to get away, camping, fishing, and hunting.³⁵
     Perhaps getting tired of working for others, he decided to go into business for himself. At Fort Yukon he bought a 40-foot tugboat and a 20- by 100-foot barge that included ten 500-gallon tanks for hauling diesel fuel, and hired a mechanic and two pilots. The boat included living quarters, and Audna traveled with him, along with his brother Bob and his wife Wreva at times. They made regular trips from Fort Yukon to Old Crow, Canada, and to Dawson City, Canada, hauling "cats, loaders, trucks, mining equipment, gas, oil, propane, fuel tanks, and lots of odds and ends. One time we hauled a school house to Eagle, Alaska." He also made several round trips for the Louisiana Land Oil Co., hauling drill rigs and equipment two miles up the Yukon River for a month, until forced to stop when the river began icing up.³⁶
     At one point he was injured when the line from a winch he was operating broke and he was knocked unconscious and into the river, along with lots of the cargo. He quickly came to, but his feet were stuck. He finally freed himself, and was pulled from the water and into a skiff by his brother Bob. They took him by skiff to Old Crow, then by plane the next day to Fairbanks where he spent a day in the hospital. When Bob and Wreva later went back home to Oregon they told Elden that he "always put on a good show."³⁷
     He spent a summer at Anaktuvuk Pass in the Brooks Range as foreman of a crew building a sewer lagoon, tank farm, and roads. Once the oil pipeline from Prudhoe Bay was finished, the construction camps began closing, and he was hired as part of the cleanup, unloading trucks and burying unneeded equipment, etc. He also spent two months grading the pipeline road.³⁸
     On his last trip with the tug and barge, taking a load up the Black River to Chalkitsik, they became stuck on 4 July, unable to work free. He hired his niece's son to watch over the rig, and again went to work grading the pipeline road, at Pump Station 8. After a couple months, there was an explosion and fire at the station, with one man killed. He continued working there, clearing the burned-out buildings.^39,40
     He returned to the barge and waited for the water to rise enough to move into a side channel. By then the river has started to freeze, so he tied up the tug and barge and returned to Fairbanks. He worked at Prudhoe Bay that winter, and returned to the boat on 1 April to find several bullet holes in the pilot house, and much of the gas, oil, propane, and other cargo missing. When the thaw came, he continued to Chalkitsic and unloaded what was left, then returned to Fort Yukon, where he sold the tug and barge. He also sold his backhoe, truck, trailer, and other equipment, and retired.⁴¹
     He and Audna then toured Mexico with Bob and Wreva, who had a condo at Pilat, near Guymus. They still made several trips back to Alaska, and Elden spent part of one summer hauling horse manure for his son Clifford in Fairbanks. They also traveled extensively in their motor home, spending time in Arizona, Utah, California, Oregon, and Mexico.⁴²
     In 1990 he and Audna bought a place on Cavitt Creek Rd. near Glide, Douglas Co., Oregon, fixed it up, and grew and sold garden produce. Elden later came down with Parkinson's disease, and they moved to Dillard, Douglas Co.⁴³
     He wrote a memoir about his life, "Elden L. Mobley, His Story," that was completed in 1996, but never formally published.

More Information / Background

• Slate Rock Forest Lookout
  
• Pictures in Kodiak after the Great Alaska Earthquake
  
• The Star of Kodiak
  
• Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project
  
• Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
  

     Robert Phillip Mobley was born on 21 June 1918 at home in Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho.⁴ He married Wreva Edith Devericks, daughter of Lucian Devericks and Edith Cook, on 25 May 1940 in Silverton, Marion Co., Oregon.^5,6 He died on 22 January 2011 in Sublimity, Marion Co., Oregon, at age 92.⁵ He was buried at Valley View Cemetery in Silverton, Marion Co., Oregon.⁵
     He moved to Oregon with his parents while still young, graduated from Gates High School in Gates, Marion Co., Oregon, in 1937, and later earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Willamette University in Salem, Marion Co., Oregon. He also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.⁵
     He worked for a time as a logger, taught Spanish at the local middle school, and wrote novels, including The Hatchery, Timber, and Saga of Pilar. Most of his working career, however, was in fire education and training. He was a captain in the Salem Fire Department, and a founder of the Oregon Fire Instructors Association and the Fire Science Program at Chemeketa Community College, where a scholarship fund was later established in his memory.⁵
     In 1968 he moved to Lyons, Linn Co., Oregon, where he built and ran Taylor Park, a community park and campground on the Little North Fork of the Santiam River, for 15 years.⁵ For 30 years he spent winters in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, on the Gulf of California.⁵

     Mildred Annabelle Mobley was born on 18 July 1920 in Brush Prairie, Clark Co., Washington.^3,2,4 She married Merton Alexander Kerr, son of Edward Merton Kerr and Mabel Valera Wright, on 2 April 1948 (the family Burlingham genealogy says 12 April 1948) in Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., California.^2,4,5 They were divorced in May 1977 in Santa Clara Co.⁶, but remarried in Santa Clara Co. on 27 February 1980.⁷ She died on 27 November 2006 at age 86.^3,8 She was buried on 7 December 2006 at Gavilan Hills Memorial Park in Gilroy, Santa Clara Co., California. She loved the polka, and wanted dancing at her graveside funeral service.^8,9
     She went by her middle name Annabelle.¹⁰
     She and her husband Merton lived in Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., California,¹¹ until about 1964 when they moved to Gilroy, Santa Clara Co., California, where they lived for (probably) the rest of their lives.^12,8 She was a founding member of the Girl Scout troop in Gilroy in 1964, and was also active in Rainbow Girls.⁸

     Owen Worthy Mobley was born on 1 February 1925 in Scappoose, Columbia Co., Oregon.^4,5 He married Nancy Louise Parcells on 27 December 1954 in San Diego Co., California.⁶ He died on 20 September 1993 in Lake Stevens, Snohomish Co., Washington, at age 68.^5,7,8
     He served in the U.S. Navy during and after World War II, first enlisting on 22 September 1943. He was on LST 927 from March to June 1946, and was discharged 1 July 1946.^9,2 He lived for a time with his sister Mourna's family in Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., California, and is listed there with them in the 1950 census.¹⁰ He reenlisted for another tour in the Navy on 12 January 1951, and was discharged 21 December 1951.⁹
     After his marriage in 1954, he apparently formally adopted his wife Nancy's children Kathryn and an unknown person.¹¹
     In 1986 he was living in Lyons, Linn Co., Oregon.¹²