Reclaiming Ancestral Names: The unexpected Find of Charles and Ella Depoe's Indigenous Lineage (Part 3)

Part 3: Reclaiming Ancestral Names: The Unexpected Find of Charles and Ella Depoe's Indigenous Lineage

Series: Untangling the Threads: The Search for Ella Selsic and the Depoe Family

← Part 2 | Part 3 (Current Post) | Part 4: →

Photo: Aerial view of Gold Beach, circa 1912. Courtesy of the "Historic Curry County in Curry Pictures and Stories" community archive.

Behind every census record and government allotment number lies a family history that official ledgers tried to simplify. For generations, the story of Charles and Ella Depoe's lineage stopped at a familiar English placeholder. But digging into the 1908 Siletz Agency affidavits unlocks a deeper, long-silenced layer of history—pulling back the curtain on traditional names, ancestral villages along the Rogue River, and the true patriarch who brought his family through the forced removals of 1856.

Family Search Record of the affidavadit of James Warner 1908

Who is Hos-la-ni-ichta?

The Joshua band lived at the mouth of the Rogue River. White settlers could not pronounce the name of their village leader, so they nicknamed him "Old Joshua." The military later forced the survivors north to the Siletz Reservation.

Also known in traditional records as Hos-la-ni-ichta, he belonged to the Chemetunne (Joshua band), an Athabaskan-speaking people of the lower Rogue River. As James Warner's 1908 affidavit record notes, he brought his two wives and family with him from Gold Beach straight into the harsh conditions of the reservation, living there until they passed. Surviving this brutal uprooting meant trying to maintain family structures, traditional names, and kinship networks under intense federal control

"Toward the Ocean" Wedderburn, Oregon March 14, 1915

The Geography of the Lower Rogue River

The connection between the historical location of the Joshua village and James Warner's 1908 affidavit highlights an important layer of local geography and family history around the mouth of the Rogue River:

• The North Bank vs. Gold Beach Geography: Historically, traditional Tututni and Joshua village sites were situated along the lower river, including the north bank of the Rogue River (an area that later became associated with Wedderburn, located directly across the river from the main body of Gold Beach via the Patterson Memorial Bridge).

• Local Landmarks and Village Sites: Historical accounts and regional descriptions help anchor the Joshua band's territory even more precisely south of Gold Beach. Traditional landmarks like Hunters' Head or Cape Sebastian (located about seven or eight miles south of Gold Beach) and the historical site of the Geisel monument mark the southern bounds of this coastal landscape. Along the lower Rogue River itself, documented village sites included locations on the north side near the Doyle place and on a low flat on the south side, representing the heartland of the band's community before the forced displacement of 1856.

• The Broader "Gold Beach Country" Reference: When early 20th-century affidavits like James Warner's or William Metcalf's referenced Old Joshua bringing his family from "Gold Beach" or the "Rogue River country," they were using the modern regional descriptor for the entire lower river basin. Before the town was formally named Gold Beach (and before Wedderburn was established opposite it), the entire river mouth area was the heartland of these interconnected Athabaskan villages.

• The Shift to the Reservation: Old Joshua's move from those traditional coastal settlements straight to the Siletz Reservation in 1856 encapsulated the forced displacement of the entire community, bridging the ancestral village geography of the lower Rogue with the later reservation rolls recorded decades later.

Recognizing them as a connected family unit is not just a genealogical note; it is an act of historical reclamation. It reminds us that behind every "allottee" number and every missing death record was a family with a specific ancestral identity, a language, and a history that the federal government could not fully erase. The survival of his children and the subsequent Towner and Selsic branches stand as the true record of his life's impact.

Charles Depoe, and Ada Arden-Depoe children of Old Joshua 

The Unexpected Find: Joshua Tom's 1908 Affidavit

The 1908 deposition also mentions an individual named U-no-ay-set as the father of "Old Joshua" (Hos-la-ni-ichta). While this appears to represent a direct generational link in our family history, I am continuing to verify this connection through additional archival documentation. This potential discovery suggests our ancestral line may extend one generation further into the Rogue River history than previously documented—connecting us to Old Joshua's father as Ella, Charles and Ada's grandfather.

"Siletz , Oregon , October 15 , 1908 . Joshua Tom , being duly sworn , on oath deposes and says : I knew Sandy Grant . He was a son of U - no - y - set who was also the father of Charles Deloe and also of Ada Arden , wife of Brown Arden , all by different wives The old man brought in them if the wives with him to the Reservation from the Rogue River country except the mother of Charles DePoe who died there before they came to the Reservation , and also the mother of Mrs Arden died at Rogue River before he came to the Reservation . Sandy Grant 's mother died here at the Reservation and she was living with U - no - ay - set at the time of her death which occurred a long time time after they came here . Her name was I have forgotten her name but she was of the Euchre tribe as was also the mother of Charles DePoe . Witness & Interpreter : Sworn to and subscribed before me this 15th day of October , 1908 . Supt . & S. D. A."

The Generational Translation Trap: Untangling "Father" in 1908 Testimonies

When the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Indian agents recorded oral testimonies for land allotments and tribal rolls in the early 20th century, the English translation of Native witnesses' statements often introduced generational ambiguities:

• Imprecise Generational Terms: In late 19th- and early 20th-century translated testimony, the word "father" was frequently used loosely to mean a patriarch, an adoptive father, or an older male relative (such as a grandfather or uncle) who raised them.

• The Reservation Disruption: Decades of forced displacement, the loss of elders, and the chaos of the 1856 removal meant that surviving family members sometimes described elder figures in broader patriarchal terms.

• The Record Clue: In Joshua Tom’s 1908 affidavit, U-no-ay-set is described as the "father" of Sandy Grant, Charles Depoe, and Ada Arden. Because of historical and generational spacing, researchers recognize this terminology likely points to U-no-ay-set as their grandfather (or the overarching family patriarch) rather than their immediate biological father, Old Joshua (Hos-la-ni-ichta)

 

Uncovering Our Rogue River Roots: The Search for U-no-ay-set

Our latest family history breakthrough has taken us one generation further into the rich history of the Rogue River people!

While we already have firm documentation linking Ella and Charles Depoe to their father, the revered Tututni leader Old Joshua (Hos-la-ni-ichta), an incredible clue has emerged. Historical references point to a 1908 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) deposition identifying Old Joshua's father as an individual named U-no-ay-set.

If verified, this links our family directly to the early 19th-century traditional villages of southwestern Oregon, before the forced removals of 1856.

Wedderburn, Oregon

What We Are Doing Next:
Because these early phonetic names are rarely indexed online, we are actively launching deeper archival research to locate the actual physical records. We are reaching out to the National Archives (NARA) in Seattle, the University of Oregon’s Southwest Oregon Research Project (SWORP) collections, to find the original handwritten 1908 testimonies.

Stay tuned as we hunt for the paperwork to officially cement this ancestral link!

Researcher's Note: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the U.S. government undertook extensive efforts to formalize tribal rolls and distribute lands and payments under the Dawes Act (1887) and subsequent tribal settlement acts. Because many Siletz families had their traditional lineages disrupted by the forced march of 1856, federal agents frequently relied on sworn affidavits from peer witnesses who could vouch for exactly who parented whom back before the reservation era. So thankful for these invaluable records on FamilySearch!

Connecting the Paper Trail with DNA: Sorting through 19th-century records can sometimes feel like guessing in the dark, but the paper trail is only part of the story. Finding shared DNA matches with descendants of Joshua Tom has provided incredible modern confirmation of these kinship links, bridging historical affidavits with living family connections and proving how deep these ancestral roots run.

Corroborating the Lines: The William Metcalf Testimony

While government censuses and land allotment rolls provide the framework of our lineage, testimonies from those who lived through the era bring the human connections to life. A prime example is the 1908 affidavit of William Metcalf, recorded at the Siletz Agency.

Metcalf provides invaluable, firsthand verification that cements how these families were intertwined on the ground:

"William Metcalf, first being duly sworn, on oath deposes and says " I first knew Sandy Grant at Smith River Cal. , about 28 or 30 years ago . While at Smith River Charle Depoe came down from Siletz to visit his brother the aforesaid Sandy Grant, Charle Depoe's last visit was 10 or If years ago when he brought one of Sandy Grant 's boys , aged 12 or 13 years, back to the Siletz Reservation and placed him in the school. I heard Depoe say that Sandy Grant was his half-brother . He always stopped at Grant's house. They resembled each other except that Depoe was heavy and Grant was more slender . I came to the reservation in 1881, and have made my home here since, except for an occasional visit to California . On the occasion of Charle Depoe's last visit to Grant a number of us were there about three months . When I came to the Reservation in 1881, Old Joshua, the father of Sandy Grant and Charles Depoe had lost all his earlier wives and was living with a girl about 16 years of age, who was afterwards Martha Cook, then Tom, then Grant, and now Martha G. Johnson. All the Indians recognized these two men Depoe and Grant as brothers." 

What this tells us: Metcalf's testimony does more than confirm family ties—it paints a vivid picture of brotherly bonds stretching across state lines from Siletz all the way to Smith River, California. He also notes that by 1881, Old Joshua had lost his earlier wives and was living with a young woman named Martha (later Martha G. Johnson), bridging the historical record directly into the late 19th-century reservation era.

Wedderburn, Oregon

The Story Behind the Names: Hos-la-ni-ichta, Old Joshua, and Jack

When tracing the family tree of early Oregon Coast tribal leaders, looking for the father of Charles and Ella Depoe can feel like trying to solve a puzzle with pieces from three different boxes. If you look at family records or traditional history, you will find him called Old Joshua. If you talk to family cousins who have dug into oral histories, you will hear the name Jack. And if you look deep into traditional linguistic records, you will find the name Hos-la-ni-ichta.

It sounds like three completely different men, but it is actually just one man whose identity was written down in three different ways depending on who was holding the pen.

Here is how those names fit together:

1. Old Joshua: The Respected Leader

Before any other name entered the mix, this man was a prominent village leader and chief of the Tututni people at the mouth of the Rogue River during the turbulent Indian Wars of the 1850s. Because of his status, his entire band became officially designated by the government as the "Joshua Band" of the Tututni. Local newspapers and historical military logs from the era refer to him with respect as "Old Joshua". The name "Joshua" itself wasn't a biblical name he chose, but rather a rough English phonetic corruption of his actual native village or name that white settlers and military officers simplified.

2. Jack: The Cousin's Clue and the Bureaucratic Shortcut

If you talk to family cousins or search online genealogy databases today, the name "Jack" (or John Jack) is what frequently pops up as the father of Charles and Ella. There is a very specific, down-to-earth reason for this. When Old Joshua and his people were forcibly removed to the Siletz Reservation in 1856, government agents and census takers were overwhelmed by the task of logging hundreds of tribal members. They struggled to pronounce or spell complex traditional names, and they didn't care to learn them.

To make their paperwork easier, agents routinely assigned basic, generic English placeholders to Native men on the rosters. "Old Joshua" was simply written down as "Jack." On the earliest handwritten reservation rolls, families weren't grouped by neat western last names. Instead, you would see rows of single names. He was logged as "Jack," and for a time, his children were recorded simply as "Charles and Ella, children of Jack."

3. Hos-la-ni-ichta: The True Cultural Identity

While the government only cared to write down "Jack" on the census rolls, and settlers called him "Old Joshua," the name Hos-la-ni-ichta reflects his true heritage. This is the phonetic spelling of his traditional Athabaskan language name, likely captured in a rare missionary ledger, local family diary, or kept alive through tight-knit oral history.

Linguistically, the suffix "-ichta" (similar to -u-che-tun) aligns perfectly with the Yukichetunne (Euchre Creek) band of the Tututni people, which is the line Charles and Ella belonged to. In local Athabaskan dialects, these suffixes literally mean "people of" or "originating from" a specific village site.

How "Depoe" Tied it All Together

You might wonder why Charles and Ella didn't end up with the last name "Jackson" if their father was called Jack. The family's modern last name actually came out of pure coincidence later in life.

As a young man, Charles got a job working at the U.S. military supply depot near Toledo, Oregon. Because of his workplace, locals nicknamed him "Depot Charlie." Over time, the nickname stuck so well that "Depoe" became a makeshift family last name. When the federal government later forced tribal members to choose permanent, legal western surnames for land allotments, Charles and Ella officially registered their last names as Depoe.

The Takeaway for Family Historians

If you are documenting this lineage for your family tree, all three names are vital pieces of the same history:

• Hos-la-ni-ichta is his true cultural identity and connection to the Rogue River landscape.
• Old Joshua is his legacy as a war-era leader and the namesake of his tribal band.
• Jack is the bureaucratic shortcut used by history—the vital paper-trail name passed down through family lines and census logs that you need to type into search engines to find the family today.

A Legacy Preserved

Uncovering these names, affidavits, and family lines is about so much more than dates on a chart or boxes on a family tree. It is about listening to the echoes of a resilient people, honoring the elders who carried these stories through the darkest forced migrations, and fulfilling the promise we make to those who came before us. My grandmother taught me that being our family's history keeper is an act of love and preservation. As we continue to turn the pages of these 1908 affidavits and trace the paths of Hos-la-ni-ichta, U-no-ay-set, and their descendants, we ensure that their names are never forgotten. Their resilience is our foundation—and our story continues through every record we reclaim.

Series Navigation:

• Ella Selsic Series: Part 1: Tracing Ella Selsic: Beyond the Census Records | Part 2: Reclaiming the Story of Ella Selsic: A Daughter of Old Joshua | Part 3: Reclaiming Ancestral Names (Current Post) | Part 4 →

Sources:

Family Search Yamhill. Land Records 1887–1952

FamilySearch: Affidavit Record of James Warner and William Metcalf (1908), Yamhill and Siletz Agency Land and Tribal Records.

FamilySearch: Affidavit Record (1908), Yamhill and Siletz Agency Land and Tribal Records.

https://truwe.sohs.org/files/1887%20superintendency.html

Miller, Jay, and William R. Seaburg. “Athapaskans of Southwestern Oregon.” In Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 7: Northwest Coast. Volume editor, Wayne Suttles. Washington, D.C., 1990.

Ramsey, Jarold. Coyote Was Going There: Indian Literature of the Oregon Country. Seattle, Wash., 1977.

Photo Credits: Historical photographs of Gold Beach and Wedderburn sourced via the Curry Historical Society and the Historic Curry County in Curry Pictures and Stories community archives.