The Man Behind the Names: Tracing the Father of the Depoe Line (Part 4)

← Back to 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

When we left off in our last post, we were deep in the digital trenches of online historical research—combing through digitized census rolls, cross-referencing Siletz affidavits, and turning virtual page after virtual page of mid-19th-century legal testimonies. Amidst the formal bureaucratic language of these online records, extraordinary things began to emerge simply by reading through and sorting all the detailed information shared in the testimonies of other Siletz Elders. First came the discovery of the previously unknown band for the mother of Ella, Charles, and Ada—our Euchre lineage—which quickly opened the door to uncovering her traditional Indian name. But the surprises didn't stop there: what initially looked like a second Indian name for Old Joshua ultimately transformed into something even more profound: the authentic Indian name of Old Joshua's father. It became clear that history hadn't lost these ancestors; their stories were simply waiting for us to piece them together from the words of those who knew them.

Witness Affidavit (James Warner):
Sworn testimony helping untangle thehousehold lines,
 document maternal relationships.

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—a detail preserved through family oral history, with a cousin sharing that they heard he was referred to as Jack at various points.While that specific name hasn’t turned up on any of the surviving local records I’ve reviewed so far, there is a strong possibility it will emerge once the archive records currently being requested from Seattle arrive. 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. On the earliest handwritten reservation rolls—many of which are no longer accessible today—it was standard practice to log men under such names, making it entirely possible he was recorded that way early on

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 his children Charles,  Ella and Ada 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, Ella and Ada 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

The Legacy of Hos-la-ni-ichta: A Lower Rogue River Athabaskan Name

The male indigenous name Hos-la-ni-ichta belongs to the Chemetunne band (historically known as the "Joshua Indians") of the Lower Rogue River region near modern-day Gold Beach and Wedderburn, Oregon. Because their native language, Tututni, is a highly expressive, verb-based language deeply connected to nature and community, his name carries two powerful, intertwined interpretations:

• "He Speaks for the People of the River Mouth"
• The Translation: This reflects a geographic and social role. The prefix Hos- translates to "the mouth" or "voice/speech," la-ni denotes "the community/many hands," and the location anchors him directly to the ancestral village situated at the strategic mouth of the Rogue River.
• The Persona: This interpretation marks him as a distinct leader, orator, or diplomat chosen to represent his village.

Computer Generated Image

• "Rising Up with the People"
  • The Translation: This carries a strong spiritual and communal connotation. The ending suffix -ichta holds phonetic links to regional words for a "Shaman," "Dreamer," or "Medicine Man."

Computer Generated Image

A Note on the Imagery, Translation, and Next Steps

As this family history takes shape, bringing these ancestors to life involves more than just reading historical texts—it means visualizing their world and seeking authentic linguistic grounding.

• The Computer-Generated Images: The visual pieces featured in this post are generated to provide a creative, reflective glimpse into the landscape and presence of our ancestors during a deeply turbulent era. While modern AI-generated imagery cannot capture a true historical likeness, it serves as a conceptual window to help us imagine the Lower Rogue River homeland and the leadership carried by figures like Hos-la-ni-ichta.

• Consulting the Language and Root Words: To honor these names accurately, this research isn't relying on guesswork. We are currently planning to reach out to a linguist and a fluen``````t speaker of the Tututni language to examine the dictionary root words. Having someone knowledgeable review these traditional Indian names will ensure that translations like Hos-la-ni-ichta are anchored in actual cultural and linguistic integrity rather than surface-level interpretation.

Families and Wives: Untangling the Household Lines

As historical records come into focus, piecing together the family dynamics reveals more about the household lines and relationships carried through generations:

• The Mother of Charles and Ella: Identified through regional and ancestral ties, her lineage links deeply to the Euchre band, and her traditional Indian name anchors a crucial piece of this family branch.

• Ada's Mother & Sandy Grant's Mother: Documenting these distinct maternal lines helps bridge the gaps between family branches, noting that Ada and Sandy Grant had different mothers among the household's history.

• Annie and Generational Gaps: Sorting through the records also brings to light individuals like Annie, prompting a closer look at whether these relationships span generational gaps or reflect parent-child dynamics within the extended family network

Timeline: The Life of Hos-la-ni-ichta (Old Joshua)

• Abt. 1800 | Birth in the Homelands (Age: Newborn)

• Born into the Tcê-me' tunně (Chemetunne) band of the Tututni people along the Lower Rogue River in southwestern Oregon, long before European and American settlement shaped the region.

• Circa 1830s–1850s: The Ancestral Roots and Upheaval

  • Births of the Next Generation: As the family navigated the difficult transition to the Siletz Reservation and established their lives along the coast, Hos-la-ni-ichta and his wife welcomed their children. This included Charles Depoe (who would later earn the nickname "Depot Charlie" working at the Toledo supply depot), Ella Selsic, Ada Depoe, and Sandy Grant. Their lineage became deeply anchored in both traditional Rogue River / Tututni history and the evolving community at Siletz, carrying forward a legacy that bridges ancient homelands and the modern paper trail.

• 1850s | Leadership During Turbulent Times (Age: Mid-50s)

  • Emerges as a prominent village leader and chief at the mouth of the Rogue River. Tyee Joshua was one of the noted chiefs who took an active part in the Rogue River War of 1855–1856, where he and his warriors fought long and terribly for their homes and country. Ultimately overpowered and conquered by the white man, he was compelled to surrender and submit to his control, and his community became federally designated as the "Joshua Band" amidst the conflicts.

• 1856 | Forced Removal to the Siletz Reservation (Age: Approx. 59)

• 1856 | The Ten-Day Council and Surrender (Age: Approx. 58) Joshua and his people were present at a great council held in a beautiful valley of the Rogue River, which lasted ten days. At this council, Joshua advised his people to surrender and go upon the reservation. For two years they had fought with all the power of their wild and savage nature, their signal fires of war had blazed upon almost every mountaintop in all that country; the war whoop and war dance were heard to resound through the valleys and around the grand old mountains of Rogue River, making the scene grand and imposing, and never to be forgotten by those who took part in that memorable war.

• Following the conclusion of the wars, Hos-la-ni-ichta and his people are forcibly marched north to the Siletz Reservation, where government census takers document him under the English placeholder name "Jack."

Siletz Reservation and allotted lands boundary map (1875 to 1894)

• 1871 | The Salem Council (Age: Approx. 74)

• Travels to Salem, Oregon, for the Salem Council of 1871, representing his people and participating in critical regional discussions regarding tribal leadership, land rights, and reservation affairs during a pivotal era of federal Indian policy.

Computer Generated Image 

• 1881 — Arrival and Family Dispersal: Witnesses (such as William Metcalf in Yamhill Land Records) note that upon arriving at the reservation in 1881, OldJoshua (noted as the father of Charles DePoe and Sandy Grant) had lost all his earlier wives. The family members subsequently established separate households or were recorded under various caregivers (such as Martha Cook, Tom, and Grant, before later passing to Martha G. Johnson).

Witness Affidavit (William Metcalf, 1908): Sworn testimony detailing Old Joshua's household transitions, his various caregivers on the Siletz Reservation, and the half-brother relationship between Charles Depoe and Sandy Grant.

• 1885 | Listed on the Siletz Census (Age: Approx. 85)

• Documented on the federal Indian census rolls for the Siletz Reservation, explicitly listed as Old Joshua while continuing to anchor his tribal community.

1885 Siletz Census Record

• 1886 | Listed on the Siletz Census (Age: Approx. 86)

• Documented on the federal Indian census rolls for the Siletz Reservation, listed as Old Joshua at approximately age 86.

1886 Siletz Agency Census Record

• May 5, 1887 | Passing on the Siletz Reservation (Age: Approx. 90)

  • Passes away at the Siletz Reservation in Lincoln County, Oregon. Because he passed away just a few years before the implementation of the Dawes Act, his life closed an era of tribal leadership just before the formal land allotment period began, leaving that next chapter to be navigated by his children and descendants who would later carry the Depoe name.

  • 1887 | The Passing of an Era

    This makes three noted Indians that have died during the winter, viz: Tyee Joe, old man Shellhead, and Joshua. They have gone to take up their positions as tyees in the happy hunting grounds, where they will not be troubled with the white man and his reservations

  • October 30, 1908 | James Warner Affidavit James Warner, 59 years of age, stated that Hos-la-ni-ichta brought two wives with him to the reservation from Gold Beach and lived with them here till they died, perhaps 15 or 20 years (placing their deaths roughly in the mid-1870s to early 1880s). These two aforesaid wives were the mothers respectively of Sandy Grant and Ada Arden. Mrs. Arden's mother was the older of the two.

Historical newspaper notices and agency logs help close the circle on his remarkable life. Documentation from the era notes his passing at the Siletz Agency, closing a pivotal chapter in the history of the lower Rogue River people.

Read the rest of the article of Old Joshua/Tyee Joshua here .

The End of an Era: The Life of Old Joshua

When examining the historical records of Southern Oregon, few figures capture the dramatic transformation of the era quite like Old Joshua, head chief of the Joshua tribe. Dying at the Siletz Indian Agency on May 5, 1887, at roughly 90 years old, Joshua’s life spanned the height of indigenous sovereignty, the violent conflicts of the Rogue River War of 1855–6, and the subsequent decades of reservation life.

• The Warrior and the Council: In his youth, Joshua was described as a striking specimen of his race—sturdy, supple, and formidable in war. During the Rogue River War, he and his warriors fought fiercely for their homeland, with war cries and signal fires echoing across the Rogue River mountains. However, after a grueling ten-day council, Joshua ultimately advised his people to surrender to avoid further bloodshed, recognizing that the struggle was over.

• Personal Life: Accounts from the era note distinct chapters of his personal life, mentioning that in his younger days he was the proud possessor of ten wives. By his later years on the reservation, he had taken a young wife whom he bought.

• Peaceful Later Years: Despite the profound grief and cultural disruption shared by many who survived the wars and watched their traditional way of life slip away, Joshua was remembered by authorities as quiet, peaceable, and industrious during his long stay at Siletz, giving officials no trouble.

His passing—alongside other prominent leaders like Tyee Joe and old man Shellhead—marked the closing chapter for a generation of tyees who lived through the foundational conflicts of the region.

Bringing the Threads Together

Unraveling the true identity of Old Joshua—moving past the bureaucratic placeholders and phonetic hurdles to find Hos-la-ni-ichta—reminds us why genealogy is about so much more than just filling out a family tree. It is about restoring the true voices, traditional lands, and cultural dignity of ancestors who navigated unimaginable upheaval. By connecting the names, the lands of the Lower Rogue River, the realities of the Siletz Reservation, and continuing on with the discovery of the names of his wife and the mother of his children Ella and Charles, as well as his father's name and life, we honor the legacy they left behind—ensuring that the true story of the Depoe lineage remains as vibrant and resilient as the people who lived it

Check out this bonus post to read about Old Joshua and Solomon Riggs, and see the realization that our two lineages crossed paths!

Feedback & Corrections: I strive to ensure the historical information shared here is as accurate as possible. If you spot an error, have additional documentation, or would like to share related family history, please let me know. I welcome any corrections or insights that help deepen our understanding of this shared past.

My Blog:  http://www.makingitthrough4110.com/

Please subscribe on the blog so that you can receive notification for future posts! 

A Note on the Family Story

My name is Amber Wegmuller, and this project began with a desire to uncover the voices and stories of my ancestors. My grandmother instilled in me the importance of being our family's history keeper, teaching me that our stories deserve to be remembered. As I digitize records, work on our family tree, and piece together the branches of our history, my goal is to honor the people who came before us—the ones whose resilience and stories have shaped who we are today.

My Ancestral Lineage: This history is rooted in the deep, enduring ties of our people:

• Tututni & Kwatami (Siletz): Mikonotunne (Mackanontin), Chemetunne (Joshua), Yukichetunne (Euchre), and Sik-ses-tenne (Sixes).

• Grand Ronde: Umpqua, Shasta, Klickitat, and Lower Chinook.

Sources: 

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-L3NK-69X?view=fullText&keywords=Depoe%2CDePoe%2CCharles+Depoe%2CCharles+DePoe%2COregon%2Cfather&lang=en

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