R/RFHA Newsletter, March 1999 P.4
John Adams Mobley is the great-great-grandfather of Ricky
Mobley thru her great-grandfather Middleton Harrison Mobley, and his son
Harrison Ernest Mobley, her grandfather.
From Doris Rawlings, 81836 London West Road, Cottage Grove,
OR 97424
The Oregon Historical Society sent the following information
to Doris concerning the naming of Josephine County, Oregon.
From Phillipsville, California, Feb. 19, 1909.
"Your inquiry of Feb. 1st received. In reply will say
that I am pleased to answer your queries to the best of my ability. And under
separate cover send you one of my photos for enlargement. You will kindly
return photo when through. Also would be pleased to have you send me a copy of
the following sketch if you can see fit to print all or part of same.
I was born in Morgan County, Illinois, in 1833. My parents,
LLOYD and Katherine ROLLINS, were natives of Kentucky. They moved to Illinois,
then to Clark Co., Missouri, in the spring of 1834 and lived there continuously
until 1350, in which year, on the 8th of May, my father and I, together with
some neighbors, started for California overland with ox teams, our objective
point being Sacramento. But upon reaching the great Humboldt desert, the
weakened condition of our teams induced my father to change to the Fort Hall
route to Oregon. Reaching there the latter part of October we wintered within a
few miles of Oregon City.
The following spring my father outfitted another team and we
started south for the mines in California. On reaching the Rogue River the
indians told us of very rich mines a few days travel down the river. At this
time the United States had just formed a treaty with Chief Joseph of the Rogue
River Indians (NezPerce), and it was considered perfectly safe to travel among
them. Here our company divided, a part going on to the mines in California, and
the rest going down to the new mines, Father and myself among them, guided by
indians. We were about a week, as well as I can remember, making our own roads
as we traveled. Within three miles of the mines we had to leave our teams and
pack into the mines, some of the company remaining with our teams to guard
them.
We found good surface mining there on what was supposed to be
Illinois Creek. We remained there until about the middle of August when indians
plotted to capture us all. The plot was betrayed to us by a tame indian boy
belonging to the company who played with other indian boys that informed him of
the intended raid and the time. Late one afternoon a messenger was sent down to
the camp at the mines for all to assemble at the wagons to resist an attack
that night. Everything being left in camp but the firearms. The attack occurred
next morning just before daybreak, when our company killed three of the
indians, and they withdrew without any of our company being killed or injured.
Knowing the indians were again on the warpath, a mounted
company of volunteers came from where Yreka now is, came to our assistance, and we returned
with them, not daring to trust the indians longer. I was the only woman in the
entire company. It must be remembered there were no roads, towns or counties
there in these early times, and I was the first white woman in that section of
Oregon.
I was honored by having the county named for me, but by whom
I know not. I was married to Julius Ort in Colusa County, California, in 1854.
In 1863 we moved to Sonoma County where we lived and made our home ever since.
In conclusion will say I have dictated this to my son with
whom I am visiting in Humboldt County, California.
Yours cordially, Virginia Josephine ROLLINS Ort."
JOSEPHINE COUNTY is in Southern Oregon near the California
border.
Residence: Dallas Co., TX