Person Page

     Harvey Roy Steeprow was born on 4 August 1903 in Oregon.^3,4,5,6 He was married by E. J. Harper, Pastor, to Bessie Lorena Mobley, daughter of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham, on 17 November 1928 in Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon.^1,7,2,8,9 He died on 13 March 1986 in Lane Co., Oregon, at age 82.^4,3 He was buried at Crystal Lake Cemetery in Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon.¹⁰
     He and his wife Bessie are listed in West Philomath Prec., Benton Co., Oregon, in the 1930 census⁵, and in Alsea Prec., Benton Co., Oregon, in the 1940 census.⁶ He was a highway maintenance worker.^5,6

     Delbert Asher Smith was born on 10 November 1879 in Brush Prairie, Clark Co., Washington.^1,4 He married Ruth May Mobley, daughter of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham, on 9 February 1924 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.^2,5 He died on 15 August 1957 at Pierce County Hospital in Tacoma, Pierce Co., Washington, at age 77 from cancer of the esophagus.³ He was buried at Park Hill Cemetery in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.^3,6
     His given name is listed as Adelbert in the 1910 census, but all other online records, including his own signature on his marriage record and his World War II draft registration, have it as Delbert.⁷
     He and his wife Ruth lived in Lackamas, Clark Co., Washington, from at least 1930 to 1940.^8,9 He was a farmer most of his life, but also worked as a supervisor in the Clark Co. roads department around 1940.^8,3,9,1

     Mac Martin Hollen was born on 10 May 1905 in Barnesboro, Cambria Co., Pennsylvania.⁵ He married Grace Ruby Mobley, daughter of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham, on 15 November 1924 in Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon.^3,6 He died on 2 March 1993 in Union City, Alameda Co., California, at age 87.^1,2 He was buried at Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park (Masonic section, in the southwest part of cemetery) in Hayward, Alameda Co., California.^1,7
     He and his wife Ruby lived in San Francisco, San Francisco Co., California, from 1930 to 1935^8,9, and moved to Lomita Park, San Mateo Co., California, sometime before 1940.⁹ He worked as a streetcar motorman in San Francisco during that time.^8,9,5 By 1945 they had moved to Menlo Park, San Mateo Co., California,⁵ where they owned the Park Restaurant for 10 years.¹ They were still in Menlo Park at the time of Ruby's father's death in 1962¹⁰, but later moved to El Dorado Co., California, where they lived for many years^6,1, and where Mac worked for 30 years with the Golden State Milk Company in Placerville.¹ 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 1991.¹
     He was a member of Hiram Masonic Lodge 43 in El Dorado Co., the Elks Club, and the Civil Air Patrol.^1,6

     John Edward Smith was born on 22 April 1905 in Stillwater, Payne Co., Oklahoma.^4,5 He married first Gertrude Mandana Mobley, daughter of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham, on 17 July 1926 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.³ They were separated in 1938¹, 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.⁶ He married second Lucille C. Danielson on 29 May 1944 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.⁷ He died on 31 March 1982 in Gold Beach, Curry Co., Oregon, at age 76.^8,5 He was buried on 1 April 1982 at Sunset Memorial Park in Coos Bay, Coos Co., Oregon.⁵
     He and his wife Gertrude were both listed as being of Multnomah Co., Oregon, at the time of their marriage in 1926, and both were employed as mill workers.³ They are listed with their son John in Wren, Benton Co., Oregon, in the 1930 census⁹, and he was then working as a boom man for the Planet Lumber Co.⁹ When he registered for the World War II draft in 1940, he was owner of a service station in Lacomb, Linn Co., Oregon.⁴ However, he spent most of his working life as a truck driver, starting by 1944.^5,10

     John Robert Rose was born on 1 February 1906 in Tulsa, Tulsa Co., Oklahoma.² He married as his second wife Gertrude Mandana Mobley, daughter of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham, on 15 April 1943 in Salem, Marion Co., Oregon.^3,4 They were later divorced.⁵ He died on 17 December 1990 in San Bernardino Co., California, at age 84.⁶
     When he registered for the World War II draft in 1940 he was working for General Electric in Ontario, San Bernardino Co., California,² and at the time of his marriage in 1943 he was a laborer in a defense plant.³ He and his wife Gertrude were living at 538 W. Ralston in Ontario in 1945.⁷

     Robert Raymond Russell was born on 24 July 1898 in Barnsville, Lawrence Co., Tennessee.¹ He married first Mayner Pilkington on 16 August 1919 in Birmingham, Jefferson Co., Alabama.² They were apparently soon divorced, for they were remarried on 25 September 1923 in Garland Co., Arkansas.³ They were again later divorced, probably between 1930 when Robert was listed as married in the census, and 1940 when he was listed as divorced.^4,5 On 17 July 1941, six months after being paroled (see below), he married Doris Carpenter in Phoenix, Maricopa Co., Arizona.⁶ They apparently separated within a few months, and possibly divorced, since Robert listed his mother as his contact person when he registered for the World War II draft on 15 February 1942.⁷ On 22 August 1946 he married Mayner for the third time, in Phoenix.⁸ On 23 December 1948 he married as his third wife (fifth marriage) Gertrude Mandana Mobley, daughter of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham.^9,10 He died on 6 May 1960 in San Bernardino Co., California, at age 61.¹¹
     He was born as Robert Russell Fowler, but in 1956 legally changed his name to Robert Raymond Russell, as shown on his delayed birth certificate. He was using that name as early as 1918, however, when he registered for the World War I draft.^1,12
     He was actually registered twice for the World War I draft. In 1917 he was registered as Robert Russell Fowler, working on a chain gang in Gadsden, Etowah Co., Alabama, employed by the county.¹³ At that time he was apparently serving a prison term for burglary. The registration was signed by "W. L. Allen, Warden," and in October 1917 he was listed in a newspaper article as having been denied parole for burglary.¹⁴ He again registered for the draft on 12 September 1918 in Morris, Jefferson Co., Alabama, this time as Robert Raymond Russell. He was then working as a section hand for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in New Castle, Jefferson Co., Alabama.¹²
     He and his wife Mayner are listed in New Castle, Jefferson Co., Alabama, in the 1920 census.¹⁵, and he was then working as a coal miner.¹²
     At some point after his first divorce he moved to Hot Springs, Garland Co., Arkansas, where he was living when he and Mayner remarried in 1923.³ They later moved to Nyota, Blount Co., Alabama.¹⁶
     On 2 May 1928 he was arrested for the killing of Reuben Madison. About a year earlier Robert had purchased a stove, and the payment contract was later acquired by furniture dealer A. J. McCurry. At some point Robert stopped making payments on the stove, claiming it wasn't as advertised, and on 2 May Reuben Madison and Barto McCurry went to his home in Nyota to repossess the stove. Robert went to a neighbor's house where he got a handgun, returned home, and shot both men as they were carrying the stove out of the house, killing Madison. McCurry was hospitalized in critical condition, but recovered. Robert was arrested several hours later near New Castle in Jefferson Co.¹⁶ He was charged with first-degree murder, and his trial began on 7 September 1928. He was found guilty the next day, and sentenced to life in prison.¹⁷
     On 15 September he entered Kilby Prison in Montgomery, Montgomery Co., Alabama,¹⁸ and is listed there in the 1930 and 1940 censuses.^4,5 He escaped on 10 August 1931, and wasn't recaptured until 1 March 1932. He escaped again on 2 February 1935, but was recaptured after just four days. During his time in prison he was granted temporary parole three times, once for 15 days and twice for 3 days. He was paroled for good on 16 January 1941, and five years later, on 27 February 1946, he received a full pardon with restoration of his civil and political rights.¹⁸
     After his release in 1941 he moved to Glendale, Maricopa Co., Arizona, where he was living at the time of his marriage to Doris Carpenter later that year.⁶ He was living in Phoenix in February 1942, and working there for the Salt River Water User's Association.⁷
     He and his wife Gertrude were living at 322 E. Grove in Ontario, San Bernardino Co., California, in 1951¹⁹, and he was working as an electrician.¹⁹

     William Harold Todd was born on 14 November 1906.³ He married Mourna Flora Mobley, daughter of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham, on 15 August 1930 in Corvallis, Benton Co., Oregon.⁴ He drowned on 4 June 1933 in the South Fork of the Clearwater River near Grangeville, Idaho Co., Idaho, at age 26. The CCC searched for him for a time, without success. Mourna's father joined the search, and he and two others continued in a boat, eventually finding his body on 26 June.^1,5,3,6,7 He was buried on 28 June 1933 near his parents' home in Grass Valley, Sherman Co., Oregon.⁵
     He attended Oregon State University for a time.⁵ After their marriage, he and his wife Mourna 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.⁶
     He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps to help support his family during the tough economic times of the Great Depression, and was sent to Idaho where he drowned on 4 June 1933.⁵

     Francesco Repetto was born on 23 June 1901 in Ovada, Alessandria Province, Italy.² He married Mourna Flora Mobley, daughter of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham. 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,³ then again on 19 December 1942 in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co., California,² and a third time on 2 December 1953 in Carson City, Nevada.^4,5 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.^6,7,8 He died on 12 July 1982 in San Joaquin Co., California, at age 81.⁹ He was buried at Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi, San Joaquin Co., California.^10,6
     He immigrated to the United States in 1926, sailing on the SS San Giuseppe. He arrived in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Co., Pennsylvania, on 2 June 1926, and ended up settling in the bay area of California.^2,6 In the U.S. he went by the name Frank.^6,11
     He petitioned for U.S. citizenship three times, first at Superior Court in San Jose, Santa Clara Co., California, on 20 January 1947. That petition was dismissed for "failure to establish good moral character."¹² His second petition was filed on 25 January 1949 at U.S. District Court in San Francisco, San Francisco Co., California. This petition was "dismissed without prejudice" on 28 March 1950 at the request of his lawyer Louis J. Pasquinelli.^2,13 The third petition was filed on 4 August 1953, again at U.S. District Court in San Francisco. This petition was successful. He took the oath of allegiance to the United States on 6 January 1954, and was issued naturalization certificate 7210841. His name was also legally changed to Frank Repetto.¹⁴
     After their marriage he and his wife Mourna lived in Menlo Park, San Mateo Co., California, from at least 1937 to 1942.^15,16
     He was manager of the Palm Hotel in Menlo Park¹⁵, and on 11 March 1937 police raided the hotel and arrested him for possessing and selling ten gallons of "spirits and wine" without a license, and within a 1.5-mile restricted area around Stanford University. He ended up paying a $200 fine.^17,18,19
     In 1948 he and Mourna were listed together in the city directory for Palo Alto, Santa Clara Co., California, at 2265 Bay Shore Hwy²⁰, but in 1950 Mourna was listed at the same address, while Frank was listed nearby, at 2291 Bay Shore Hwy.²¹ 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 #1.²²
     He moved to the area of Lodi, San Joaquin Co., California, in 1957⁶, where he lived in Woodbridge from at least 1960 to 1970, and ran Weien's Tavern.²³ He retired in 1971⁶, and in 1974 was living in Acampo, San Joaquin Co., California.²⁴

     Edna Josephine Mathews was born on 21 May 1899 in Colville, Stevens Co., Washington.² She married, as her second husband, Bryce Raymond Mobley, son of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham, on 1 June 1932 in Vancouver, Clark Co., Washington.^1,3 They were later divorced.² She died on 24 June 1985 in Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon, at age 86.²
     She and her second husband Bryce were living in Ellensburg, Kittitas Co., Washington, in 1935⁴, and in Spokane, Spokane Co., Washington, in 1940, along with her children Walter and Margaret from her first marriage.⁵

     Betty Jane Whisner was born on 22 March 1918 in Tacoma, Pierce Co., Washington.^2,3 She married Herschel Earl Mobley, son of John Bryce Mobley and Lelia May Burlingham, on 14 June 1941 in Couer d'Alene, Kootenai Co., Idaho.^4,5 She died on 8 October 2008 at the Providence Medical Center, Colby Campus, in Everett, Snohomish Co., Washington, at age 90.^1,2
     She and her future husband Herschel Mobley met while he was serving in the Army, at a USO dance in Tacoma, Pierce Co., Washington.⁶ When he was transferred to Spokane she went with him, and they rented an apartment on Walnut St.⁷
     After their marriage they moved into Garden Springs Terrace, a newly-built complex for ranked enlisted men near Spokane.⁴ She was a schoolteacher, and was hired at nearby Hayford School where she taught a one-room class with grades one through eight.⁸