Kings County CA Archives Biographies.....Dockstader, John Whitmore November 23, 1870 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Kellie Crnkovich markkell95@aol.com and Kathy Sedlar  December 21, 2005, 12:36 pm

Author: History of Tulare and Kings County

A splendid example of the self-made, self-reliant man, who from early boyhood 
has earned his own livelihood, is John Whitmore Dockstader, now prominent as a 
business man and an official at Lemoore, Kings county. He was born in 
Montgomery county, N. Y., November 23, 1870, but was reared in Missouri, where 
he had been taken by his parents when a small boy. When he was fourteen years 
old he found himself obliged to earn his way and going to Nebraska he worked 
there for about a year and then went to Barton county, Mo., remaining there 
three years. At this time he had reached his nineteenth year and he decided to 
come to California and in 1889 he stopped at Tulare where he remained twelve 
months and later engaged at farming near Porterville for two or three years. 
For the next five years he conducted a store and bakery at Porterville, but 
gave that up and during the ensuing four years he was in the barber business at 
San Francisco, whence he came to Lemoore in 1899 to open a barber shop, which 
he conducted until he became a partner in the grocery business of L. S. Stepp. 
After four years he disposed of his interest in the grocery business to Stepp 
and bought back his barber shop, which he operated a year. In 1903 he bought 
the draying business of Mrs. Thomas Winsett at Lemoore, in which his brother, 
Hiram Dockstader, soon acquired a half interest. Besides doing a general 
draying and moving business they handle ice in large quantities, distributing 
it throughout the city. Their enterprise requires the use of four wagons and 
teams, besides a big Packard motor truck which was the first brought to Kings 
county.

In 1899 Mr. Dockstader bought eighty acres of land three miles south of Lemoore 
on which he raises stock and alfalfa. He has also an eighty-acre dairy ranch, 
mostly under alfalfa, and milks fifty cows. This land he rents on a cash basis, 
as he does also forty acres, nine miles south, for farming purposes. He has 
found time from his business to devote to the public welfare, and in 1909 
accepted appointment as city trustee of Lemoore, to fill the vacancy caused by 
the resignation of that office by his old grocery partner, L. S. Stepp; at the 
expiration of the term he was elected to the same office for the ensuing term. 
In 1908 he was elected a member of the school board of Lemoore. Fraternally he 
associates with the Circle, and with the Woodmen of the World. In 1894 he 
married Miss Lulu Kelly, a native of Tulare, and a daughter of H. C. Kelly, who 
long farmed at Porterville and who now makes his home with his sons. Hiram 
Dockstader, father of John W., is a member of his son's household. He was born 
in New York state, married Louada Whitmore, and came to Kings county in 1908. 
John W. and Lulu (Kelly) Dockstader have two children—Lansford and John W. 
Dockstader, Jr.


Additional Comments:
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California with Biographical Sketches - 
Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company, 1913
pp. 524-525	
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler


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