San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN V. BARE
Among the successful growers,
packers and shippers of fruit of Lodi, is John V. Bare, who from a small
beginning has achieved his present outstanding success. He was born in Visalia, Tulare County,
California, on February 14, 1881 a son of John and Clara (Parker) Bare. His father, a native of Indiana, crossed the
plains with an ox team in 1849, and settled in Tulare County where he engaged
in farming. Mrs. Bare is a native of
California, a daughter of John Parker, a seafaring man who came into Monterey
Bay as cabin boy on a sailing vessel in 1837 and spent the winter there; he
made other voyages to California in 1847 and 1849.
John V. Bare was educated in the
public schools of Visalia and when a young man took up professional baseball as
a livelihood; he was second baseman on the Visalia team and was in the
Northwestern League, playing in Spokane, Washington, and Butte, Montana. In 1904 he came to Lodi to play on the local team,
playing in California in the winter and the Northwest in the summer. In 1907 he became district manager for the
Producers Fruit Company of Lodi and served in that capacity for seven years,
when he entered business for himself as a packer and shipper. His idea was to give the consumer the best
fruit, packed in the most attractive boxes and labeled, and he was among the
first to pack fruit in that manner. He
started business on a borrowed capital of $500, and his business has grown
until it has reached large proportions.
Later he bought crops in the field and packed and shipped them. He then bought eighty acres near Galt but
later traded it and bought his home place of 320 acres, located about two miles
west of Woodbridge, which he has brought to a high state of productivity and it
is considered one of the finest places in the northern part of San Joaquin
County. In 1920 he added 130 acres to
his holding which is also a full bearing vineyard, thus making a total of 450
acres. He packs and ships all of his
fruit under the “Bare Brand” which is well known throughout the eastern
markets.
The marriage of Mr. Bare united him
with Miss Jettora Watkins, a native of Sacramento,
California, and they are the parents of one daughter, Bonnie. Fraternally Mr. Bare is a member of Stockton
Lodge No. 218, B. P. O. E. Progressive
and enterprising Mr. Bare at all times is willing to give of his time and
means, as far as he is able, to all worthy objects that have for their aim the
upbuilding of the county and state in which he takes so much pride and where
his ambition has been realized.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1275-1276. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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