San
Joaquin County
Biographies
JOHN W. DOCKENDORFF
Numbered among the prominent and
successful real estate operators of Stockton is John W. Dockendorff, who stands
today as one of the foremost representatives of his line of business. A native of Pennsylvania, he was born at
Newcastle on September 6, 1876, a son of Robert and Elizabeth (Reed)
Dockendorff, the former a native of Maine and the latter of Pennsylvania. The father, Robert Dockendorff, was a contractor
and builder and John W. learned the trade under his father, working with him in
Pennsylvania, Illinois, eastern Kansas and Indiana. When John W. was nineteen years old his
father passed away and for the following two years worked at his trade with
other contractors and building, constructing residences and business blocks;
later he settled in Garnett, Kansas, and there took a course in architecture
which enabled him to branch out into larger construction work and his
operations covered several counties throughout Kansas, where he erected court
houses, bridges, etc. He erected the
waterworks plant at Girard and for a short time worked in Chicago; then he
again returned to St. Louis for a time.
In the spring of 1906 he located in Stockton and continued his building
operations, erecting the Wilkes, Pearson-Kuntzen
Block on Weber Avenue, two annexes to the Moline Plow Company’s block, the
Flint Building, the First Congregational Church at the corner of Hunter and
Park streets, one of the finest church buildings in Stockton; the E. B. Stowe Creamery
on Weber Avenue and a number of fine residences. In 1912 he entered the real estate business
as an independent operator, dealing in farm lands and city property. Mr. Dockendorff has witnessed many radical
changes in the prosperity and development of Stockton since the time when the
Stockton Iron Works were located on California Street between Main Street and
Weber Avenue, a coal yard stood on the present site of the Elks’ Building and
the Weber Home addition and the Sherup addition were
grain fields.
The marriage of Mr. Dockendorff
occurred in St. Louis, July, 1897, and united him with Miss Ida Hanson and they
are the parents of three daughters, Mildred, Mrs. G. Reed; Bertha and
Gertrude. He is a member of the Stockton
Chamber of Commerce, the San Joaquin County Real Estate Dealers’ Association
and fraternally is a member of the Knights of Pythias. His interests are thoroughly identified with
those of his community and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and
co-operation to any movement calculated to benefit this section of the country.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
734. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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