Wyandotte County Biographies
"Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas--Historical and Biographical"
Goodspeed Publishing Co., Chicago, 1890
William H. Dickard, the subject of the present sketch, requires no
special introduction to the inhabitants of Wyandotte County, Kas.,
being both well known and liked by all in his vicinity. He is a native
of Indiana, his birth occurring in that State, October 13, 1853, he
being the only child born to his father's first marriage. The father
was a soldier and sacrificed his life upon the battle-field at Resaca,
Ga. He enlisted in the Twenty- seventh Indiana Infantry, was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, so far as the information possessed by his son goes, and returned home no more. Both of Mr.
Dickard's parents were natives of the State of Indiana, the father
being a blacksmith by trade. Though Mr. Dickard received only a
common-school education, he embraced every possible opportunity to
gain knowledge and fit himself for a successful business career. Deprived of his fathers protection, he commenced life for himself at the
very early age of ten years, learning the trade of carriage painting in
Washington, Davis County, Ind. Thus the money that he has accumulated is due entirely to his own industry and perseverance, and
his life forms a good model for young people commencing life without
any other assistance than their own ability. Mr. Dickard married
Miss Lola Ann Watkins, of Tennessee, who was born there in 1860,
and educated in Wyandotte County. They were united in marriage on
December 25, 1878, and unto them have been born four children - two
sons and two daughters - viz. -: Earl, George Etta (a bright little girl
of ten years), William Thomas (aged seven years), Claude (who is five
years old), and Alice (the baby of three years). Mr. Dickard is a man
of firm principles and strict integrity, and one who weighs matters
carefully before deciding upon public issues. His interest in public
schools has been great, and he has devoted much time to their advancement and improvement. ' He came to Kansas upon a tour of inspection in 1855, but did not locate here until the year 1861). When
he first settled in Wyoming County it was far from attractive as a location, there having been no real improvements made at that time.
Land sold for from $10 to 150 per acre that now brings $300 per
acre. Mr. Dickard' s estate is especially valuable from the fact that it
lies within the manufacturing part of the county, and on the banks of
a river. When he first saw Kansas City, Kas., it comprised only
about 500 inhabitants, while at the present date it is a thriving city
of 43,000 population, and growing all the time with wonderful rapidity.
Joseph Doleshal, of Kansas City, Kas., is an Austrian by birth,
being born in that country on June 9, 1861, to Vinzens and Anna
(Habranek) Doleshal, with whom he came to America, at the age of
fifteen years, leaving Hamburg on October 8, 1875, on the steamer
"Willand," and reaching New York City after a voyage of fifteen
days. They proceeded immediately to Columbus, Ohio, and two
months later the father, mother and their children, with the exception of the subject of this sketch, came to Kansas and located near
Wyandotte, and for two years farmed a portion of the land now
occupied by Kansas City, Kas. In February, 1878, they moved near
Hays City, Kas., but after farming there nearly two years, they, in July,
1879, returned to Wyandotte, in which place they are now residing,
being earnest members of the Catholic Church at that place. Joseph
was the tenth of their eleven children, the names of the family being
as follows: William, John, Mary, Antonia, Katie, Anna, Joseph, Katie,
Vinzens, Joseph and Charles. Those deceased are Mary, the two
Katies, the elder Joseph, Anna and Vinzens. John, Antonia, Joseph
and Charles live in Kansas City, and William lives near Hays City on
a farm. All have been married, but Antonia is now a widow. Joseph
Doleshal, the subject of this sketch, remained in Columbus, Ohio, for
over a year after his parents removed to Kansas, and while there, improved his time by learning the tinners' trade. In March, 1877, he
too came to Wyandotte, Kas., and after working at his trade a short
time, he spent a few months in the employ of the Armour Packing
Company, after which he accompanied his parents to Hays City, and
during the following summer assisted his father at farming. In the
fall of 1878 he went to Kansas City, Mo., where for eighteen months
he worked in a meat- market, but returned at the end of that time and
re-entered the employ of the Armour Packing Company, with which he
remained until 1881, holding the position of foreman during the last
six months. From November 1, 1881, until the middle of April, 1882,
he worked in the packing-house of Jacob Dold & Son, and for nearly
a year following this was a foreman in the packing-house of George
Fowler & Son. On June 2, 1883, with the money which he had
labored so hard to win, he and his brother Charles, opened a meat
market on the corner of Fifth Street and Emerson Avenue, they successfully conducting this establishment until May 8, 1885, when they
purchased the meat market at No. 503 Minnesota Avenue, after which
they conducted both markets until December 2-t, 1887, when the
market on Minnesota Avenue was sold, at which time Joseph Doleshal
sold his interest in the establishment at the corner of Fifth Street and
Emerson Avenue to his brother. On June 15, 1888, he purchased two
vacant lots at Nos. 657 and 659 Garfield Avenue, and upon one of
them about March 1, 1888, he began the erection of a two-story business building, 20x60, which was completed by June 1, following. In
it on the 18th of the same month, he opened a meat market and
grocery, and on December 12, 1889, he took as a partner Edward J.
Menninger, and the firm of Doleshal & Menninger has existed ever
since, their establishment being one of the leading ones of the kind in
the city. Immediately after this partnership was formed, Mr. Doleshal began to erect upon his other lot a business house of the same
dimensions as the first, and the lower part of it was soon ready for
occupancy, and into it they moved their stock of meats. Soon after
this a fire broke out, and before it could be extinguished, the entire
upper story of both rooms, together with their stock was destroyed,
entailing the loss of about $4,000, a portion of which was covered by
insurance. Mr. Doleshal immediately set about rebuilding, and by
May 10, was again ready for business. His business block is one of
the best in the north part of the city, and both his grocery and meat
market are admirably conducted. He was married on October, 1887,
to Miss Minnie Menninger, a daughter of Joseph and Mary Menninger,
of this city, and a sister of his business partner. She was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio, September 18, 1861, and has borne Mr. Doleshal a
son, Joseph F., who was born on November 19, 1888. He and his
wife are consistent members of the Catholic Church, and he belongs
to the C. M. B. A., and in his political views is a Democrat. He is a
wide- awake business man, and he and his wife have a large circle of
friends.
David J. Doody is foreman of the label department of Armour's
Packing House, and although he has resided here for a number of
years, he is a native New Yorker, his birth occurring in 1854. He received his education in the Seventh Ward School in New York City,
and after reaching a proper age was a rubber cutter for a gutta-percha
company, and was at times, in later years, in the employ of the Government during different administrations. He is a born leader of men,
and since a boy has been interested in the political affairs of the
country, and for many years has never acted in any other capacity than
that of foreman, in any business in which he has been engaged. In
1878 he came west, and took up some land in Pottawatomie County,
Kas., but subsequently came to Kansas City, and for some time acted
as foreman in a railroad business. He soon became known as a political leader in this section, called a meeting of his party, and was the
means of electing a certain mayor, and as a consequence, was made
deputy superintendent of the workhouse of Kansas City, and held
the position three years. He then entered Armour's packing establishment as a laborer, but was soon made foreman of the label department, and efficiently has he discharged his every duty. He is mild
yet determined in his dealings with men, and is something of a philanthropist, being very liberal in his contributions to all worthy enterprises, and generous and kind to all. He is possessed of far more than
average ability, and his good judgment and intellect have been thoroughly appreciated by his Republican friends, and although he is not
an aspirant for office, yet he has been a member of State conventions
and State senatorial and county central committees. His brother, J.
W. Doody, is at present at work under him, but was formerly a sailor
on the high seas for twelve years, and visited all parts of the world.
He was with the expedition in the interests of the New York Geographical Society, that discovered the spoons among the Esquimaux, that
resulted in the final discovery of the fate of Franklin and his 150 men,
who were lost in 1844. While he was on an expedition to Costa Rica, at
the town of Port Lemonde, several people had died of "Yellow Jack,"
and their bodies were thrown into some box cars, and were carried out
of the town and buried. The cars then returned, infested as they
were, filled with bananas for the United States, hence one of the
greatest yellow fever scourges of the country.
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