John Francis Dodge (1864 - 1920)

Born 25 Oct 1864 in Niles, Berrien, Michigan, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Ivy S. (Hawkins) Dodge — married 22 Sep 1892 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA

Husband of Isabella (Smith) Dodge — married 8 Dec 1903 (to 1907) in Walkerville, Essex, Ontario, Canada

Husband of Matilda (Rausch) Dodge Wilson — married 10 Dec 1907 (to 14 Jan 1920) in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA

Descendants

Died 14 Jan 1920 at age 55 in Manhattan, Kings, New York, United States

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Biography

John Francis Dodge was an American industrialist known for founding the Dodge Brothers Company, one of the United States' Big Three auto companies, with younger brother, Horace Elgin Dodge.^[1][2][3][4]

Family

John Francis Dodge was born October 25, 1864, in Niles, Berrien, Michigan, USA, son of Daniel Rugg Dodge and Maria Duval Casto.^{[5][4][3][1][6][7][8]} John spent his childhood in Niles, Michigan.^[6][9][4]

John married Ivy S. Hawkins September 22, 1892 in Detroit, Michigan.^[8]Their children included Winifred born 1894 in Michigan^[10][11]; Isabel C. born circa 1897 in Michigan^[12][10]; and John Duval born 1898 in Michigan^[10][13].

John married second Minnie Isabella Smith on December 8, 1903 in South Haven, Michigan.^[14] They divorced 29 October 1907 in Van Buren, Michigan.^[14]

John married finally Matilda Rausch on December 10, 1907 in Detroit, Michigan.^[7][5] John and Matilda raised their family in Detroit.^[12][10] Their children were Frances Matilda born in 1914 in Michigan^[12][5]; Daniel George born in 1917 in Michigan^[12][5]; Anna Margaret born in 1919 in Michigan^[12][5]. John's sister Delphine and her family are found living with his own family from at least 1910 until 1920.^[12][10]

Matilda, Frances, Daniel, and Anna Dodge

Industrialist

Mechanics was a family affair, as John's father was a machinist who owned his own foundry and machine shop in Niles.^[9][2] John and his brother had their beginnings there, but worked toward their own endeavours.

John and his brother Horace moved to Detroit in 1886, where they started working for a boilermaker.^[2] By 1894, they were working at the Canadian Typograph Company in Windsor, Ontario.^[2] John started leaning towards the managerial side of things while Horace was the more gifted of the two with mechanics and inventing.^[2] In 1897, the brothers found another investor to work with them in using a dirt-proof ball bearing in the manufacture of bicycles.^[2][3][4] Just a couple years later, they sold the Dodge-Evans Bicycle Company and opened their own machine shop in Detroit.^[2][3][4]

The company gained a contract to build transmissions for the Oldsmobile Automobile Company, and started to build a solid reputation in the auto parts industry in 1902.^[2][3] Only a year later, they were preparing to manufacture engines for Henry Ford.^[2][3][4] From 1903 to 1913, the Dodges held shares in the Ford Motor Company, and manufactured parts for Ford.^[2]

Their next move was to start their own automobile manufacturing business.^[2][4] They started with a four-cylinder touring car, debuting in 1914, and moved on to ambulances, trucks, and military vehicles.^[2][3][4] The company was very successful, and even had a marine division.^[2] One of their innovations was an oven that would bake enamel onto steel auto bodies.^[3]

John and Horace riding in the back of their first production car.

Several years after John's death, Dodge was purchased by the Chrysler Corporation from he and Horace's widows, making Chrysler one of the three largest auto companies in the country.^[2] Dodge remains a part of their company to this day.^[3]

Death and Legacy

Both Dodge brothers died in 1920, after attending an auto expo in New York City.^[3][4] John passed away January 14, 1920, in Manhattan, Kings County, New York of the Spanish Flu, which he had contracted at the expo.^[1][3][4] He was buried 17 January 1920 at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit.^[2][1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WBK-KT8 : 20 March 2015), John Francis Dodge, 14 Jan 1920; citing Death, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 2,020,938.
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14} Find A Grave, database and images (https://new.findagrave.com : accessed 19 October 2017), memorial page for John Francis Dodge (25 Oct 1864–14 Jan 1920), Find A Grave: Memorial #288, citing Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10} Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Horace E Dodge and John F Dodge", Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed 19 October 2017.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9} History Editors, "Dodge Co-Founder Dies", History.com, accessed 19 Oct 2017
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4} Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; Roll #: 2065; Volume #: Roll 2065 - Certificates: 205726-206099, 18 Jul 1922-19 Jul 1922. Certificate 205738 for Matilda Rausch Dodge
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW9T-7CS : 14 August 2017), John F Dodge in household of Danl R Dodge, Niles, Berrien, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district ED 13, sheet 268D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0572; FHL microfilm 1,254,572.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3V4-3Q2 : 4 December 2014), John F. Dodge and Matilda Rausch, 10 Dec 1907; citing Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, v 4 p 479 rn 58842, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,342,680.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3JG-PQ2 : 4 December 2014), John F. Dodge and Ivy Hawkins, 22 Sep 1892; citing Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, v 4 p 493 rn 12128, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,342,495.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHH8-PQK : 12 April 2016), John Dodge in household of D R Dodge, Michigan, United States; citing p. 34, family 288, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,163.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4} "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLT6-81M : accessed 19 October 2017), John F Dodge, Detroit Ward 1, Wayne, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 22, sheet 13B, family 310, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 679; FHL microfilm 1,374,692.
11. ↑ "Michigan Births, 1867-1902," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQZX-987 : 4 December 2014), John T. Dodge in entry for Winefred Dodge, 27 Mar 1894; citing item 1 p 96 rn 1437, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,322,562.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5} "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ7R-NZZ : accessed 19 October 2017), John F. Dodge, Detroit Ward 1, Wayne, Michigan, United States; citing ED 53, sheet 1B, line 61, family 11, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 802; FHL microfilm 1,820,802.
13. ↑ "Michigan Births, 1867-1902," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQXT-48S : 4 December 2014), John F. Dodge in entry for John D. Dodge, 28 Aug 1898; citing item 2 p 275 rn 4114, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,322,867.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Ancestry.com. Michigan, Divorce Records, 1897-1952 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

• "Horace E. Dodge and John F. Dodge: AMERICAN INDUSTRIALISTS", The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica