The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 800 

JOHN DOBIE.

Agricultural and particularly horticultural interests of Yakima county have
received a great impetus through the activities of John Dobie, one of the many
valuable American citizens whom Scotland has furnished to this country. A
native of the land of hills and heather, he was born in Dumfries, March 16,
1873, a son of Joseph and Janet (Broatch) Dobie, both deceased. For thirty,
years the father was road overseer in one district. In 187;, when their son John
was but two years of age, the parents removed to Cumberland, England, and there
John Dobie received his education. He continued in the mother country until
1893, when he decided to come to America. Having heard glowing stories of the
opportunities offered on the Pacific coast. He made his way direct to Spokane.
Washington, and for two years, or until the fall of 1895, he worked for wages.
During the following winter he hunted in the neighborhood of Chelan Lake, but in
the spring of 1896 turned to the Yakima valley and again took a position on a
ranch, so continuing for a year. Perceiving greater financial returns in
performing his duties in another way, he then made a contract for putting up
hay, thus increasing his earning capacity. The two following years he rented
land and in 1901 acquired title to eighty acres on the lower Naches, to the
cultivation of which he has since given his close attention. Never losing sight
of his purpose, he ever carefully saved his earnings, which at length enabled
him to purchase this land. Mr. Dobie has remodeled the house, has commodious
barns upon the land and also has instituted other equipment in order to
facilitate the farm work, raising grain, hay and potatoes. He has also taken up
fruit growing, along which line he has been very successful. Mr. Dobie is a
progressive man who not only embraces the latest ideas in regard to general
farming and fruit growing but who also has decided ideas upon other questions
which relate to the duties of citizenship and of man to man.

On the 17th of December, 1897, John Dobie was married to Miss Nora Livesley, a
daughter of George and Mary E. (Berge) Livesley, early and respected residents
of the Yakima valley, where the father owned large agricultural interests. Mr.
Livesley has passed away, but is survived by his widow, who makes her home in
Oregon. Mr. and Mrs. Dobie became parents of five children of whom Nora
Elizabeth died in infancy. The others are: Joseph, George Harold, Carrie
Marguerite and John B. In social circles of their community Mr. and Mrs. Dobie
are well known and well liked and the latter is a member of the Congregational
church, in the work of which organization she takes a laudable and helpful
interest.

Mr. Dobie identifies himself with the socialistic party in politics and stands
ever for all measures which promise to he of the greatest good to the greatest
number. He is ever ready to lend a helping hand to those who struggle on in
order to make a living, well remembering the days when he worked hard himself in
order to gain a foothold and to set himself up independently. His interest along
agricultural lines is evident from the fact that he is a charter member of the
Yakima Valley Fruit Growers Association and has served as president of the lower
Naches Fruit (rowers Association, also having been on the executive board. Fully
recognizing the value of irrigation, he has Served for nineteen years as
president and a director of the Wapato ditch. These various connections,
however, do not yet exhaust the subjects which are near his heart, as he has
always been a loyal champion of educational progress and for eighteen years has
served as a member of the school board, using his influence in order to advance
and improve school facilities in his district. All who know him give him their
confidence, to which he is well entitled by reason of his upright character and
honorable career.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.