John D Rockefeller, Sr. was born in Richford, NY on July 8, 1839 to William Avery Rockefeller and Eliza D Rockefeller who taught John how to work, save, and contribute his earning to charities. By age 12, he had saved over fifty dollars ($50) by working for neighbors and raising Turkeys (Poole). He later attended Ottawa Academy in New York where he excelled in mental arithmetic and was able to solve problems in his head easily. His family moved to Cleveland, OH in 1853 where he would attend High School and become part of the debate team. Rockefeller would continue his education in 1855 and attend Folsom Community College for 10 weeks where he acquired the intellect needed to increase his business venture. With his expertise in …show more content…
With Rockefeller’s knowledge growing each year, it was no surprise that he began to engage in investment and trading of his own. This led to the formation of his first partnership with neighbor, Maurice B Clark, in the produce commission business. Soon after in 1863, Andrews, Clark & Company built their first oil refinery. As the Civil War raged on, Rockefeller developed his thriving business and in February 1865, bought out the Clark brothers at auction and established the firm of Rockefeller and Andrews. As the oil business was steadily increasing, Rockefeller and his brother built their second refinery in Cleveland in 1866 and joined with Henry M Flagler to create the firm Rockefeller, Andrews, & Flagler (Poole). This was now the largest oil refinery in the world with two company owned refineries, and a marketing subsidiary in New