John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, on a farm in Richford, New York. He was the son of William Avery Rockefeller and Eliza Davidson Rockefeller. He was the second of six children. At a young age Rockefeller and his family moved to Moravia and then to Owego, New York. Then the Rockefeller's moved to Cleveland, Ohio. John entered Central High School where he completed his high school education. While in high school he rented a room and joined the Erie Street Baptist Church. He left high school in 1855 and went and took a three- month course on bookkeeping at Folsom's Commercial College. The course was six months long but John completed it in three months.

Rockefeller started work at the age of 16. As a clerk in a small produce firm. He was not paid until he had worked three-months, when his boss Hewitt gave him $50 he told...