The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-08-20

now he is tho richest man in the Unite,
States. When he was a poor, plod
ding bookkcepor his best friends woul,
not accord him any credit for industr,
or sagacitv. What John ID. Rookie
fcllcr does not know about his owl
& wealth would at present make ricl
U men of those very friends. lie prob
ably cannot guess within $l0,0OO,0O0 o
how much money he is worth, without
extensive figuring, says the New York
Herald.
John d. Rockefeller is OF Scotch
parentagc. His parents came TO this
country shortly before the birth Of the
future great magnatc. The family
settled in the western part Of the
New York State on Il small farm
near Moravia. Here the Rockcfellers
rapidly increased until tho family CON
sisted Of father mother. two sons and
two daughters.
From Moravia the Rock cfellcr family
moved to Il farm near Oswcgo. AT
this time John d., the eldest sou, was
Il tall, slender lad nine years old. The
farmhouse occupied by the Rookie
fcllcrs at this time is still standing.
II WAS then and is still owned by MIR.
G. NJ. Lamontc, " well to do farmer.
1t was in his service that young Rocke-
fcllcr earned his first % cents, hocing
potatoes. According to Il statement
made afterwards by Mr.. Lamontc, the
boy did the work slowly, but we'll.
Among the ncighbors young John
Rockefeller had the reputation OF being
rather lazy boy, but even at this
carly aye he showed signs Of the
strong will, calm judgment and per
severance that have since made him
famous. Who shall say that even
while he was hOeing potatoes or plow-
ing corn his mind was not SO active
that his muscles performed their al
lottcd task lazily and mechanically
Endowed with mental activity and
capacities that were perhaps still un-
dreamed Of by himself, young Rookie
feller began TO long for wider field
Of action. IL wAs only dream It's yet.
His ideas were crude, his character
uniformed, his habits unstable and uu-
settled. John is too much Of II
drcamcr,' said the ncighbors. He
viii never make 4 good farmer. While
sowing his wheat nc will hc counting
upon the profits Of the coming harvest.
He will have it I'LL in the market before
Il blade : in sight,
The men who spoke IN this wise are
still planting their corn and sowing
their wheat about OswcGu. Some
fallen into poverty. But the hoy who
dreamed Of unnarvcatcd wheat and
unmatched eggs could buy all their
farm, rOllud into one for a double price.
and then allow the land 10 lie idle until
The end Of time without Inconvenience.
ing hIn;clf in tho lv;.at.
The lathvr Of John d. Nnrk cfc,icr i.
said to be ay.il living in Cleveland
although n ha never occupied tn,
same house vita any CT TINS rhildrln
lie lived and Iuburrd in tlrvclaM,
while his family were yet ia O,wryo
one day many years ago he suddenly
made up his mind that Cleveland wa.
the best place for his family. NJ thi,
time John d. and William Rockctcllc,
WAS attending school at the Owcg,
academy.
The neighbors in pwcgo rrgfcttc,
the departure OF the ltockrtu!lrr& ion
Cleveland. Mrs. Rockefeller was :
strong character, well liked by all
and Il strict disciplinarian Of the ole
school. She brought the two boys VI
rcligiously aud we'll, and when. aftc,
six years residence in Owrgo tnCN
started for Cleveland, both John -
and William were we'll behaved young
stcrs Of ~ or ID.
Instead Of being ruined hy the hustle
turmoil and tcmptutiuus Of ~ larg
city, the young ioekclcllers thrive
under the new conditions. AS {,
John, the elder, it was the very Ihin
for which his soul had been ycarnin,
1t was ~ realization OF the dream tn;
had stricken his muscles with lassitut
in the old farming days.
Three years later we find MAST
John d. Rock ofcilcr grown into
strappirg young man OF l.. His ami
tOns had outgrOwn the narrow limi
Of Il public school, and he made up h
mind to do and dare for himself |
told his mother about it, and then we
his way, looking for IL job. 1t was II
an easy thing to find Il position tn
fitted him.
SO it was that young iockcicl
wandered away to st. Louis. Was
blind chance that led him to acrc
the position Of bookkccpcr for SIN;
produce commission firm in WuL
street: Nothing better could ha
been devised for a thorough trainil
in business methods. Neither did
take Rockefeller any lcngth of time
master everything there was to
known about the commission businc.
lie worked early and late on his boo
and ia the study OF the methods OF /
employers. He saved his money, tt
and herein lies the difference betwc
John ID. Rockefeller and many OF |
contemporaries. who are still kecpi
books in Cleveland.
Young Rockefeller worked with /
Water street commission firm un
he had accumulated something lii
$500. lie was then 10 years Old. Tin
WAS flying and its ilight made hi
restless. lic asked himself why
should not go into business for himsc
His only Inheritance in this world hi
been brains and Il good cOhstituto
With these he had acquired the sm;,
capital with which he proposed to {
wOndrOus things in the future.
IL was in lSIr when John ID. Rock,
Teller, then young man Of -. met
Is. Clark, who IL now Il member Of til
elevator firm of Gardner, Clark
York.
The two young men rented II StOl
and went into the commission busincs
ON their own account. They Succccde
Iii moderate way. Rockefeller cor
tinucd to save his share OF the profit
as he had saved his salary, and in tn
eight years during which the partno.
ship continued he had put aside some