OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: John Davison Rockefeller [2]
***********************************************************************
OHGENWEB NOTICE:  All distribution rights to this electronic data are
reserved by the submitter.  Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted
material will require the permission of the copyright owner.  The submitter 
has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently 
for free access.
***********************************************************************
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
Darlene E. Kelley
http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374
August 15, 1999
***********************************************************************
Historical Collections of Ohio
The Kelley Family Collections
Newspaper article, Plains Dealer
compiled by S.J. Kelley-- 1925
And Then They Went West
by Darlene E. Kelley  1998
***********************************************************************

    In the year of 1860, the year of profits of $17,000 and doing
business of $450,000, caused the expansion of the commission business.
Maurice Clark and John Rockefeller, drew $1000 each from the profits.
Renting more space for expansion, Maurice brought into the business his
brothers, James and Richard Clark, to work for the firm, and Maurice
became the buyer. John Rockefeller also brought in his brother, William.

The war came on and as neither partner went to the front, they had full
chance to take advantage of the opportunity for produce business a great
army gives. A greater chance then furnishing army supplies, lucrative as
most people found that, was in the oil business.[So Clark and
Rockefeller began to think.] and in 1862, an Englishman of ability and
energy, one Samuel Andrews, asked them to back him in starting a
refinery. They put in $4000 and promised to give more if necessary.
Rockefeller and the Clark brothers' investment converted Andrews
distillery into a refinery. Rockefeller was only a silent partner and
this firm became Clark & Andrews. James Clark was delegated to represent
their interests at the plant in Titusville, PA.

Now Andrews was a mechanical genius. He devised new processes, made
better and better quality of oil, got larger and larger percentages of
refined from his crude. The refinery grew big, and Clark and Rockefeller
soon had $100,000 or more into it. In the meantime Cleveland was growing
as a refining center. The business which in 1860 one of the most
promising industries of the town. It was but the beginning-so Mr
Rockefeller thought-and in that year he sold out his share of the
commission business and put money into the oil firm of Rockefeller and
Andrews.

In the new firm Andrews attended  to the manufacturing. The pushing of
the business, the buying and selling, fell to Rockefeller. This was the
year of 1863 and they went under the name of Andrews, Clark & Co. In
1864, Rockefeller married Laura C Spelman in Ceveland.

From the start, Rockefellers effect was tremendous. He had the frugal
man's hatred of waste and disorder, of middlemen and unnecessary
manipulation, and he began a vigorous elimination of these from his
business. The residuum that other refineries let run into the ground, he
sold. Old iron found its way to the junk shop. He bought his oil
directly from the wells. He made his own barrels. He watched and saved
and contrived. The ability with which he made the smallest bargain
furnishes topics to Cleveland story-tellers to-day. Low voiced,
soft-footed, humble, knowing every point inevery man's busness, he never
tired until he got his wares at the lowest possible figure. " John
always got the best of the bargain," old men would tell you in Cleveland
today. and they wince though they laugh in telling it. "Smooth," "a savy
fellow" is their discription of him. To drive a good bargain was the joy
of his life. " The only time I ever saw John Rockefeller enthusiastic,"
a man told his friends, " was when a report came in from the creek that
his buyer had secured a cargo of oil at a figure much below the market
price. He bounded from his chair with a shout of joy, danced up and
down, hugged who ever was in sight, threw up his hat, acted so like a
madman that I have never forgotten it."

He could borrow as well as bargain. The firm's capital was limited,
growing as they were, they often needed money, and had none. Borrow they
must. Rarely if ever did Mr. Rockefeller fail. There is a story handed
down in Cleveland from the days of Clark and Rockefeller, produce
merchants, which is illustrative of his methods. One day a well-known
and rich business man stepped into the office and asked for Mr.
Rockefeller. He was out, and Clark met the visitor, " Mr Clark," he
said, you may tell Mr. Rockefeller, when he comes in, that I think I can
use the $10,000 he wants to invest with me for your firm, I have thought
it over."  " Good God" cried Clark, " we don't want to invest $10,000.
John is out right now trying to borrow $5,000 for us." It turned out
that to prepare him for a proposition to borrow $5,000 mr. Rockefeller
had told the gentleman that he and Clark wanted to invest $10,000!  "
And the joke of it is," said Clark, who used to tell the story, " John
got the $5,000 even after I had let the cat out of the bag. Oh, he was
the greatest borrower you ever saw!"

These qualities told . The firm grew as rapidly as the oil business of
the town, and started a second refinery-William A Rockefeller and
Company. They took in a partner, H.M. Flagler, and opened a house in New
York for selling oil. Of all these concerns, John D. Rockefeller was the
head. Five years after he became an active partner in the refining
business, Mr. Rockefeller combined all his companies into one--- The
Standard Oil Company.
***********************************************