T H E R O C K E F E L L E R F A M I L Y

G E N E R A L The Rockefeller family is an American indust rial, political, and banking family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. The fortune was made in the American petroleum industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller, As of 1977 the Rockefellers were considered one of the most powerful families, if not the most powerful family, in the history of the United States. The Rockefeller family originated in Rhineland in Germany and family members moved to the New World in the early 18th century T h e w a y t o m a k e m o n e y i s t o b u y w h e n b l o o d i s r u n i n g i n t h e s t r e e t s .

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER HISTORY The Rockefeller family originated in Rhineland in Germany and can be traced to the town Neuwied in the early 17th century. The American family branch is descended from Johann Peter Rockefeller, who migrated from Rhineland to Philadelphia around 1723. In America he became a plantation owner and landholder in Somerville, and Amwell, New Jersey. One of the first members of the Rockefeller family in New York was businessman William Rockefeller Sr., who was born to a Protestant family in Granger, New York. He had six children with his first wife Eliza Davison, the daughter of a Scotch-Irish farmer, the most prominent of which were oil tycoons John D. Rockefeller and William Rockefeller Jr., the co-founders of Standard Oil. John D. Rockefeller was a devout Northern Baptist, and he supported many church-based institutions. FAMILY RESIDENCES

Over the generations, the family members have resided in some notable historic homes. A total of 81 Rockefeller residences are on the National Register of Historic Places.