John D. was the second child born to William Avery “Bill” Rockefeller and Eliza Davison on July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York. Eventually, the family would have six children: Lucy, William Jr., Mary and twins Franklin and Frances.

Bill was first a lumberman who later listed his occupation as … Read more

Born in 1857, in a log home in Hatch Hollow, Pennsylvania, Ida Minerva Tarbell grew up among the derricks of the Oil Region. Ida’s father, Frank Tarbell, manufactured wooden storage tanks for the oil industry in Pithole, PA. He later became a refiner and producer. In 1872 Frank sympathized with … Read more

Andrew Mellon is known as a financier, industrialist, art collector and philanthropist. While many of his peers built their careers from the ground up, Andrew was born into a wealthy family. His father, Thomas, who created the first “Mellon” bank, brought Andrew into the banking business and positioned Andrew’ for … Read more

Any man who follows solar eclipses around the world and was active on Wall Street for seventy years, should have a perspective on the market and life that is worth considering. This article presents selected quotes from Philip Carret on a variety of subjects.

Business Practices
“Let it be remembered … Read more

1. Does the company have a long record of earnings, with an unbroken, or almost unbroken, record of rising earnings for at least the past 10 years?

1. Has the company’s growth been financed by borrowing money, by the issuance of additional shares of stock, or has it been financed entirely