THINK BIG

In the year 1839, a pivotal moment in history marked the birth of John D. Rockefeller, the first child in a destitute family of peasant farmers. Hailing from a small town with a population of less than a thousand, the Rockefellers found themselves ensnared in the harsh grips of poverty, struggling to make ends meet.

At the heart of this narrative lies the enigmatic figure of John's father, known to the townsfolk as Devil Bill. In stark contrast to the conventional role of a supportive patriarch, Devil Bill was a multifaceted individual with an eccentric repertoire of skills. From athleticism and ventriloquism to hunting and hypnotism, he dabbled in a myriad of pursuits. Notably, he even demonstrated a peculiar talent as an animal trainer, once winning a bear in a competition and transforming it into an unusual household pet that could perform tricks.

However, Devil Bill's actions were as unpredictable as his skills were diverse. Rather than contributing to the well-being of his struggling family, he frequently absconded from their lives, leaving John and his siblings to fend for themselves for extended periods. These abrupt departures thrust the Rockefellers into a cycle of deprivation, grappling with hunger, cold, and the dilapidation of their meager abode.

The paradox of their existence became most apparent during Devil Bill's sporadic returns. In a confounding turn of events, he would resurface in the dead of night, arriving in a luxurious carriage and lavishing the family with toys and gifts. This stark dichotomy perplexed John, as his family's daily reality oscillated between abject poverty and fleeting opulence.

The root of this perplexing lifestyle lay in Devil Bill's clandestine activities as a con artist. Whenever he vanished from their humble abode, Bill assumed the alias of Dr. William Levingston, embarking on a journey from town to town. Operating on the fringes of legality, he peddled purported herbal remedies and potions to the vulnerable and desperate.

As Bill engaged in his duplicitous pursuits, Jon's mother was left to shoulder the burdens of their impoverished existence. In a desperate bid to make ends meet, she enlisted John's help on the farm. Together, mother and son toiled under the weight of their circumstances, grappling with the daily hardships that defined their lives.

The Rockefeller household became a microcosm of societal contrasts, where the whims of a duplicitous father dictated the family's fluctuating fortunes. The crumbling walls of their old house bore witness to the struggle for survival, while tattered clothes served as a visual testament to their financial destitution. Nights were endured in hunger and cold, a stark reminder of the harsh realities that poverty imposed upon their existence.

Despite the adversity, John D. Rockefeller's formative years were shaped by a complex blend of hardship and occasional glimpses of affluence. The inconsistency of his father's presence and the stark disparities between scarcity and abundance instilled in him a resilience forged in the crucible of poverty. Little did young John know that these early tribulations would become the crucible for the indomitable spirit that would propel him towards becoming one of the most influential figures in American history.