Rockefeller
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Rockefeller Surname Genealogy
The placename of Rockenfield near Neuwied in the Rhineland in Germany is believed to be the source of the Rockefeller name. Its roots are rocke meaning "rye" and field meaning "open country."
Genealogists have traced some Rockefeller ancestors to French Huguenots who had fled to Germany in the 17th century. The first in the line was Goddard Rockenfeller, born in 1590 in Neuwied in the Rhineland. He married his wife Magdalena in 1622 and their grandson Johan Peter Rockefeller set off for America in the early 1700's. He settled in Arnwell township, New Jersey in 1723.
America. It was a descendant John D. Rockefeller who established the family's name and fortune in the 19th century. His beginnings were impropitious. He was the second of six children whom his father "Doc" Rockefeller had abandoned in the 1850's to live with another woman.
Rockefeller started his business in Cleveland Ohio, where his family had moved in 1853. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and aggressively ran it until he officially retired in 1897. As kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller's wealth soared and he became the world's richest man. He was an American oil magnate who revolutionized the petroleum industry and later defined the structure of modern philanthropy.
His son John D. Rockefeller Jr was a noted philanthropist and the father of five famous Rockefeller brothers, John D, Nelson, Laurence, Winthrop and David. John D. became a major philanthropist like his father; Laurance a venture capitalist and conservationist; Nelson and Winthrop state governors with Nelson going on to become Vice President under Ford; and David an internationally renowned banker.
The descendants of John D. Rockefeller are now in their sixth generation. The total number of blood relative descendants number about 150. Their legacies include the Rockefeller Foundation, Rockefeller Center in New York, and Lincoln Centre and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, both founded by Rockefellers.
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John D. Rockefeller was the American oil magnate who revolutionized the burgeoning petroleum industry and, in so doing, became the world's richest man.
Nelson Rockefeller was the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving under Gerald Ford.
David Rockefeller was chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Bank from 1969 to 1981.
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The placename of Rockenfield near Neuwied in the Rhineland in Germany is believed to be the source of the Rockefeller name. Its roots are rocke meaning "rye" and field meaning "open country."
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Rockefeller Resources on
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- Rockefeller Family. Rockefeller family history.
Genealogists have traced some Rockefeller ancestors to French Huguenots who had fled to Germany in the 17th century. The first in the line was Goddard Rockenfeller, born in 1590 in Neuwied in the Rhineland. He married his wife Magdalena in 1622 and their grandson Johan Peter Rockefeller set off for America in the early 1700's. He settled in Arnwell township, New Jersey in 1723.
America. It was a descendant John D. Rockefeller who established the family's name and fortune in the 19th century. His beginnings were impropitious. He was the second of six children whom his father "Doc" Rockefeller had abandoned in the 1850's to live with another woman.
Rockefeller started his business in Cleveland Ohio, where his family had moved in 1853. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and aggressively ran it until he officially retired in 1897. As kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller's wealth soared and he became the world's richest man. He was an American oil magnate who revolutionized the petroleum industry and later defined the structure of modern philanthropy.
His son John D. Rockefeller Jr was a noted philanthropist and the father of five famous Rockefeller brothers, John D, Nelson, Laurence, Winthrop and David. John D. became a major philanthropist like his father; Laurance a venture capitalist and conservationist; Nelson and Winthrop state governors with Nelson going on to become Vice President under Ford; and David an internationally renowned banker.
The descendants of John D. Rockefeller are now in their sixth generation. The total number of blood relative descendants number about 150. Their legacies include the Rockefeller Foundation, Rockefeller Center in New York, and Lincoln Centre and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, both founded by Rockefellers.
Select Rockefeller Names
John D. Rockefeller was the American oil magnate who revolutionized the burgeoning petroleum industry and, in so doing, became the world's richest man.
Nelson Rockefeller was the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving under Gerald Ford.
David Rockefeller was chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Bank from 1969 to 1981.
Select Rockefellers Today
- 500 in America (most numerous in New York)
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For other surnames check the select surname page where there are to be found the history and genealogy of more than 500 common and notable surnames in the English-speaking world.