ABSTRACT
Only William H. Vanderbilt of the New York Central Railroad seemed to have any idea about John D. Rockefeller's abilities and associates; and because he did know, Vanderbilt, as related, was able to make a historic statement. It will be recalled that when he moved to New York City, early in the eighties, Rockefeller was all but unknown in the metropolis. John Rockefeller had moved to the big city from Cleveland because he was planning further glories for Standard Oil and thought that New York was the proper place to materialize them. The company was already dominant in its field. Mr. Rockefeller meant that it should flower into a gigantic combination as the first American trust. The beginnings of the Standard Oil trust were to be seen in 1879, when stockholders of Standard and all affiliated companies turned their stocks over to three employees of Standard.
