William Avery Rockefeller, Sr.

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William Avery Rockefeller, Sr.'s Geni Profile

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William Avery Rockefeller, Sr

Also Known As: "Big Bill", "Dr. William Levingston"
Birthdate:
Birthplace: Granger, Allegany County, New York, United States
Death: May 11, 1906 (95)
Freeport, Stephenson County, Illinois, United States
Place of Burial: Freeport, Stephenson, Illinois, United States
Immediate Family:

Son of Godfrey Lewis Rockefeller and Lucy Rockefeller
Husband of Elizabeth 'Eliza' Rockefeller and Margaret Levingston
Ex-partner of Nancy Brown
Father of John Davison Rockefeller, Sr.; Clorinda Rockefeller; Cornelia Rockefeller; Lucy Briggs; John D. Rockefeller, Sr. and 5 others
Brother of Melinda Harris; Olymphia (Olympha) Rockefeller; Norman Rockefeller; Sally Ann Rockefeller; Jacob S. Rockefeller and 12 others

Occupation: Snake Oil Salesman
Managed by: Private User
Last Updated:

About William Avery Rockefeller, Sr.

Big Bill abandoned his family and assumed the name William Levingston. As William Levingston, he married Margaret Allen. He had 6 children with Eliza (1st marriage), none Margaret (2nd marriage), and 2 children with Nancy Brown.

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From FindAGrave:

Dr. William Levingston is the pseydonym for William Avery Rockefeller who was the father of John Davidson Rockefeller, the richest man in America at the turn of the 20th century.

"Dr. William Levingston" was not a real medical doctor but rather a vendor of proprietary (patent) medicines. He was also a proven bigamist. In fact, [...] although he did not first get married until the age of 27, by being a bigamist William Avery Rockefeller was able to be married a total of 103 years even though he died at the ripe old age of 96.

He was married to Eliza Davidson for 52 years and to Margaret Allen for 51 years.

Reference: Chernow, Ron. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. New York: Random House, 1998.

Further note: He should be listed [...] as both William Avery Rockefeller and Dr. William Levingston.

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William Avery Rockefeller, Sr.'s Timeline

1810
November 13, 1810
Granger, Allegany County, New York, United States
1838
February 21, 1838
Richford, Tioga Co., New York, USA
1838
Ontario, Canada
1839
July 8, 1839
July 8, 1839
Richford, Tioga, New York, United States
1839
Ontario, Canada
1841
May 31, 1841
Richford, Tioga County, New York, United States
1843
August 24, 1843
Moravia, Cayuga County, New York, United States
1845
August 8, 1845
Richford, Tioga, New York, United States