Among these was Fairhaven, Massachusetts, founded on land purchased by English settlers of the Plymouth Colony from an Indian chief and his son, who was named Wamsutta.
The situation was aggravated considerably by the American Civil War, as whaling vessels and crews were diverted to assist in blockading the Confederate coastal areas and ports.
By 1900, the whaling industry had collapsed, due in part to the discovery and refining of petroleum from the western Pennsylvania oil fields.
Perhaps realizing both the trend and opportunity, in 1861, in Fairhaven, 21-year-old Henry Huttleston Rogers pooled his savings of approximately $600 with a friend, Charles H. Ellis.
Wamsutta was the son of a Native American chief who negotiated an early alliance with the English settlers of the Plymouth Colony in the 17th century.
This amount was more than 3 entire whaling ship trips from back home could hope to earn during an average voyage of more than a year's duration.
The two young men agreed to sell the entire output of their small refinery to Pratt's company at a fixed price.
In the next few years Rogers became, in the words of Elbert Hubbard, Pratt's "hands and feet and eyes and ears" (Little Journeys to the Homes, 1909).
After joining Standard Oil, Rogers invested heavily in various industries, including copper, steel, mining, and railways.
He was also a generous philanthropist, providing many public works for his hometown of Fairhaven and financially assisting such notables as Mark Twain, Helen Keller, and Booker T. Washington.