He spent the early parts of his life working the railways around New Haven, Connecticut as a clerk, express agent, and conductor.
He grew up on family farms around New York state and Castleton, Vermont before leaving home at the age of 19. Edwin Laurentine Drake (Ma– November 9, 1880), also known as Colonel Drake, was an American businessman and the first American to successfully drill for oil.ĭrake was born in Greenville, New York on March 29, 1819, the son of Lyman and Laura Drake.
