The Karnes Family Feud

 My mom’s family, very nearly every single one of them on both her mother’s and father’s side live in Pennsylvania. She was born in a tiny, idyllic town northeast of Erie called…well…North East. North East is home to many many vineyards, small farms, a quaint township, and some of my family’s favorite people on the planet, among them are Dave and Marge Montgomery. Uncle Dave is my deceased Gramma’s brother and knew her better than just about anyone, which makes him a precious commodity indeed. His life stories are coveted remembrances among those of us who knew her. Uncle Dave lives on the family homestead, and has for many many years. That home belonged to his grandfather and holds enough precious memories to fill all of Lake Erie.

Once I had dug into my family tree I realized that I had huge chunks of missing information about people that I was curious about. I used every tactic in my niecely trick bag to bribe my great-uncle into divulging details about the family I had questions about. I'd like to think it was my unassuming charm, handwritten letter and pics of his great-great-niblings which influenced my uncle to kindly and patiently indulge all my many questions - although I suspect I could have just asked and he would have answered, because that's the kind of person he is. But I am nothing if not *extra*.

One day, a few weeks after I'd mailed the letter asking for help, I got a phone call from a Pennsylvania number. That’s never happened before. I usually panic when I get a phone call - like an actual phone call from an actual person. But I decided I had better answer it. It was none other than my greatest of great uncles himself, ready to have a chit chat about the family members I had questions about. He answered everything as best he could, and I wrote down as much as I could. I can’t wait to share all of what he told me, but there was one story he told me that was absolutely mind-blowing. It's a story of my family's morals keeping me from potential wealth (and I'm not bitter at all 😅). I shall relay it to you presently.

My great-great-grandmother, Alice Karnes Montgomery, had three children. My great-grandfather (who I can’t wait to do a piece on) Larrimore (I KNOW RIGHT…), Johnny, and Gordon. Baby Gordon passed at birth or soon thereafter, leaving Alice bereft and unable to care for her very ill child and his brother very well at all. Her husband divorced her soon after leaving her to raise these two by herself. She moved back in with her parents David and Sarah Karnes. My story concerns dear great-grandpapa John David Karnes.

Early Pennsylvania oil field ca. 1862

In the 1860s and 70s there was a bit of an oil boom in the county where David and Sarah lived. David was in his 40s, working as a farmer and even did a bit of traveling to Canada. In the year 1870 the oil business picked up and looked to be extremely lucrative. A budding business man from Ohio came up to Pennsylvania with an idea to buy up the rights to the crude oil fields to turn a profit in conjunction with his rail and pipeline ventures. Papa Karnes decided to put some money into this booming business thinking it a good investment. Some months passed, and after observing the business ethics of his business partner he decided he was no longer comfortable associating with him or investing with him. He met with the man and told him he would like to buy out of the company, and only for the amount he put in because he didn't approve of his business practices. It turns out he was not alone - and in 1871 the regional businessmen of the area elected not to sell their crude oil to him either. It didn’t stop the business man from monopolizing oil in Pennsylvania, and eventually nationally, by 1879.

That business man...was John D. Rockefeller.

Source:

“Chapter Three: Growth and Organization.” Explorepahistory.com - Stories from PA History, PHMC Division of History in Cooperation with the Pennsylvania Historical Association and Independent Contractors, 2019, https://explorepahistory.com/story.php?storyId=1-9-C.