Editing Edwin Drake (section)

==Early life==
Drake was born in [[Greenville, Greene County, New York|Greenville, New York]], on March 29, 1819, the son of Lyman and Laura Drake. He grew up on family farms around [[New York (state)|New York state]] and [[Castleton, Rutland County, Vermont|Castleton, Vermont]], before leaving home at the age of 19.  He spent the early parts of his life working the railways around [[New Haven, Connecticut]], as a clerk, express agent, and conductor. Drake was a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-02-20 |title=Famous Freemasons in History {{!}} Freemason Information |url=https://freemasoninformation.com/masonic-education/famous/famous-freemasons-in-history/ |access-date=2023-03-14 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=34 World-Changing Inventions by Freemasons - MasonicFind |url=https://masonicfind.com/inventions-by-freemasons |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=MasonicFind {{!}} Find Information About The Freemasons |language=en-US}}</ref>