"Born September 13,1857, on a farm near Derry Church, a small Pennsylvania community, Milton Hershey was the only surviving child of Fannie and Henry Hershey. His mother raised him in the strict discipline of the Mennonite faith. Frequent family moves interrupted his schooling and left him with a limited education. He only completed the fourth grade.

A Bitter Start
Following a four-year apprenticeship with a Lancaster candy maker, he established his first candy-making business in Philadelphia. That initial effort failed, and his next two attempts, in Chicago and New York, went bankrupt as well. Returning to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1883, Hershey established the Lancaster Caramel Company, which quickly became an outstanding success. It was this business that established him as a candy maker and set the stage for future accomplishments."