Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-22
A RICH MANS ROMANCE.
The Early Love, Courtship and Mar
rage OF John Jacob Aston.
New York Journal

The frowns of a stepmother, it APP.
pears, Indirectly laid the. fouu-
dation for the millions of the Astors.
born in the village of Waldorf, on
the banks of the Rhine, in 1853. His
father was a butcher. He forced his
sons William and Jacob to work from
morning until night while he enjoy
ed himself with his neighbors at the
tavern. The mother of the Astor
boys died while they were young. The
father married again, and the mother
less boys for several years passed
through siege of terror. John ia
cob, the eldest, seems to have received
more than his share of the trials.
During the day he would go from
door to door with heavy basket of
meat on his shoulder, and when night
came would prefer the soft side of a
plank with the horses rather than
brave the scowls of his stepmother.
At the age of 1G he babe good by to
his native village and started out to
better his fortune. Sixteen years
later the boy who had been driven
from his home on the Rhine, had
accumulated $3.50, 900 in honest mon
ey. In 1913 he died, leaving $50, 900, 600
The two generations of Astors which
followed increased and enjoyed this
mammoth fortune.
Mr.. John Jacob Astor of to-day,
who is about to celebrate the evacua-
ton of Holland by his grandfather,
is man of fine aud polished manners,
of a retiring nature, deveting his time
chiefly to society and charities He
was born in 1923. The home of his
parents, then in the suburbs of New
York, was surrounded by green fields
and stately trees. After that portion
of the city was built up the old man
sion remained intact at Broadway
and White street. Later it gave place
to magnificent structure, which was
erected as monument to mark the
location of the Aston homestead.
Young Astor was borne and raised
in luxury, receiving every advantage
of a moral and intellectual education.
His early days were spent at the
magnificent country seat at Rhine
beck, on the Hudson, which was after
the English style. A family chapel
on the borders of the estate was used
as school, which was superintendent
by professor of high degree, and at
which the children of their neighbors
comminglei. y John Jacob in his
boyhood was of reserved demeanor
and retiring disposition. very diffident
in society, aud showed poor advan-
tage the thorough education of which
he was possessed. AS years passed,
however, this gradually disappeared,
only to return, however, with his
first love.
Thomas Gibbs was southerner who
had made an ample fortune in land
speculations in South Carolina and
had brought his family to New York
to enjoy the ease and comforts the
large metropolis afforded. Mr.. Gibbs
and the father of young John soon
became acquainted through business
intercourse, and John Jacob and VIM.
B. were soon introduced to the Gibbs
household, where they became ac-
quainted with the fair daughter of
their host, a maiden of the Southern
type of beauty. Just ripening into
womanhood Miss Augusta Gibbs
was of noble character, talented and
dignified, in every way worthy of the
consideration and love of an Astor.
John Jacob learned to love the fair
Southern maiden, and q romantic
courtship followed. The young girl,
with her parents, were frequent visi-
tors to the Aston country seat on the
Hudson. Here the young couple,
seated in the shady bowers of the vast
the broad beach of the Hudson by
moonlight, plighted their troth and
laid plans for their future happiness.
In the social circles of this city young