Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-05-26

The REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GREAT
FAMILY AND FORTUNE FOUNDED By THE
GRANDFATHER.
William B. Astor lived quiet. unevent-
fi1l life. He was married to . daughter Of
Gen. Armstrong, President Madisop's sec
retary of war. There are six children.
three sons and three daughters. He died
in 1875, and two years later marble me-
mortal altar costing &200. 900 was erected
in his honor in Trinity church. 1t il esti-
mated that his estate was worth at least
$40. 200, 600. He left 42O0. 600 to the As
tor library, and large sums to variouspub-
lie charities. To every member Of his
family he left handsome legacy. The
bulk of his fortune he bequeathed to his
sons William and Jacob, and between
them he divided equally the fortune left
him by his father. His third son, Henry,
had retired to handsome country seat
on the Hudson. caring little for the pos
session of great wealth.
William and John Jacob are thus left
the present representatives OF the great
family and fortune founded by their grand
father. They are to-day worth probably
more than $4,000, 900 each, and their
wealth is steadily increasing. They are
interested in no business and own not
share of stock in any corporation. All
their wealth is in real estate, in this city
mostly. They own block upon block in
the richest business part OF the city. and
block upon block of the finest brown-stone
palaces on Murray hill. Their sole busi-
ness is to collect their rents and buy more.
property. They never sell. They are
good landlords; that is. they keep all their
property in the best of repair, and are at
tentive to all the wants of their tenants.
But on the other hand they are very
strict in the collection of rents. Like
their father and grandfather, they
are plain and unassumlng. They live
in twin brick houses on Fifth
avenue, which are PLAIN and unpretending
in appearance, but spacious and richly
furnished. There is no show or parade
about them The two brothers are liberal
benefactors of the church, or various
charities. of all public enterprises of merit
and are liberal patrons of musical art.
The present John Jacob Astor has only
one child, William Waldorf Astor. He
has figured more prominently before the
public than any other member of the
family. He was graduated with high
honors at Columbia college. He served
two terms in the State legislature, where
he was conspicuous as conscientious re-
former and painstaking, intelligent law
maker. He is now. by President Arthur's
United States minister to
Rome and may now be reckoned among
the rising young men of the republican
party. He was married several years ago
to a beautiful young lady in Philadelphia
and has two children.
William Astor has had four children.
The eldest, Mrs. Van Allen. died two
years ago at Newport. The second is now
Mrs. Roosevelt. The third is Mrs. Dray-
ton and the fourth, Miss Carrie. only
"came OUT in society last winter. 1t was
she who broke down the barrier between
the Astors and the Vanderbilts by persuad-
ing mother to accept invitations to the
famous Vanderbilt fancy dress ball. She
is much courted by the aristocratic young
men of this city and by many scions of the
old world nobility, but as yet her hand
and heart are free. She has several times
herself as determined to wed
non but an American. and it is understood
that she does not care much tor fortune
as appendage to husband.-New York
Cor, Pttsburg Dispatch.