Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-12-18
THE VANDERBILT FAMILY.
Sketches of the Commodore of william
II. and his Children.

IL. and his Children.
The late Commadore Vanderbilt, father
of the late William II. Vanderbilt, was
native of Staten Island. He began life
with nothing, but he had the instinct Of
accumulation, got ahead, became al
owner of steamboats, and proprietor of the
Staten Island ferry, and finally the great
railroad magnate, who, when the New
York Central road on one occasion de
clared a scrip dividend of twelve millions
swept eight millions of scrip from the
table into his pocket. His first wife was
Sophia johnson, daughter of neighbor
on Staten Island, and they had thirteen
children. When he died Jan. 4, 1917, he
left nine children living, two sons and
seven married daughters. The sons were
VIM. ii. and Cornelius j. The former
was born at New Brunswick, n. j., May
S, 1921, the commodore being at
the time engaged in steamboat
enterprise which required his resi-
dence in New Jersey. The young Van
derbilt spent his early years, Il roy STEERING
gamin, playing about the Vanderbilt
homestead on Staten Island, and old resi-
dents of Richmond county have no end of
stories about the lusty lad. He got such
schooling as the Island afforded and at
twelve years was placed in the Columbia
tbnn and fnr siY vonrS not ~ frnoL a,. n,i
e,nir traininn tbere liz oo n Hua,'
Nv h,s f,thsra s ~ cInrk in thn hdp, ,iti
house of Drew, Robinson & Co.. of Wall
street, then one of the largest firms oper
ing in the market. He did not take much
nn,,n1olara ,rn. ,'rt nt III ',iU Iit t ~
vomnaotar n va" IN rou "o az ,tV,a ~ tne
3IindsJ tn him on Liool, ~ ~,
vnnrs Of crorl,in I'rolta 100, ~ lii
and 70 tand or 10 cbra,in ,i9 1,i'.,'d,i
hi. father hn,iH,, hn,,I,bt III, so,oytp ~"
acres If ,,nimnr9yoJ iomd '' 49, 81. ANY
staten Island he tool ne vnun,, W. f.
tbare and eat r. ,yori, Irith S,;ol' n,d
enerTv that he NOT onIv ria,,ad tha sa,.,,
tv,fiTs acres Int soon had 49,, ,,.,,l,,
nnrchosed md 250 ncrao ,,rIor .S 80, 'i''o'
p'' Wr Vandarhiit tnoiiv o "ni, Uiop' o5
income from tha New Eron FAM, nj Lo
narnn ono Of tha n,nst ,1ra,ri i,, ~, CIV
IN STATEN leland ;Tbp Stntan Isl,rd pniI.
rn,J cnmnnn" ha,i,,r honn, ' o,,i. ia"ii
cd Mr. Ennderhit snG lis , VIA I .,.9
entorad tho r,nnnnonnnt ia fn,.n,a, ~,
ino anno in, rn"ei,ar ny ho' pI
inS "p I'M, ~, ~ thlo poail 'pil
no Tu, WOW ord 'e ,.iE IHpemseSi anu pA
of IL ditiic mir, MA xo .'te Io'
Ta, ~ 80 hinI s,oh 80 nii',ht 800 IN
,oad etTair, nnd 80, i,,'i, Ei ~ o.
nniuinn nf c,artoin c"n;taIj.ts nmd - s,o'!t
bpdnr. that in 1891 ho rns oo a.,,. ricn
nraoidant Of tho w, w nrJ iI,rI tCo
md in tses 81 ~ 'do, a'' p;,,d,. H.,
'uhioi rnGor III '''n,,n,,n,no,+ ho',. i,no
,,.nSnar"ms thnt ho 80
rn's,,;,oI ~ 49, ~, ;i, n .',' = y
nf l. 9n,TIad"o and axy1a,io,,na ~ '
no nonfida,,ce nf ~ cn,'n Iu, W
f fmT S WAN VI '"' 'o"'ino''oie w tue
i" These positions in f.ct wore civ.p to
NJ Vo,dorh;lt thrnrr,S +ro ,'on 20
bis f,thnr who bah itI 81
tho nnoe f ~ tho Ct", wv. ;
49,, ,,i II Wy - 80. io'''iu 49,
mi ti,,ir ms gu ttiro iS
lie nsSnmnin tb ,,; az o,ae ;t.io ~
bosa tI pIusuGiGH
nono VI n'ieel anu I'm ~
aNum"vi aUii n.s haalouS sources or IN
ready ana i' IN 1s7a b ovVo,S we , ny az
te"S en- ~ III uie M"S ina.'e WY PFC,
e,, p u, e,e H. On IN Len.lal gnu ~ 'u
n 1'i ~ E oti " S.e pieS''eho9 Vi
M Mni'ii ne ,oSee..ed IL 100, ,.,,..
IA , 10 Iii M ""p oPei,ttni II.
anu ne e 1;3 wei, Inc 1ia c9mmoaors
thera IN" -, p"s,n MS utbts, anu
WI" th nj NH WIio U,i 'Hu ole,
i inS vi .lie WI, W iiiiali II. az lpui i 70
tho 1891 Tho, fld ~ Uie p,tih vi
VnJori,;I+ iii vW .; t1
,,d eiDtnr "sir ~ f
mn, H. u. vnue'' ,ne us WIN ooili
piu,iii9 e, ~ puS'iiS MS ellel ototiler
rounu lh IN H OF uoilars. me subsequent
oa ;d " Soieiius - eiiueu WIN ms , SUI
oiSS a. ~ uieni'a,'i i'otei On Aplii - too-
r, l.n ine G,ose vi ,Ie VIII contest W m
"a , nanueioli. to ,h nil,iseii IN uhuiSput-
t t posStship pa ~ ole Eruut raironu proper
.les whicl, i,au oeell p,tiii up ny MS idlher
ana ne pushed the'n'Wiih VlSor IN every
ulreclioh. ne hau not the taste Tor wall
street speculation whlch ms lather nad
siomh' o siIo he LAS has seneraily peen on ,he
,'li slue: once ne was loser on a
niue i trahsacti9n IN Jersey central Dohds
anu 'neh lo!lhu ,hat lhe comlhodore had
been the gamer ny ms loss Inc railroad
system wnlch came uhuer ms cohtrol, as
II naa DeeLi IN laGI before me coinmo-
Hores ueatn, inciuaeu nqt only me New
fork central ana me Harlem, but the
Lax onore aliu M,icml2all 0ehIrai, Known
as Ihe aiuelpilt system; subsequent,
~ ne went mo teleEraph STOCK ana had
vast interest IN tne estern Union com
Pahy, Whlle III Ine ohioh racine his mold
lhSs were very large;
IN loti MI. "uh' IL; NanuerDilt married
MISS Nissan, the daughter OF New