The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-05-21
COMMODORE WANDER BILT'S
WIDOW,
Her Death in New York at the Age
EOrty-siX Years

~ @NO" AOAA az thO NO "
FOrty-siX Years.
Mrs. Frank A Vanderbilt, the sec
ond wife of Commodore Vanderbilt, |
died at her home, No. 10 Washington |
place, New York, yesterday morning, |
of pneumonia. She was attended by |
her mother, Martha Crawford, her on |
ly brother, Robert l.. Crawford, and
his family, and the Rev. DIR. Charles
+. Deems, of the Church of the Strang-
ers. She was conscious to the last, but
suffered much pain. Her illness, in its
acute phase, dates from week ago.
Mrs. Vanderbilt was about forty-siX
years old. She was born outside of
Mobile, Ala, whittier her father, who
came of Virginia family, had re-
moved his planting interests a short
time before. He died of yellow fever
when Miss Frank was child, and his
| widow then built herself a house in
Mobile. The War CT the Rebellion
swept away much of the property of
the Crawfords, and they came to New
York in 1866. The mother and daugh-
ter became members of the Church of
Strangers, and the discovery of the
existence of distant relationship
between the CraWfords and Com
modore Vanderbilt led to social In
tercourse between the two families.
Mrs. Crawford's mother was Miss
Hand, and the Commodore's mother
was Hand, the two being first or
second cousins. The Commodore's
: first wife, Sophia johnson, had died in
; 1867. Meeting Miss Crawford, he
soon became enamoured of her, and in
the summer of 1869 he made her pro-
posal of marriage. The Commodore
: was at Saratoga, with more on his
= mind about romance than about his
: usual campaign of five-point euchre,
and Mrs. Crawford and her daugh-
ter were summering there. 1t is said
!, that the Commodore made up his
s mind to his second marriage with the
n sUddenness and decision with which
he carried out his railroad strokes
When he proposed to her, Miss Craw.
e ford consented on the condition that
It DR.. Deems should perform the cere
f mony. He was telegraphed for, bal
O was out of New York on visit. A
- telegraphic search for him was for
: hidden by the Commodore's aversion
e to revealing his plans until they haC
u been carried out. He pursuaded tn,
o lady.to leave Saratoga without exciting
- attention there, and the two then has
" tened over the New York Central, tt
3, London, Canada, where, on August 81
O young Wesleyan minister performet
the marriage ceremony. AT the tim
the Commodore was in his seventy
70 fifth year. Subsequently the old maj
- is reported to have remarked: g
" didn't want to raise a noise in tn
n United States; SO l slipped over tn
le border and had it done in a jiffy, an
i. 1 guess the knot was well-tied."
- A story told some years ago goe
III that DR.. Deems, who was dining on
o. day with the family, began talzin
Id jocularly about the marriage. "Com
~ modore," he said, indicating tn
~ mother, "this is the lady you ought t
have welded" ooh, no." replied tn
1t Commodore, gazing with sal
u isfaction on his mother-in-laV
tu elf 1 married her. Frank woul
" have gone off and got some
ST body else. Now 1 have ther
IN BOTH"
A. Mrs. Vanderbilt was left widoy
N in 1877. By his will the Commodor
VI left her $4,000 in United State
D bonds, 1000 shares of New York Ger
fe trail stock and the house and lot Nc
ia 10 Washington Place, with furniture
= pictures, etc. The widow has travel
" ed a good deal since the Commodore
ne death, and recently bought summe
place at Seabright, N. j., the deed
arriving Saturday.
d. It does not appear, from the above
or that there is the least foundation flo
~ the story that this lady was once th
g wife of a certain Texas editor.