Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-07

OF 1874 entered the service OF Robert
Bovine, kind-hearted old Quaker, at the
munifcent salsry of SO week and his
board. His business was beating and
packing furs. He worked faithfully, and
at the end of the first month his salary
was raised. Here he worked for two
years, learning the details OF the fur bust
ness, and in 1856 get up little shop of his
own on Water street. He did all his own
work, buying, beating, packing and
selling his skins, laboripg from
dawn till dark. Following the
hint secured from his companion on his
voyage to his new home, he made long
Journeys with pack on his back to the
hunting grounds Of the Mohawk, Seneca,
Oneida and other tribes Of Indians, max
ing his tiresome and perilous trips return
him handsome profit. He thus became
an expert in the choice of fae fdrs, &C
quiring q love for the business that
amounted to an enthusiasm, which he
displayed in after years by hanging the
walls OF his office with the choicest furs
instead of pictures.
He had now become prosperous enough
to afford to marry, choosing for his wife
Sarah Todd, a connection of the Brevoort
family. Besides her pretty self, his bride
brought him $500, which the thrifty BRIDE
groom insisted on seeing counted down
before the marriage was solemnlzed.
Mrs. Aston entered heartily into her hus-
bands schemes for increasing his wealth,
and soon became even more expert than
he in the selection Of turs
and skins. In 1880 he retired from bust
ness worth $20,000,000, which was
doubled by judicious investments in real
estate during the remaining eighteen
years OF his life. Age mellowed the hard
tis;ed old German end he gave $4,000 to
the poor Of his native town OF Waldorf
and $4,000 for the founding OF the As
tor Library, besides some other charitable
| legeciss. He died in 1913 by far the
wealthiest man in the country at that
time.
! The Astor fortune has been unlike most
American fortunes in another particular
besides that OF exciting little envy. 1t has
lasted through four generations and is
constantly increasing. The rule has been
that the SONS or grandsons, at farthest
squandered III riotous living what the
fathers OF grandfathers accumulated. The
fortune of $40, 900, 900 left by John Jacot
Aston nearly forty years ago hss
grown from 100000, 600 to $780,
100000 in the hands of his name
sake and grandson and will soon descend
to his greet-grandsor. William Waldo1
Astor, increasing at yearly rate of from
ten to twenty millions. The reason fo
this is that the Astors of each generation
are educated in the thrifty German habit!
Of the founder of the family. Instead 0
doing what the average American wht
achieves fortune does, declaring that h
does not want his boys to undergo tn
hardships and trials that he wen
through and teaching them nothin,
about money and its value ex
cept the readiest and foolishest way t.
get rid of it, the Astors have trained thei
sons in all the details OF the management
OF their immense estate. They ar
taught to avoid kite flying speculations
to live plainly and unostentatiously an,
invest their Accommodations in more res
estate. The result is the Aston estat
has not lacked 8 judicious manager 70
three generations, and will soon fall int
the hands Of fourth, who promises to b
as thorough man OF business as hi
thrifty ancestors.
William Waldorf Aston, who will in
herit the dollsrs-With ell their accre
tiong-of his fur-dealing greot-grand
father, is the first one of the family t.
take part N public Affairs. AS membe
of the New York Assembly and Ministe
to Italy, he has acquitted himself wit
credit.