The morning call., 1892-01-25
HISTORY OF THE ASTORS
The Butcher Brothers the Head
Of the Family.

Let me step back 100 years and tell you
about these Astors. / may tell you some
things you do not know, says Julian Ralph
in the Providence Journal When John
Jacob Aston worked bis way down the
Rhine to the sea and skipped to England
away from his sluthIul, lazy, lnn-keepinG
father he stopped in London and went to
work for his brother, successful manu-
facturer of flutes and pianos, and, unless |
am very much mistaken, junior partner in
what IS sill the greatest piano-making
house IN England. though there are no
Astors in it now. John Jacob Astor was
ON his way TO America, and only went to
England 10 stop awhile and learn English
a feat which he had not accomplished when
he died. Wien he reached New York
City, not very long after the close
Of the Revolutionary War, lie had
heard about Tie fur business and had deter
mined to embark in it. It does not matter
whether he peddlrd little before that any
more than il matters whether Jay Gould
sold rat-trapS before lie became a railroad
operator. In time John Jacob apprenticed
himself TO a lur-dealPr and learned all the
tricks end secrets Of the business. But in
the meantime be had come TO this city for
tee same reason he mad gone 10 LOnd0n-he
had brother here This brother was Henry
which would be the more successful of the
two, for Henry was m ghty and cunning
man in business
lie was a butcher in the Bowery, and lived
above his store there. He had married q
chubby, rosy German woman, of whom he
used 10 boast: she was der rOotest gal by
der B0wery."
Now The B0wery was no ordinary street
and Henry was no ordinary butcher The
Bowery was The southern termination OF
the old Boston post road, and down it came
the bulk Of the produce Of the countryside
which was eaten in and shipped from New
\ ork. Among other thlngs. all the cattle
came into town on that road on the hOOf 60
he sold 90 the butchers. Henry knew that and
so did the other butchers. but Henry put
this knowledge to practical use He drove
out II town twice a week ON market days
ana met the. cattle on tie ROAD up in the
country. There he bought the best Of all
the steers and Cnrnered the market. Ii was
lie who thereafter set the prices and sold TO
the other butchers. His young brother,
John Jacob was just as instinct with the
speculative spirit, but he had no money 10
buy with and so he used to borrow of HeGry.
Henry did not like that He distrusted
his brothers shreWdnesS or else lie was
close with his money. At any rate, he loaned
1t to John Jacob unWllingly, and finally
lie met request for loan with bluff
mo" He said he would not be bothered
any more, but this is what he would do:
tie would give John Jacob the sum Of $500
outright as gift If John Jacob would sign
a paper promising never to ask for the loan
Of another penny from that date forever.
John Jacob jumped at the offer. He took
the $500. and perhaps that had more 20 do
with the foundation of the great Ast0r for
tune than any other sum he got in all his
life. ! have heard that there are some
Astors descend Mt from Henry living up
the Hudson River, and that the great and
rich AstOrs have nothing 10 do with them.
/ do not know whether that IS true, or
whether there are such Astors, but if il is
true II Is ali right for Henry unqupstion-
ably parted with the rest OF the family de-
liberately and in cold blood when he paid
that sum Of money to John Jacob so as to
not be bothered by his poor relations any
more.
John Jacob Aston prospered amazingly
lie made millions when it was something
that nobody else uncOnneCted with royalty
appeared able to do, except the RothsChids
in Europe. With those millions made by
putting the entire continent under tax for
Its fuTS, lie established not only a landed
estate but family with principle, with a
fixed purpose lie was of incalculable ser
vice IN the development Of New York, be-
cause he went to districts the city had not
reached and built dwellings for persons of
moderate means. He built them very well,
to last as long as possible, and he rented
them for Il fair return, thus establish
ing moderate system Of rentals with all
the landlords of the city In another
generation an unfortunate split occurred
and the estate and the family have since
then gone forward in two parts, much the
larger part NEARLY two-thirds, | believe)
going to the descendants Of the elder son,
and the smaller part 10 the descendants of
a second son. William Waldorf Aston now
represents the bulk Of the estate, and the
little baby, John Jacob, is heir to the
smaller part But the old principle and
purpose stu lives in all the AstorS. They
still build and extend the city; they still
ask only fair rentals; they still refrain from
gambling, and among the mercenarv hands
which seize our breadstuffs, our coal our
oil and our meats in order to raise the price
Of our necessities, no Astor's palms are in
cluded. That is why we like the Astors.