New-York tribune., 1896-01-04

HER ENGAGEMENT TO OLIVER II. T. BEL
MONT ANNOUNCED.

MONT ANNOUNCED
r,o rou.s that Mrs William X. Vanderbilt is to
,ecome the wife of Oliver H. = behnoh' Is py no
means a surprise to many peopie A''"o"e" ''e
engagement was not announced at 'he 'i"ne vi HVr
,a1yhter's marriage to the Duke of Marlborough it
vas talked Of and most people in iashiohaoe ne
.cre satisfied that an engagement really existed
Tho announcement Of the engagement mas now been
,,ollv made but no date has yet been set for the
vaAdng although il Is not unlikely mat II VIII be
celebrated in this city before lohs
Mrs Vanderbilt informed her intimate friends by
note yesterday of her engagement.
Nr. Vanderbilt before her marriage to William
Ki.sam Vanderbilt was Miss Ava Smith a dauGh-
.ar OF Murray Forbes Smith a cotton broker. who.
n.f.re IT,. war had been wealthy. Her family
u,el in Mobile Ala. Mrs. Vanderbilt, who had
.hree sisters was. with them, educated in France
u.r ,llest sister Miss Armcle Smith. has this
,,.r,e- pssscd most of her time with her sister. in
rer home in East Seventy y-secOnd-sj. one of her
sis,.rs was the first wife OF Fernando YZnaga.
fr.r, whom she was divorced. and she subsequently
berame the wife of William G.. Tiffany Still an
other sister married about half a dozen years ago
Baron Fonten!et. a French nobeman.
Mrs Vanderbilt came to New-YOrk near.v twenty
,oars ago having previously met Mr. Vanderbilt
a. White sulphur Springs. Va. She attended one
of The fashionable private schools, and finally be-
came ACQUAINTED with Mrs. Elliott +. Shepard
sister of Nir Vanderbilts who in time gave "A
was az that reception. The young people were
married within year. although the engagement
", kept 4 secret long time. Mr. Vanderbilt took
b.s bride abroad for "A elding trip When they
returned Mr Vanderbilt began to build the white
granite house at the northwest corner of Fifth
ave- AMI Flftv-second-st. Several years later the
Marble House. which was given outright by Mr..
Vanderbilt - his wife. begun.
Mr. and Mrs Vanderbilt seemed devoted to each
o,re~ unit. few years ago. when rumors came Of DO
nesfic disagreemen,s Mr.. Vanderbilt. with his wife
ami a number Of guests sailed from New-York
his new Yacht the Valiant. for trip around the
world in November. 1888 Arrangements were
made for ten months cruise. After cruise Of
nearly five months in Eastern waters. the yacht
reformed 10 Nice. where the party broke Up. The
sudden abandonment of the cruise was "A surprise
10 an save those who board OF the Valiant.
Since the breaking mp Of that yachting party. Mr.
and Mrs Vanderbilt have not lived together. Mrs.
Vanderbilt taking the advice of some of her friends
abroad returned 10 Ncw-York in the autumn OF
1894 AMI went TO Newport. She finally began d.
vorce proceedings in the Supreme Court in this
eifv Her decree Of absolute divorce from Mr. Van
d4rhit was granted 10y Justice Barrett in March
of asst year Mrs. Vanderbilt. by the terms of the
divorce. i j. said. receives an income OF about
t1nsuolo now the Duchess OF Marlborough, and
e%sen emo n0s Years " o and larod Stirring VANDERBILT
Nj Belmont is a divorced man His wife Miss
1erah Whiting daughter Of the late Augustus
Whiting Of this city. Soon after the marriage she
took up her residence in Newport. X. l.. where she
procured a divorce. one child was born. who was
called Maica. after Lady Lister Kaye. who was
an intimate friend of her mother. Mrs. Belmont Is
now the wife OF the lawyer. George Lockhart RiVcs
Mr. belmont is the youngest living son of the late
August Belmont and was named after Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry his great uncle. lie was edu-
Gated at AnnapOs. Md He is a lavish entertainer,
and his ball and luncheon at Newport last summer
were counted among the most nOtah entertain
m.nis of the season He is Il brother of August
Belmont and Perry Belmont. The only surviving
sister l. Mrs :. ;. lIowland