The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-01

Lord Harold Stirling and a cousin of
the wife of Prince Murat and con-
nection of the Desha family of Vir-
ginia and Kentucky.
Other stories have it that the Smith
family was so little known in Mobile
that even the news of Miss Alva
Smiths engagement to w. *. Van
derbilt created no excitement there.
For Mrs. Smiths first success for her
daughters came in the announcement
of Miss Alva Smiths engagement to
w. X. Vanderbilt. Mrs. Elliott f.
Shepard had introduced the two. and
although w. II. Vanderbilt had for q
while opposed the match, he is said
to have approved it so completely aft
erward that he bought a beautiful
trousseau for the bride.
The YZnagas and Smiths had be-
come friends at the old New York
Hotel and their fortunes, now that
the two oldest girls had made brilliant
matches, were destined to be even
more closely connected. Young Mrs.
w. K. Vanderbilt, not in a family so
powerful socially then as afterwards,
wanted the assistance of her titled
friend in making her way here; so
Lady Vaudeville returned to this city
in 1888 as the guest of Mrs. Wander
bilt, who named her daughter Con-
suela after her friend.
Fernando Yznaga, brother of Lady
Vaudeville, married Mary Virginia
Smith. This marriage was not happy,
and Mrs. Yznaga after her separation
became Mrs. William Tiffany. w. X.
Vanderbilt put Fernando Yznaga into
a Wall street firm, and he died a mill
lionaire.
Mimi Smith, youngest sister of the
present Mrs. o. II. p. Belmont, mar
ried Baron CASTOR de Fontenilliat, and
the two were supported for many years
by Mr.. Vanderbilt. Thus Mrs. Smiths
marriage of her daughter to one of the
Vanderbilts made the fortune of the
Smiths.
And Mrs. Yznaga's success in mar
rying her daughter to a prospective
duke led to the fortunes of her children.
Her second daughter, Natica, married
Sir John Lister Kaye on Dec. 5, 1881,
having made his acquaintance at her
sisters home. The marriage of Fer
nando Yznaga to Miss Smith enabled
him to win the Vanderbilt support and
make fortune.
The wilson's Triumphs.
Brilliantly as the Yznagas and the
Smiths had done in New York recently
it remained for the Wilson's to illus
trate what a family can do in the mat
ter of notable alliances when the wom-
aires were fewer in the days of the
Smiths and the Yznagas, and 1t re-
manned for the Wilson family to ally
itself with such fortunes as the Van
derbilts', Astors' and Goelets'.
Mr.. Wilson, to be sure. was a wealthy
man when he came to New York In the
late COS, and his position as a banker
gave his chilrren advantages that
many others never enjoyed. Like some
other families, the Wilson's left no high
social position in the South, and first
enjoyed in New York association with
the most fashionable people of the town
they lived in
Mrs. Wilson, who was Miss John
ston, of Macon. Ca. is said to belong
to an old family of that region. She Is
to-day a remarkably distinguished look
ing woman, and has the satisfaction
Of being allied with more old New York
families than any other mother-in-law
that ever came here from another city
Her one son. Oi1ne Wilson, married
Caroline Aston; May L.. her daughter,
Is the widow Of Ogden Goelet: Leila
BeTle is the widow Of Sir Michael Her