The Penn's Grove record., 1908-11-06
MRS. AsTOR, RULER
OF SOCIETY, IS DEAD
Long a Leader of the Fashionable
Life of New York.
HEART TROUBLE KILLED HER
Swayed Her Set by Dignity, Not
Northumberland in Reign
Smile Or Frown Recognized or
Denied Social Ambitions.

New York City.-Mrs. William
Astor, for almost half a century the
undisputed head of American society
and the arbiter of the social fortunes
Of Americans in London, Paris, Ber-
lin, Madrid, Vienna, st. Petersburg
and other European capitals, died
from heart trouble in her home, at
No. 842 Fifth avenue. DR.. Austin
Flint, Jr., the family physician, he'd
spent three days and three nights at
her bedside. With him most of the
time was DR.. Billings. They exI
hausted every known resource oil
medical science to save the life Of
Mrs. Astor.
The news was flashed Immediately
the length and breadth of the social
world. Wherever it went it was re-
ceived with sorrow and regret, so
great was the affection in which Mrs
Aston was held by those who so many
years had availed themselves gladly
OF her social leadership.
No untitled woman in the world
PSA hoP OfS1 CACi CloOu 6uCH sTSdl
and far-reaching social power. Her
mere word fixed the social status OF
thousands of aspiring families, not
only here but also abroad. There
were few men or women, however
energetic in their social enterprises,
who succeeded in climbing over OF
under the bars Mrs. Astor reared.
Her ban, which closed the doors OF
the most exclusive set to such aspir-
ants here, operated just as effectively
in the social centres in Europe. On
the other ha.rdjthose who went to
Europe be- &lgE he seal of approval
of Mrs. - { were welcomed every
here.
On this SIZE 4 the water Mrs. AS
was as suprme socially in New
xSsc, Bar H o and the other social
/ centres % e was in Fifth avenue.
1t was ted on all sides that a
wom7 rio could withstand the nleas
of..J : OF the richest families in the
VIZ. for recognition, who could defv
te thunderings of Industrial kings
pom the portals of society, and who
tould command Ward MacAIlister to
cut down her own set from aDnroxi-
mately 1000 to 400 without being de-
throned from her queenship by q
revolution. could do anything she es-
sayed to do.
Mrs. Astor's maiden name was Car
oline Webster Schermerhorn. and she
was born on September %. 1890.
Her narents We're Abraham Scher-
I 1n51orn, a we'll known New York
lawyt and Helen (White) Scher-
/ merh6. The family is descended
from Lcob Janse Schermerhorn, one
of the ,rst settlers of New Neither
land, wo came to New York on the
ship ValRensselaerwyck in 1886.
Five cildren were born to Mr.. and
Mrs. ASH, of whom three survive.
The surviving ones are Colonel John
Jacob stor, who in February, 1891,
weddee Miss Ava Lowle Willing, in
Philadelphia; Mrs. George Ogilvie
Haig formerly Mrs.
Dracon, and Mrs. M. Orme Wilson,
wb|was formerly Miss Caroline AS
to, and whose marriage to Mr.. Will
81 was celebrated at the Astor man.
sion on November 10, 1884. The eld-
est daughter, Emily, who married
Mr.. James ]. Van Allen, of Newport,
died many years ago, and Helen As
tor, who married Mr.. J.. Roosevelt
Roosevelt, died in Ascot, England,
when her husband vas secretary Of
the American Legation in London un-
der Thomas F. Bayard.