The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-05-11
NEW HEAD OF
HOUSE OF Aston
CONTINUED from Page Nine)

William u. Astor had three sons and
three daughters. all of wnom Surviv.
ed him except one daughter, Emily,
who became the wife of Sam Word,
then a member of one of the richest
and most aristocratic families in New
York. Mary Aida Astor married
John Cary, Jr., and Laura Aston, the
third daughter, married Frank II. Del
lano.
The sons were John Jacob Aston, the
third of his name, to whom William B.
Astor left two-thirds of his fortune;
William b. Astor I'd, who was the faith
er of Col Aston, and Henry Aston,
who was eccentric to a marked de-
gree.
John Jacob Astor Sd served as a.
volunteer aid-de-camp on Gen. McClel-
/ lans staff during the civil war. HeI
married Miss Augusta Gibbes, daugh-
ter of Thomas H. Gibbes, who came
originally from Charleston, S. c. His
wife was noted for her interest in
/ philanthropic work. Their residence
! for many years was on the site now
occupied by the Waldord-Astoria, They
had one son, William Waldorf Aston,
who some years ago renowned his
American citizenship and became a
British subject. He now lives at his
estate, Cliveden on the Thames, near
London.
William B. Aston I'd, the grandfather
of Vincent Astor, who is now the head
of the family in this country, since his
uncle is a British subject, was an easy
going man who contented himself with
collecting his rents and watching the
family;J real estate holdings increase
in value. He was the first of the
family and they had five children,
spent much of his time afloat. He
married Caroline Webster Schermer-
horn of the we'll known New York
Family and they had five children,
Emily Astor, Helen Aston, Charlotte
Augusta Astor, Caroline S. Aston and
John Jacob Aston. He died in 1892.
Emily Astor, who died in 1881, mar
ried James j. Van Allen. Helen Astor
married James Roosevelt
She died in 1898. Charlotte Augusta
Aston married ]. Coleman DrGyton and
Caroline Aston married Orme Wilson
Col John Jacob Astor, who until he
went down with the Titanic WAS the
head of the family in this country
was born at Ferncliffe, the country
home of his father, at Rhinebeck or
the Hudson, in 1866. AS the only soI
of his father the care of the estate
fell to him and it grew in value apf
more millions were added to the Astol
fortune. On his mothers side he wal
related to such old New Amsterdam
u families as the Van Der Bogerts, tn,
Beekmans and the Ten Eycks. Hi
mother who died in 1908 was unit
a year before her death the arbiter o
New York society, position that sh
Il
Col. Aston a Real Soldier.
Col Astor's history has been toll
too recently to need repeating in de
tail. He found time while adding t
the Astor fortune to work many hour
daily at a bench, working out idea
in mechanics. He patented many in
ventions, among them marine turbines
on which in 1902 he gave up his rights
dedicating his turbines ito the publ
in the hope that the development @
the ideal turbine may be hastene
thereby" He got his title of Colone
first as a member of the staff of Coy
y Morton. When war with Spain wa
declared he equipped battery an
= presented it to the Government. H
was commissioned Inspector-General c
\ Volunteers with the rank of Lieutel
ant-Colonel. He was in the field
Cuba and did soldiers duty.
AS manager of the Astor estate Co
3 Astor began extensive building operi
tAOll0s On hlo plOpCAlJ at Il AlIh 1NSAh
and Thirty-fourth street he started tn
construction of the Astoria Hotel, az
joining the Waldorf, erected by h
cousin, William Waldorf A'stor. Tn
two were merged into the Waldor
Astoria. He built the Netherland tn
st. Regis and Knickerbocker hotel
He also owned half of the Aston Hous
property. One of his last realty ente
prises was the erection of the A
thorpe apartments at 22O1 Broadwa
For the year 1912 he is taxed on $4l
2O2,SOO of realty, while his cousi
William Waldorf Aston, is taxed
$50, 290, 900, and the William Aston e
tate $16,466,5OO.
Aside from putting up hotels ar
business buildings Col. Astor devote
large sums to his town house at 81
Fifth avenue. 1t cost $1,5OO,OOO an
is ranked among the show places
IL ,lus