The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-12-10
HELD ON FOR 200 YEARS.
How the Owner Of a Vast CITY Estate
Chung to Family Policy.

The death recently in California !
of John G. Wendell, head of an old |
New York City family, which is ore
of the largest owners of real estate !,
here. will probably serve to throw
into the hands of his four surviving
sisters between $50,00O,OO and $780,
100000 of the choicest real estate in
the city. Much Of this property is
in unimproved lots and in parcels on
which the buildings are of little
va lue.
1t has been the family custom fer
200 years TO will real estate holdings
to surviving members Of the family,
and if Mr.. Wendell continued this
custom his four sisters will each
own, including their present hold
! ines. $2O,O0O,0O0 worth of real es-
tate, including many lots whose pro-
duction of income could be greatly
increased by the erection of suita-
BILE buildings.
Mr.. Wendell died at the home of
his nephew, H. C. Holwedel, at San
ia Monica. near Los Angeles He
was stricken with paralysis after a
recent trip to the Pacific Coast, ard
a week ago his physicians abandon
ed hope.
The surviving sisters are Mary E.
| A. Wendell, Rebecca A. D. Wendell
Swope, Ella Won E. Wendell and
Georgiana G. r. Wendell. Another
-rs,5ee !, sase si;:lc, died last spring,
and, in accordance with the custom
of her family, divided her 5000, 900
estate among her brother and Sis
ters.
For more than 200 years the Wen
del family, Of which John G. Wen
del in recent years had been the
head, has been buying real estate in
Manhattan and vicinity while fol-
lowing a policy Of rarely, if ever,
selling and as rarely making i'm
provements on holdings when i'm
provements could be possibly avoid
ed.
AS a result of this policy John G
Wendell, a bachelor in his eightieth
year and sometimes spoken of in
print as 'the Russell Sage of Broad
way" had been managing personal
ly fortune in realty valued by some
as high as $50, 100000.
"In 200 years or more we have not
sold a piece of property in New
York and we never SHALL" Mr.. Wen.
del was quoted as saying in 1909
this when he was interviewed about
= the fight he was then making ag Gains
the condemnation of his property a.
l 40 Dey street by the city in order tt
l make way for a new subway terml
nal.
9 Mr.. Wendell never went in for cf
flee display at his business headquar
ters at It's Broadway, wnere OK
I w1o wished to see him climbed tw'
e fights Of wooden steps and foun'
d Mr. Wendell among ancient safes ant
2 hign old wooden desks at whlc
u book-keepers and clerks stood a
L. their work
n A sign confronting one on the OF
fee wall upon entering has been tn
S business text of the house from MI
'e Wendel's day back to the days Q
e. the grandfather, Jonn G., for who1
a. ne was named, and for generation
10 beyond that. 1t reads: eve D
OF Not Sell Property"
7d Also Mr.. Wendel's office force a
'g ways has been modest in number
n He preferred whenever possible
20 around and personally collect h
~ rents.
OF For ten or a dozen years past nj
Wendell is said to have been one {
r. the largest real estate buyers in Ma
AZ haitian. Once he got hold of pro
ne ertv. real estate brokers as ru
mt knew it would be just as well
. cross that parcel off their books
possibilities.-New York Sun.