Biography of Matilda McDuck

On this page is the biography of Matilda McDuck as can be reconstituted from as many sources as can be compiled into a mostly consistent whole. It is ever a work in progress, and you are welcome to add to it; however, all sources must be mentioned.

## Biography

### Childhood & Life in Scotland (1871-1885)

Matilda McDuck was born in 1871 in Scotland. She was daughter of Fergus and Downy McDuck (neé O'Drake). She lived in Paisley Street in Glasgow, with her siblings, Scrooge (born 1867) and Hortense (born 1876), and with her parents, and uncle, Jake McDuck. The family was poor.

In 1880, Scrooge travelled to the United States of America, with Matilda and the rest of the family staying in Scotland. In 1885, he returned and used some of the money he had made in the States to pay the rent on the Castle McDuck, allowing the McDucks to move back into it, Matilda included.

### Moving to America (1902)

In 1902, Matilda and Hortense went with Scrooge to Calisota in America, as Scrooge had bought some land in Duckburg. On his land, the Junior Woodchucks had their clubhouse. Scrooge threw them out, and the Junior Woodchucks telegraphed Theodore Roosevelt, the president of the United States. Shortly afterwards, T.R. came with his Rough Riders and attacked the fort where Scrooge's land was. But when Scrooge and T.R. met they saw they had met before in Dakota. After that, Scrooge built his Money Bin on his land, and then he went out in the world again.

### Life in Duckburg

   According to the genealogical research of Carl Barks and Mark Worden, Matilda was once married to Goosetave Gander, with the two adopting Gladstone Gander after his birth parents, Luke Goose and his wife, died of overeating at a picnic. Although other accounts show it to have been Goosetave Gander and Daphne Duck themselves who died at a picnic (in rather more tragic circumstances than “from overeating” would imply),**[F****ANWORK****]** with Daphne undoubtedly being Gladstone's birth mother, the existence of an Oscar Gander, seemingly older than Gladstone and Donald, whom Scrooge McDuck acknowledges as his nephew would lend credence to there having been a marriage between Matilda and Goosetave at one time. Such a marriage cannot have lasted long, as by 1920 or so, Goosetave had married and had a child with Matilda's sister-in-law Daphne, namely Gladstone Gander.

At any rate, Matilda helped her sister Hortense (and Hortense's husband Quackmore) to manage the affairs of McDuck Enterprises in Duckburg while Scrooge travelled the world in search of ever more treasures, adventures, and business opportunities, only briefly coming home again in 1909 before departing again. Overall, Matilda and Hortense took care of the Bin during 17 years, during which time Hortense and Quackmore were blessed with twins, Della and Donald, and possibly another son. Matilda was one of the organizers of a coming-home party organized for Scrooge's return to Duckburg in 1930. However, the embittered Scrooge cared nothing for the human warmth of the party, and ended up having a terrible row with his sisters, who vowed to estrange themselves from him forever, retiring from "public life".

### Marriage to Ludwig von Drake

   At one point or another in her life, Matilda married Ludwig von Drake, an eccentric Austrian lecturer. Ludwig once claimed to have still been a bachelor in 1961, and some accounts show him having a brief fling with a woman named Alice in the mid-1980's. However, a scene from Ludwig's wooing of Matilda, with him gifting her Botanical Experiment No. 37B (a bouquet of flowers identical to that she usually wore in her hat), depicted Matilda as still having had golden hair at the time,**[U****NOFF****]** whereas she had visibly aged by the 1960's or so when she was caretaker of Castle McDuck.

### The Caretaker of Dismal Downs

   Following Scottie McTerrier's death in 1948, Matilda was hired by an unwitting Scrooge McDuck via his nephews Donald Duck and Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck to become the new Caretaker of the mostly-abandoned Castle McDuck. Some years later, this led to Scrooge reluctantly reuniting with Matilda when he returned to the Castle looking for the treasure of the Knights Templar; after he saved her life from the murderous Monsieur Molay, the two made up, bonding over a last letter from their father Fergus.

## Notes & References

1. ↑ *Don Rosa's Duck Family Tree Sketch*.
2. ↑ *Of Ducks, Dimes and Destinies*, *The Last of the Clan McDuck*.
3. ↑ *The New Laird of Castle McDuck*.
4. ↑ *The Invader of Fort Duckburg*.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Mark Worden's Duck Family Tree*.
6. ↑ Carl Barks's first Duck Family Tree.
7. ↑ *The White Balloon*.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 *The Sign of the Triple Distelfink*.
9. ↑ *Zio Paperone e l'amuleto su misura* (INDUCKS: I TL 363-A)
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 *The Empire-Builder from Calisota*.
11. ↑ Johannes A. Grote's Duck Family Tree.
12. ↑ *The Richest Duck in the World*.
13. ↑ Don Rosa's second Duck Family Tree.
14. ↑ *Kids is Kids*.
15. ↑ *The Absent-Minded Dating Club*.
16. ↑ *The Winning of Matilda McDuck*.
17. ↑ *A Letter From Home*.
18. ↑ *The Old Castle's Secret*.
19. ↑ *A Letter From Home*