, the founder of the Astor business dynasty
John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor) was the youngest of four sons born to Johann Jacob Astor (1724–1816) and Maria Magdalena vom Berg (1730–1764). The Astor family can trace their ancestry back to Giovan Asdour (1595–1668) and Gretta Ursula Asdour (1589–?). Giovan was born in
Chiavenna, Italy, and died in
Zürich, Switzerland. Their son, Hans Pieter Asdor, was born in Switzerland and died in
Nußloch. John Jacob and his brother George, born in
Walldorf left Germany and moved to
London in 1778. There, they established a flute making company. In 1783, John Jacob left for
Baltimore, Maryland, leaving his brother in charge of the London business, and was active first as a dealer in woodwind instruments, then in New York as a merchant in
opium, furs, pianos, and real estate. After moving to New York, John met and married Sarah Cox Todd (1762–1842). She worked alongside her husband as a consultant, and was accused of witchcraft after her success with the company in 1817. The accusations never led to legal action. They had eight children, including John Jacob Astor Jr. (1791–1869) and real-estate businessman
William Backhouse Astor Sr. (1792–1875). John Jacob's fur-trading company established a
Columbia River trading post at
Fort Astoria in 1811, the first United States community on the Pacific coast. He financed the overland
Astor Expedition in 1810–1812 to reach the outpost, which was in the then-disputed
Oregon Country. Control of Fort Astoria played a key role in British and American territorial claims on the region. John and George's brother Henry (born Heinrich) (1754–1833) also emigrated to America. Henry was a horse-racing enthusiast, and purchased a
thoroughbred named
Messenger, who had been brought from England to America in 1788. This horse became the founding sire of all
Standardbred horses in the United States today. Melchior, the third of the four brothers, remained in Germany. During the 19th century, the Astors became one of the wealthiest families in the United States. Toward the end of that century, some of the family moved from America to England and achieved high prominence there. During the 20th century, the number of American Astors began to decline, but their legacy lives on in their many public works including the
New York Public Library. British descendants of the Astors hold two hereditary peerages:
Viscount Astor and
Baron Astor of Hever. While many Astor family members joined the
Episcopal Church, John Jacob Astor remained a member of a
Reformed congregation to his death. ==Family namesake places==