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John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor) (July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-American business magnate, merchant and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States (adjusted wealth $138 billion). He was the creator of the first trust in America.
He went to the United States following the American Revolutionary War and built a fur-trading empire that extended to the Great Lakes region and Canada, and later expanded into the American West and Pacific coast. He also got involved in smuggling opium. In the early 19th century he diversified into New York City real estate and later became a famed patron of the arts.
New historical and scientific evidence suggests that it is possible that Aster's great wealth, which jumped from a mere $4,000 to (what in 2019 would be) $100 BILLION in a single day, was from his discovery of Captain William Kidd's alleged hidden treasures. [Travel Channel documentary series America Unearthed, season 3/episode 6: "New England Buried Treasure", originally aired 2014]
links
see the Todd genealogy page 36 for an account of his emigration from Bristol to New York
Maps of farms commonly called the Blue book, 1815 : drawn from the original on file in the street commissioner's office in the City of New York, together with lines of streets and avenues [1868]
see upper part of this map
1763 |
July 17, 1763
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Walldorf, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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1771 |
1771
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1788 |
1788
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New York, NY, United States
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1790 |
1790
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New York, NY, United States
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1791 |
1791
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New York, NY, United States
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1792 |
September 19, 1792
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New York, NY, United States
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1795 |
1795
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New York, New York, United States
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