Early Family History:
A painting of the early Vanderbilt
family. George is the boy
seated near the middle.
The Vanderbilt family’s legacy in America began with the emigration of Jan Artesen van der Bilt who traveled from Holland around the year 1650. The family worked and lived as modest farmers in New York until Cornelius Vanderbilt (Also referred to as “The Commodore” and was George’s Grandfather) started his own ferry service on the New York Bay. Cornelius soon invested in the growing railroad industry and provided an even larger fortune for his wife Sophia, and thirteen children to enjoy. His oldest son, William Henry inherited the family business. He doubled the family’s assets, married Maria Louisa, and they had eight children together (Carley & Rennicke, 2000).
George Washington Vanderbilt
The youngest of William Henry Vanderbilt’s sons was George Washington Vanderbilt born in 1862. George did not have much interest in the family business, but rather in travel, works of art, and books. In his mid-twenties, George traveled to the location of his future estate for the first time to visit his mother. George fell in love with the rustic, country, feel of Asheville, NC and decided it would be the location of his future home. George began what would be a six year process, by first buying the land. He ended up with one hundred and twenty five thousand acres that was reasonably priced and seemingly available in the area (Carley & Rennicke, 2000).