Frank Armstrong Crawford Vanderbilt
(1839-1885) and her mother.
"Yes - that's right - her name was indeed Frank and not Frances"
2nd Wife of the famous Millionaire Cornelius
Vanderbilt
and publisher of the first book containing Yancey
Family Genealogy
Laurus Crawfurdiana - known as the Crawford Book - 1883.
Thanks to Ray Isbell
for the photo
Obituary from the New York Times
5 May 1885
THE DEATH OF MRS. VANDERBILT.
THE WIDOW OF THE COMMODORE FALLING
A VICTIM TO PNEUMONIA.
Mrs. Frank A. Vanderbilt, the widow of the late Commodore Vanderbilt, died of
pneumonia at 9 o'clock yesterday morning, at her residence, No. 10 Washington
place. She attended the funeral of Miss Phebe Vanderbilt on April 25, and caught
a cold from standing on the damp ground at the cemetery. Last Tuesday morning,
while at breakfast, she was taken with a chill. Dr. J. H. Shorter was summoned,
and he found that she was suffering from pneumonia. She grew rapidly worse, and
on Saturday Dr. Loomis was called in consultation. Mrs. Vanderbilt was then
informed that her condition was critical. At the time of her death there were
present at her bedside her mother, Mrs. Crawford, and her brother, Robert L.
Crawford, with his wife and children, all of whom have lived with Mrs.
Vanderbilt since her husband's death.
Mrs. Vanderbilt was a daughter of the late Robert L. Crawford, of Mobile, Ala.,
and a cousin of Bishop McTyiere, of Vanderbilt. She was a native of Mobile, and
a resident of that city until her marriage to Commodore Vanderbilt. She was
first married to John Elliott also of Mobile, but the union was not a happy one,
and did not last long. It is said that Mrs. Crawford wished the young couple to
live with her, but Elliot objected and built a house of his own. Mrs. Elliott
refused to leave her mother, and Elliott withdrew to his own house. For a time
he visited his wife at her mother's house, but his visits became less frequent
and finally ceased altogether. Mrs. Elliott obtained a divorce, and Elliott went
to New Orleans. Mrs. Elliott's marriage to Commodore Vanderbilt is said to have
been brought about largely through the instrumentality of her mother. It took
place in the Tecumseh House, at London, Ontario, on Aug. 20, 1869, and the
ceremony was performed by the Rev. Dr. William Briggs, of that city. It was said
at the time that the union was not favorably regarded by the Commodore's family,
but some representatives of it were, nevertheless, present at the marriage. The
accounts published at the time described Mrs. Vanderbilt as about 30 years old,
tall, queenly, and beautiful.
After her husband's death, which took place Jan. 4, 1877, she continued to live
quietly at the Vanderbilt residence, No 10 Washington place, which, with its
furniture and statuary, was given to her by the Commodore's will. Under the will
she also received $500,000 in United States bonds, in accordance with the
provisions of an antenuptial agreement by which she waived her right to a dower
and other interests in the Commodore's estate. Her circle of acquaintances was
quite large, as well as fashionable, and she was very highly esteemed therein.
In the language of one of her friends: "Mrs. Vanderbilt's distinguishing traits
of character were noble loyalty to duty, devotion to exalted Christian
principles, beautiful unselfishness of purpose, love for her family, tender
charity for all, and a refined and shrinking delicacy of feeling, combined with
the most inflexible firmness for truth."
Funeral services will be held Thursday morning at 10 o'clock, in the Church of
the Strangers, and will be conducted by the Rev. Dr. Deems. The interment will
be in the Vanderbilt plot, in the Moravian Cemetery, at New Dorp, Staten Island.
There were numerous callers at the house yesterday, among whom were Mr. and Mrs.
William H. Vanderbilt, Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Capt. Jacob
Vanderbilt, F. P. Freeman, Mrs. Osgood, Mrs. Britton, Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Thorn,
Mrs. Daniel B. Allen, C. V. De Forest, Mrs. C. F. Deems, Arthur Leary, Mrs. F.
P. James, Mrs. William Hegeman, Mrs. Chauncey M. Depew, Mr. and Mrs. W. B.
Horton, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Barton, Mrs. Cadwell, Mrs. John E. Burrill, Mrs.
Stebbins, Mrs. Riggs, and Mr. and Mrs. William Turnbull.
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt
Origins of Vanderbilt University
Information on the Crawford Book
More Information on the Crawford Book