Cornelius Vanderbilt
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Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 - January 4, 1877) was a steamboat and railroad tycoon. Cornelius was the 4th out of 9 children to be born in Port Richmond, Staten Island. He laid thousands of miles of railroad track and established standard gauge for railroads. He also was the first railroader to replace iron rails with lighter and more durable steel.
As the railroad boom moved forward, it began to crisscross the West. The major companies included the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Santa Fe Railroad, and the North Pacific Railroad. As the railroad industry grew even more, it became filled with corrupt practices. This meant that railroaders could turn enormous profits using any method to get results. For example Union Pacific officials formed the dummy Credit Mobilier construction company and hired themselves out as contractors at enormous rates for huge profits. They were caught in a scandal though after an investigation. The company bribed them to be quiet about the corruption.
When Cornelius was a young boy he worked on ferries in New York after he quit school at age 11. When he turned 16 he operated and ran his own business. He soon married and had 13 children with his wife. Unfortunately one boy died at a young age. He had one son named William who was in business with him. They were the most famous railroad tycoons. During the Era, Cornelius and William bought out and consolidated many of the rail companies in the East. Soon they were able to decrease operation costs.
Later, after the death of his wife Sophia Vanderbilt, Cornelius moved to Canada. He died there but the family sent his body back to Staten Island to be buried with his family. Cornelius Vanderbilt was buried in the family vault in the Moravian Cemetery at New Dorp on Staten Island. The Vanderbilt fortune was more than $100 million and the children fought over who would get his fortune and belongings. They protested the will. The unsuccessful court battle lasted more than a year and Cornelius Jeremiah committed suicide in 1882.
Here are the childen that survived Cornelius and Sophia Vanderbilt...
1 Phebe Jane (Vanderbilt) Cross (1814-1878)
2 Ethelinda (Vanderbilt) Allen (1817-1889)
3 Eliza (Vanderbilt) Osgood (1819-1890)
4 *William Henry Vanderbilt* (1821-1885)
5 Emily Almira (Vanderbilt) Thorn (1823-1896)
6 Sophia Johnson (Vanderbilt) Torrance (1825-1912)
7 Maria Louisa (Vanderbilt) Clark Niven (1827-1896)
8 Frances Lavinia Vanderbilt (1828-1868)
9 Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt (1830-1882)
10 Mary Alicia (Vanderbilt) LaBau Berger (1834-1902)
11 Catherine Juliette (Vanderbilt) Barker LaFitte (1836-1881)
12 George Washington Vanderbilt (1839-1864)