Astor, Sarah Todd (1761–1832)

German-born American fur trader who worked with, and consulted for, her husband John Jacob Astor in their successful business and philanthropic ventures. Born Sarah Todd in New York, New York, in 1761; died in 1832; only daughter and youngest child of Adam and Sarah (Cox) Todd; married John Jacob Astor, on September 19, 1785; children: eight, five of whom lived to adulthood, including William Back-house Astor (1792–1875, who married Margaret Rebecca Armstrong) and Magdalen Astor (who married Danish major-general Adrien Benjamin de Bentzon, grandfather of Marie Thérèse Blanc ).

As was often the case in the early merchant families of New York, the marriage of Sarah Todd and John Jacob Astor may have hinged on the bride's dowry and family connections. Although John Jacob later told his grandchildren that he married Sarah "because she was so pretty," one has to wonder about the appeal of the $300 she brought to the union. Perhaps, however, he also saw in her the ambition and propensity for hard work that were to make her an invaluable helpmate.

John Jacob Astor met his future bride when he rented a room in the Manhattan boarding house Sarah ran with her widowed mother. He had come to New York by way of London where, after leaving his home in Germany to escape his stepmother and his father's butcher business, he worked for an older brother making and selling musical instruments until he had saved enough to book passage to America. On the crossing, a fellow passenger told him there was money to be made in furs, so, after landing in Baltimore, he made his way to New York and a job working for a furrier at two dollars a week.

From the beginning of their marriage in September 1785, Sarah and John Jacob Astor worked as a team. Her dowry allowed them to open their own business, where they sold pianos and flutes sent by his brother in England, and with the profits they bought furs. As they undertook the dirty, smelly task of processing the pelts, Sarah's knowledge of fur quality soon grew and even surpassed that of her husband's. While he was away on buying expeditions, she not only took full charge of managing the business, but also cared for their eight children, all born between 1788 and 1802 in their flat above the store. Three of the children died in childhood.

By 1801, the success of the business made it possible to buy a handsome house near the corner of Broadway and Vesey Streets, which would later become the location of the famous Astor House. At Sarah's suggestion, they also began to invest some of their profits in New York City real estate, which would later comprise the bulk of the Astor fortune. John Jacob increasingly utilized Sarah's ability to evaluate furs, which he then transported to China in exchange for even more valuable commodities like silks, tea, and spices. As their income increased, she proposed that he pay her for her consulting services. They agreed on a rate of $500 an hour, which she used for various religious contributions.

Although John Jacob did not realize his dream of a fur monopoly, the real-estate earnings more than compensated. When Sarah Astor died in 1832, the Astor fortune was estimated as the greatest in the country. Upon his death in 1848, John Jacob Astor was worth somewhere between $20 and $30 million, an enormous sum for that time.

sources:

Bird, Caroline. Enterprising Women. NY: W.W. Norton, 1976.

Johnson, Allen, ed. Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. I. NY: Scribner, 1957.

suggested reading:

Kavaler, Lucy. The Astors: A Family Chronicle of Pomp and Power. NY: Dodd, Mead, 1966.

Barbara Morgan , Melrose, Massachusetts