After the sinking of the Titanic and the loss of so many wealthy people, the rumor mills began to churn like mad. People speculated about what was going to happen with this wealthy family and that wealthy family.
The article below is just a touch of the gossip that hit the papers after the Titanic tragedy. What the article doesn’t tell you is that young Madeleine was 18 years old and pregnant at the time and that she was a survivor of the Titanic, having been one of the lucky ones to have gotten on a life boat.
House of Astor Left in Peculiar Position
New York, April 22 — The House of Astor has been left in a most peculiar position by the Titanic disaster.
The titular head of the house now is Vincent Astor, a boy of 21 [not a typo].
But Vincent will have two women to guide him in the management of his vast fortune.
One is Mrs. Ava Willing Astor, his mother, and the divorced wife of the multimillionaire who died a hero on the Titanic.
The other is Mrs. Madeline Force Aster, the young girl whose marriage to Astor created such a furore over the length and breadth of America.
Not the least peculiar part of it is that it was common report before the engagement of Colonel John Jacob Astor to Madeleine Force that Vincent Astor was in love with her.
Also, Mrs. Ava Willing Astor, the boy’s mother, is coming back to America from England on an early boat. That was announced today.
Mrs. Ava Willing Astor and Mrs. Madeleine Force Astor never have met.
Vincent Astor may have to choose between his mother, and the stepmother whom he once was reported to love.
Source: (1912, April 22). House of Astor Left in Peculiar Position. The Day Book.
