The Billionaire Family That Went Extinct: The "Weird" Wendels

Johann Georg Wendel arrived in 1710 during the Palatine migration to New Amsterdam. John G. Wendel (born 1801) was a furrier who partnered with John Jacob Astor and married Elizabeth Astor. John D. Wendel died in 1859, leaving an estate worth $3 million to eight children: seven daughters and one son. The mansion was built in 1856 at Fifth Avenue and 39th Street with 40 rooms. John G. Wendel II (born 1856) inherited control. After his mother Mary Ann died in 1886, John sealed doors, rejected electricity and telephones, and forbade his sisters from marrying. Augusta was institutionalized in 1880 at the State Homeopathic Asylum and died in 1912 after 32 years. Georgiana escaped in 1899 to the Park Avenue Hotel, was declared insane, and returned. John had a secret affair with Martha Schroeder that produced a son in Santa Monica, California—a relationship spanning 32 years that was never acknowledged. Rebecca married Luther Swope in 1903 at age 60 and died in July 1930 at age 88. John died March 6, 1914, at age 58 from appendicitis in Washington. Ella died March 13, 1931, at age 80—the last Wendel. The estate was worth $100 million. There were 2,303 false claims. In the 1934 settlement, nine distant relatives received $2 million while charities received $98 million; Drew University received $5 million. The mansion was demolished in 1934 for a Kress store; a bronze plaque remains. Toby the poodle died in October 1933 and was buried in Irvington. Subscribe.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
2:07 Chapter 1: German Roots and Fur Pelts
8:19 Chapter 2: The Mansion on Fifth Avenue
16:26 Chapter 3: Brother John's Reign of Control
24:29 Chapter 4: Georgiana's Escape
31:29 Chapter 5: The Secret Love Affair
39:52 Chapter 6: Rebecca's Rebellion
46:56 Chapter 7: The Empire at Its Peak
56:34 Chapter 8: Summer in Irvington
1:03:18 Chapter 9: John's Death and Aftermath
1:11:28 Chapter 10: The Sisters' Struggle
1:17:58 Chapter 11: Ella and Toby
1:25:40 Chapter 12: Death of the Last Wendel
1:34:18 Chapter 13: The Estate Battle
1:43:47 Chapter 14: The Demolition

#wendelFamily #NewYorkHistory #GildedAge #RealEstateEmpire #FifthAvenue #FamilyExtinction #Eccentrics #HouseOfMystery #DrewUniversity #Documentary