Public Family Trees/Vanderbilt/Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard
1845 - 1924 · Female · New York, United States
Daughter of William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt
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Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard
1845 - 1924
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard was the eldest daughter of William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam, and a philanthropist in New York City. She married the lawyer and newspaper proprietor Elliott Fitch Shepard in 1868, and with the share of her father's estate left to her in 1885 she built Woodlea, a large country house at Scarborough on the Hudson that later became the Sleepy Hollow Country Club. She was…
Born1845
Born to William Henry Vanderbilt, Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt.
Family
A partnership that connects two branches of the Vanderbilt family.
Legacy
A defining role in the story of the Vanderbilt family.
Died1924
The close of a life whose connections continue through the family record.
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Gen 1 · 1839 - 1885
Frank Armstrong Crawford Vanderbilt was the second wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt, whom she married in 1869, and a distant cousin of his through her mother. Born in Mobile, Alabama, and given a man's name after a family friend, she was educated in the South and was some forty five years younger than her husband. She is remembered chiefly for persuading him to make the gift of one million dollars that in 1873 endowed the Central University of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Nashville, renamed Vanderbilt University in his honour; the institution's founder, Bishop Holland McTyeire, was her kinsman. She had no children with Vanderbilt and survived him by eight years.
Gen 4 · 1873 - 1942
Cornelius Vanderbilt III was an American military officer, engineer and yachtsman, the eldest surviving son of Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Born in New York City and trained at Yale in mechanical engineering, he patented improvements to locomotives and railway cars and held senior posts in the New York Central system. His marriage in 1896 to Grace Graham Wilson, made against his father's wishes, cost him his place as principal heir, most of the estate passing instead to his younger brother Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt. He served in the Spanish American War and commanded engineer troops in France in the First World War, rising to brigadier general, and was a prominent member of the New York Yacht Club.
Gen 4 · 1875 - 1942
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was an American sculptor, art patron and the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The eldest surviving daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and Alice Claypoole Gwynne, she was born in New York City and married Harry Payne Whitney in 1896. She trained in New York and Paris and won major public commissions in her own right, among them the Titanic Memorial in Washington, the Buffalo Bill monument at Cody, Wyoming, and the American war memorial at Saint Nazaire in France. She opened the Whitney Studio in Greenwich Village to show living American artists, and when the Metropolitan Museum declined her collection she founded the Whitney Museum in 1930. Her children included Flora Payne Whitney and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney.
Gen 4 · 1877 - 1915
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt was an American businessman and sportsman who became the principal heir of his father Cornelius Vanderbilt II after his elder brother's marriage displaced him. Born in New York City and educated at Yale, he held directorships in the family railroads but was best known as a coaching enthusiast, reviving four in hand coach driving on English and American roads and racing horses under his own colours. He married Elsie French in 1901 and Margaret Emerson in 1911. He died in May 1915 in the sinking of the Cunard liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, where survivors described him helping women and children into the boats. His sons included William Henry Vanderbilt III and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr.
Gen 4 · 1877 - 1964
Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough, was an American born duchess, memoirist and social reformer, the daughter of William Kissam Vanderbilt and Alva Erskine Smith. Born in New York City, she was pressed by her mother into marrying Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough, in 1895, a match that brought a large Vanderbilt settlement to Blenheim Palace and made her the most famous of the American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy. In England she campaigned for prisoners' welfare and for working women and served on the London County Council. Separated from Marlborough in 1906, she married the French airman Jacques Balsan in 1921 and later wrote the memoir The Glitter and the Gold.
Gen 5 · 1897 - 1986
Flora Payne Whitney was an American art patron and museum administrator, the eldest child of the sculptor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and Harry Payne Whitney. Born in New York City, she grew up between her mother's studio world and the Whitney racing stables, and made the Whitney Museum of American Art her life's work, serving as its president and later its chairman and guiding it through the move to the Marcel Breuer building on Madison Avenue in 1966. She was engaged to Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of Theodore Roosevelt, who was killed in action in 1918, and afterwards married Roderick Tower and then George Macculloch Miller.
Gen 5 · 1897 - 1972
John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, was a British peer, the elder son of the 9th Duke and Consuelo Vanderbilt and therefore a grandson of William Kissam Vanderbilt. Educated at Eton, he served in the Life Guards in the First World War and again in the Second, during which Blenheim Palace, which he had inherited in 1934, was given over first to a relocated school and then to government intelligence work. He sat in the House of Lords, held county office in Oxfordshire, and worked to keep Blenheim intact by opening it more fully to visitors. He was a first cousin once removed of Winston Churchill.
Gen 5 · 1898 - 1974
Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, known as Neil, was an American journalist, newspaper publisher and author, the son of Cornelius Vanderbilt III and Grace Graham Wilson. Born in New York City, he broke with family expectation by taking work as a reporter on the New York Herald rather than entering business, then founded a short lived chain of tabloid newspapers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami in the 1920s. He worked afterwards as a foreign correspondent and lecturer, interviewing European leaders in the 1930s, served in the United States Army in the Second World War, and wrote several books of memoir and reportage, among them Farewell to Fifth Avenue, a critical account of the world he was born into.
Gen 5 · 1898 - 1956
Lord Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill was a British art collector, the younger son of the 9th Duke of Marlborough and Consuelo Vanderbilt. Educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford, and free of the duties that fell to his elder brother the 10th Duke, he devoted himself to modern painting, assembling a notable collection of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works that he lent to public exhibitions in London. He was close to his mother and spent long periods with her and Jacques Balsan in France. He remained a largely private figure, known chiefly within the art world, and died in 1956.
Gen 6 · b. 1967
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American broadcast journalist and author, the anchor of Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN and a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes. Born in New York City, the younger son of the designer Gloria Vanderbilt and the author Wyatt Emory Cooper, he is a great great great grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. He studied political science at Yale, then began reporting by carrying a camera into Burma, Vietnam and Somalia and selling the results to Channel One. He joined ABC News and then CNN, where his reporting from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 established him as one of the network's central figures. He wrote The Rainbow Comes and Goes with his mother and Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty with Katherine Howe.
Gen 2 · 1830 - 1882
Cornelius Jeremiah Vanderbilt was the younger surviving son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt and Sophia Johnson, and the brother of William Henry Vanderbilt. Born on Staten Island, New York, he was in poor health from childhood and never entered the family shipping or railroad businesses, living instead on allowances from his father and on money raised against the family name. When the Commodore died in 1877 leaving him only the income from a small trust while his brother received almost everything, he contested the will in a celebrated New York court battle that ran for more than a year and aired the family's private affairs in the press. The case was settled in 1879, and he died three years later.
## Lord Krishna and His Close Family: A Complete Family Biography Lord Krishna is one of the most revered deities in Hinduism and the eighth incarnation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu. His life, described in the **Mahabharata**, **Bhagavata Purana**, **Harivamsa**, and other sacred texts, is filled with stories of divine love, wisdom, courage, and dharma. Beyond his role as a spiritual guide and warrior, Krishna belonged to the illustrious **Yadava dynasty**, and his family played a central role in many events of Indian mythology. ### Parents: Vasudeva and Devaki Krishna was born in **Mathura** to **Vasudeva** and **Devaki**, members of the royal Yadava family. Devaki was the sister of King Kamsa, whose prophecy foretold that her eighth son would end his reign. To protect the newborn Krishna, Vasudeva carried him across the Yamuna River on the night of his birth and entrusted him to foster parents in Gokul. Devaki and Vasudeva remained symbols of sacrifice and unwavering faith throughout Krishna's life. ### Foster Parents: Nanda and Yashoda Krishna was lovingly raised by **Nanda Maharaja** and **Yashoda** in the village of **Gokul** and later **Vrindavan**. Nanda was the respected chief of the cowherd community, while Yashoda became one of Hinduism's most celebrated maternal figures. Her affectionate relationship with Krishna, including stories of butter theft and childhood miracles, represents unconditional love and devotion. ### Brother and Sister Krishna's elder brother, **Balarama**, is considered an incarnation of **Shesha**, the divine serpent associated with Lord Vishnu. Balarama was Krishna's closest companion, protector, and guide throughout his youth and adulthood. Krishna's younger sister **Subhadra** became an important figure in the Mahabharata after marrying **Arjuna**, making Krishna both Arjuna's cousin and brother-in-law. Subhadra was also the mother of the heroic warrior **Abhimanyu**. ### Wives of Lord Krishna Krishna is traditionally said to have **eight principal queens**, known as the **Ashtabharya**. The most prominent among them was **Rukmini**, regarded as the goddess Lakshmi's incarnation and Krishna's chief queen in Dwarka. Other principal queens include **Satyabhama**, known for her courage and determination; **Jambavati**, daughter of the bear king Jambavan; **Kalindi**, **Mitravinda**, **Nagnajiti (Satya)**, **Bhadra**, and **Lakshmana**. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna also married **16,100 women** whom he rescued from captivity, restoring their dignity and status. ### Sons and Daughters Ancient texts describe Krishna as having many children through his queens. His most famous son was **Pradyumna**, born to Rukmini and considered an incarnation of Kamadeva, the god of love. Pradyumna became a renowned Yadava prince and warrior. Another well-known son was **Samba**, born to Jambavati. Although brave, Samba's mischievous actions eventually contributed to the downfall of the Yadava dynasty through a famous curse narrative. Other sons included **Charudeshna**, **Aniruddha's father Pradyumna**, **Bhanu**, **Gada**, and several others born to Krishna's different queens. The Puranas also mention daughters, though they receive less detailed attention than his sons. ### Grandchildren and Legacy Krishna's grandson **Aniruddha**, son of Pradyumna and Rukmavati, became one of the most important heirs of the Yadava dynasty. His marriage to **Usha**, daughter of the powerful king Bana, is celebrated in Hindu mythology. Aniruddha's son **Vajra** survived the destruction of the Yadavas after the Mausala Parva. Following Krishna's departure from the earthly world, Vajra became the ruler of **Indraprastha** and later regions associated with Mathura, preserving Krishna's royal lineage. ### The Yadava Family Legacy Krishna's family represents devotion, duty, sacrifice, and divine purpose. From Devaki's courage and Yashoda's unconditional love to Balarama's loyalty, Rukmini's devotion, Subhadra's connection to the Pandavas, and Vajra's continuation of the dynasty, each family member contributed to the enduring legacy of the Yadava lineage. Together, they form one of the most influential and beloved family trees in Hindu mythology, connecting the stories of the Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, and the spiritual traditions followed by millions around the world.
The House of Bourbon is a European royal dynasty, descended in the male line from the Capetian kings of France, that ruled France from 1589 to 1792 and again from 1814 to 1848, and that still reigns in Spain today under King Felipe VI. Over four centuries its members also held the thrones of Navarre, Naples and Sicily, Parma and Etruria, which makes it one of the most widely established royal houses in European history. ## Origins The family takes its name from the lordship of Bourbon in the Auvergne, centred on Bourbon-l'Archambault. Its royal line descends from Robert, Count of Clermont, a younger son of King Louis IX of France, whose marriage to Beatrice of Burgundy, heiress of Bourbon, carried the name into the Capetian house in 1272. For three centuries afterwards the Bourbons were powerful French princes of the blood rather than kings. That changed with Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendome, whose marriage to Jeanne d'Albret, queen regnant of Navarre, produced Henry of Navarre. When the Valois line died out in 1589, Henry was the senior Capetian heir, and he took the French throne as Henry IV. ## Notable members Henry IV ended the French Wars of Religion and issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598. His son Louis XIII, guided by Cardinal Richelieu, built the centralised state that Louis XIV, the Sun King, carried to its height across a reign of seventy-two years, the longest of any European sovereign, and to the palace of Versailles. Louis XV and then Louis XVI inherited that system, and Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, were swept away by the French Revolution in 1792. The dynasty returned with Louis XVIII in 1814 and Charles X in 1824, and in 1830 the crown passed to Louis Philippe I of the cadet House of Orleans, the last king to rule in France. ## The Spanish branch In 1700 the childless Charles II of Spain left his crown to Philip, Duke of Anjou, a grandson of Louis XIV. Philip became Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, at the cost of the War of the Spanish Succession, which ended with his renunciation of any claim to the French throne. His descendants include the reforming Charles III, Ferdinand VII, Isabella II, Alfonso XII and Alfonso XIII, who left Spain in 1931. The monarchy was restored in 1975 under Juan Carlos I, grandson of Alfonso XIII, who presided over Spain's transition to democracy and abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son Felipe VI. Felipe's elder daughter Leonor, Princess of Asturias, is heir to the throne. ## Significance No other family links the absolute monarchy of Versailles to a working constitutional monarchy in twenty-first century Madrid. Bourbon marriages tied the house to the Habsburgs of Austria and Spain, the dukes of Savoy, the Medici of Florence and the British royal family, so a Bourbon family tree doubles as a map of European dynastic politics from the Reformation to the present day. | Fact | Details | | --- | --- | | Family name | House of Bourbon (Maison de Bourbon, Casa de Borbon) | | Place of origin | Bourbon-l'Archambault, Auvergne, France | | Founder of the line | Robert, Count of Clermont (1256-1317), son of Louis IX | | First king of France | Henry IV, reigned 1589 to 1610 | | Last king to rule France | Louis Philippe I, reigned 1830 to 1848 | | First king of Spain | Philip V, reigned 1700 to 1746 | | Head of the house in Spain | King Felipe VI, since 2014 | | Heir in Spain | Leonor, Princess of Asturias | | Principal seats | Versailles, Fontainebleau, the Louvre, the Royal Palace of Madrid |
The House of Medici was a Florentine banking family and political dynasty that rose from mercantile wealth in the late fourteenth century to dominate the Republic of Florence, produced two popes and two queens of France, and ruled as hereditary Grand Dukes of Tuscany for nearly two centuries before the direct male line died out in 1737. ## Origins The family's fortune began with Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, who founded the Medici Bank around 1397 and built it into one of the most trusted financial institutions in Europe through close ties to the papacy. His son Cosimo de' Medici turned that wealth into political dominance of Florence without ever holding a formal princely title, ruling through alliance, patronage, and public opinion for three decades. Cosimo's descendants, especially his grandson Lorenzo de' Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, consolidated the family's grip on the city while becoming the era's foremost patrons of Renaissance art and humanist scholarship. ## Notable Members Lorenzo the Magnificent's sons included Giovanni, who became Pope Leo X, the first Medici pope, and whose cousin Giulio later reigned as Pope Clement VII. Lorenzo's granddaughter Catherine de' Medici became queen of France and, as regent, steered the country through the Wars of Religion; a later Medici, Marie de' Medici, likewise became queen of France as the second wife of Henry IV. When the senior line failed with the assassination of Alessandro de' Medici in 1537, the family's junior branch, descended from Cosimo the Elder's brother, provided Cosimo I de' Medici, who was crowned the first Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1569. His descendants, including the scientific patrons Cosimo II and Ferdinando II, ruled Tuscany until Gian Gastone de' Medici, the last Grand Duke, died without an heir in 1737. His sister, Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, outlived him as the family's final member. ## Significance Beyond their political rule, the Medici reshaped European culture through unmatched patronage: they backed Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Galileo Galilei, and financed the buildings, art, and institutions that still define Florence today. Anna Maria Luisa's 1737 Patto di Famiglia bequeathed the family's entire art collection to the Tuscan state on the condition it never leave Florence, directly founding the holdings of the Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace. | Fact | Details | |---|---| | Founded | c. 1397, Florence (Medici Bank) | | Founder | Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici | | Seat | Florence; later the Grand Duchy of Tuscany | | Peak title | Grand Duke of Tuscany (from 1569) | | Popes produced | Leo X (1513-1521), Clement VII (1523-1534) | | Queens of France | Catherine de' Medici, Marie de' Medici | | Dynasty ended | 1737 (Gian Gastone); 1743 (Anna Maria Luisa) | | Lasting legacy | Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace collections |
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard's recorded parents are William Henry Vanderbilt, Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt.
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard married Elliott Fitch Shepard.
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard has 7 recorded siblings: Cornelius Vanderbilt II, William Kissam Vanderbilt, Emily Thorn Vanderbilt, Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly, Frederick William Vanderbilt, Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt Webb, George Washington Vanderbilt II.
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard is recorded as Philanthropist in the Vanderbilt family tree.
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard's recorded native place is New York, United States.
4 ancestors and 0 descendants of Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard are recorded so far, within a tree of 60 people.
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard is recorded as Cornelius Vanderbilt's Granddaughter.
Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard is recorded in the Vanderbilt family tree on My rOoOts, alongside 59 other people.
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