Paternal Family Tree: Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough
On 20th April 1875 [her father] William Kissam Vanderbilt [aged 25] and [her mother] Alva Erskine Smith [aged 22] were married at Calvary Church, Manhattan.
On 2nd March 1877 Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough was born to William Kissam Vanderbilt [aged 27] and Alva Erskine Smith [aged 24] at New York. She was named after her godmother Consuelo Yznaga Duchess Manchester [aged 24].
On 9th November 1892 George Charles Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough [aged 48] died. His succeeded son [her future husband] Charles [aged 20] succeeded 9th Duke Marlborough, 9th Marquess of Blandford, 9th Earl of Marlborough, 9th Baron Churchill of Sandridge in Hertfordshire, 11th Earl of Sunderland, 13th Baron Spencer Wormleighton.
Around 1894 [her future husband] Jacques Balsan [aged 25] and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 16] met.
Around 1895 Winthrop Rutherford [aged 32] proposed marriage to Consuelo Vanderbilt [aged 17]. The proposal was not approved of by Consuelo's mother Alva Erskine Smith [aged 41] who took her daughter away to Europe.
1895. Charles Auguste Émile Durand "Carolus Duran" [aged 57]. Portrait of Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 17].
In March 1895 [her father] William Kissam Vanderbilt [aged 45] and [her mother] Alva Erskine Smith [aged 42] were divorced.
On 6th November 1895 Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 23] and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 18] were married at St Thomas' Church New York. She by marriage Duchess Marlborough. The marriage arranged by Mary "Minnie" Fiske Stevens [aged 42] and encouraged by mother Alva Erskine Smith [aged 42]. The marriage was unhappy; they separated in 1906 and the marriage was annulled on 19th Augiust 1926. He the son of George Charles Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough and Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton Duchess of Marlborough [aged 48].
The marriage settlement provided for the Duke to receive a $2,500,000 trust that would pay $100,000 per year. Consuelo also received a further $100,000 per year. The combined annual income of $200,000 (£40,000) more than doubled the income the Duke had enjoyed from his estates prior to the marriage. Consuelo and the Duke also acquired several large gifts from her father, William K. Vanderbilt, including a palatial London townhouse and a reported sum of $1,000,000 in cash to mark the Duke's safe return from South Africa.
On 18th September 1897 [her son] John Albert William Spencer-Churchill 10th Duke of Marlborough was born to [her husband] Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 25] and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 20]. He married (1) 17th February 1920 Alexandra Mary Cadogan Duchess of Marlborough and had issue (2) 26th January 1972 Frances Laura Charteris Duchess of Marlborough.
Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall
The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.
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On 14th October 1898 [her son] Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill was born to [her husband] Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 26] and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 21]. The Duke's secondd wife Gladys Deacon [aged 17] apparently later implied that Ivor's father was Winthrop Rutherford [aged 36]; source unknown.
In 1900 Paul César Helleu [aged 40] buys the yacht Etoile and creates portraits of the Duchess of Marlborough [aged 22] at Blenheim Palace.
Between 1900 and 1905. Unknown Photographer. Photograph of Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 22].
Around 1903. Paul César Helleu [aged 43]. "The Duchess of Marlborough [aged 25]".
1905. John Singer Sargent [aged 48]. Portrait of the Spencer-Churchill family including [her husband] Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 33], Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 27], [her son] John Albert William Spencer-Churchill 10th Duke of Marlborough [aged 7] and Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill [aged 6].
Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill: On 14th October 1898 he was born to Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough. The Duke's secondd wife Gladys Deacon apparently later implied that Ivor's father was Winthrop Rutherford; source unknown. On 17th September 1956 Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill died. He was buried at St Martin's Church, Bladon [Map].
Around 1905. Frederick John Jenkins [aged 33]. Drawing of Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 27], after Heller.
1906. Giovanni Boldini [aged 63]. Portrait of Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 28] and her son Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill [aged 7].
Around 1910. Unknown Photographer. Photograph of Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 32].
On 17th February 1920 John Albert William Spencer-Churchill 10th Duke of Marlborough [aged 22] and Alexandra Mary Cadogan Duchess of Marlborough [aged 19] were married at St Margaret's Church, Westminster [Map]. He the son of Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 48] and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 42].
On 22nd July 1920 [her father] William Kissam Vanderbilt [aged 70] died.
In 1921 Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 49] and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 43] were divorced.
This is a translation of the 'Memoires of Jacques du Clercq', published in 1823 in two volumes, edited by Frederic, Baron de Reissenberg. In his introduction Reissenberg writes: 'Jacques du Clercq tells us that he was born in 1424, and that he was a licentiate in law and a counsellor to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in the castellany of Douai, Lille, and Orchies. It appears that he established his residence at Arras. In 1446, he married the daughter of Baldwin de la Lacherie, a gentleman who lived in Lille. We read in the fifth book of his Memoirs that his father, also named Jacques du Clercq, had married a lady of the Le Camelin family, from Compiègne. His ancestors, always attached to the counts of Flanders, had constantly served them, whether in their councils or in their armies.' The Memoires cover a period of nineteen years beginning in in 1448, ending in in 1467. It appears that the author had intended to extend the Memoirs beyond that date; no doubt illness or death prevented him from carrying out this plan. As Reissenberg writes the 'merit of this work lies in the simplicity of its narrative, in its tone of good faith, and in a certain air of frankness which naturally wins the reader’s confidence.' Du Clercq ranges from events of national and international importance, including events of the Wars of the Roses in England, to simple, everyday local events such as marriages, robberies, murders, trials and deaths, including that of his own father in Book 5; one of his last entries.
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In 1921 [her former husband] Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 49] and Gladys Marie Deacon Duchess of Marlborough [aged 39] were married; she had previoiusly been his mistress. She by marriage Duchess Marlborough. He the son of George Charles Spencer-Churchill 8th Duke of Marlborough and [her former mother-in-law] Albertha Frances Anne Hamilton Duchess of Marlborough [aged 74].
On 4th July 1921 Jacques Balsan [aged 52] and Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 44] were married.
On 26th January 1933 [her mother] Alva Erskine Smith [aged 80] died.
On 30th June 1934 [her former husband] Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough [aged 62] died. His succeeded son John [aged 36] succeeded 10th Duke Marlborough, 10th Marquess of Blandford, 10th Earl of Marlborough, 10th Baron Churchill of Sandridge in Hertfordshire, 12th Earl of Sunderland, 14th Baron Spencer Wormleighton. Alexandra Mary Cadogan Duchess of Marlborough [aged 34] by marriage Duchess Marlborough.
Around 1955 Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 77] purchased Cara-Mia, Southampton.
On 17th September 1956 [her son] Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill [aged 57] died. He was buried at St Martin's Church, Bladon [Map].
On 4th November 1956 [her husband] Jacques Balsan [aged 88] died at his home 1 Sutton Place, Manhattan.
On 6th December 1964 Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough [aged 87] died at Southampton, Long Island, probably at her home Cara-Mia, Southampton. She was buried at St Martin's Church, Bladon [Map] next to the grave of her son Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill who had died in 1956.
Great x 2 Grandfather: Cornelius van Derbilt
Great x 1 Grandfather: Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt
Great x 3 Grandfather: Unknown Hand
Great x 2 Grandmother: Phebe Hand
GrandFather: William Henry Vanderbilt
Great x 2 Grandfather: Nathaniel Johnson
Great x 1 Grandmother: Sophia Johnson
Great x 3 Grandfather: Unknown Hand
Great x 2 Grandmother: Elizabeth Hand
Father: William Kissam Vanderbilt
Consuelo Vanderbilt Duchess of Marlborough
Great x 1 Grandfather: George Smith
GrandFather: Murray Forbes Smith
Mother: Alva Erskine Smith