Matthew Astor Wilks acre estate known as Cruickston Park and mansion designed by Detlef Lienau. Through his mother, Wilks was great-grandson of America's first millionaire John Jacob Astor, the fur trader and real estate magnet. Among his first cousins were DeLancey Astor Kane, Woodbury Kane, S. Nicholson Kane, and John Jacob Astor IV. His father, an English gentleman, was the son of a reverend and was born in London. Wilks, who inherited several million dollars from his family, began buying up property in lower Manhattan in 1876. He torn down the various mixed buildings and commissioned architect Charles W. Clinton to build a
John Jacob Astor IV the Volunteer Army in November 1898. During the war, he allowed his yacht "Nourmahal" to be used by the U.S. government. He appeared in the films "President McKinley's Inspection of Camp Wikoff" (1898) and "Col. John Jacob Astor, Staff and Veterans of the Spanish–American War" (1899). As a result of his military service, Astor was entitled to the Spanish Campaign Medal. After the war, Astor was often referred to as "Colonel Astor." Astor was a member of several military and hereditary societies. He was an early member of the New York Society of Colonial Wars and was assigned membership number