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 on him was a gold pocket watch which his son Vincent claimed and wore the rest of his life. Astor was buried in Trinity Church Cemetery in Manhattan, New York City. Four months after "Titanic" sank, Madeleine Astor gave birth to his second son, John Jacob "Jakey" Astor VI. Astor left $69 million of his $85 million estate (equivalent to approximately $1.75 billion in 2017 dollars) to Vincent. This value included his estate in Rhinebeck and his yacht, the "Noma". To Madeleine Force Astor, he left $100,000 as an outright bequest as well as a $5 million trust fund from