Dollar Princesses / American Heiresses Narrated

[Music] the dollar princesses were a breed of american girls from newly wealthy families who from the 19th century married a title rich would cash poor british noblemen and it was as simple as that it was british men wanting money in return for american women receiving a title tennessee clufton her exact date of birth is unclear but she is generally reported to have been born between 1843 and 1846 by 1860 tennessee was advertised as a fortune teller with the ability to cure disease from cold sores to cancer consultations cost one dollar and tennessee worked 13 hours a day in a small town across the midwest her father book sold miss tennessee's magneto elixir a worthless concoction for two dollars a drum and by 1869 they charged 25 for a consultation tennessee and her sister victoria hit upon an untapped source of investment capital society wives and widows teachers small business owners actresses and high-priced prostitutes and their madams sought out woodhull clafton and company and the firm was an immediate financial triumph the sisters soon rented an expensive apartment on 38th street in the exclusive murray hills section of manhattan the sisters started their own radical newspaper woodhull and clafton's weekly they used their newspaper to advocate for free love on october 15 1885 at saint abbott's church kensington she married sir francis kook as a wife of an english baronet she was thereafter styled lady kook jenny spencer churchill she was born in the cobble hill section of brooklyn in 1854. she was the second of four daughters a financer sportsman and speculator leonard jerome and his wife clarissa on the 15th of april 1874 age 20 she married lord randolph churchill the couple had met at a ceiling regatta on the isle of wight in august 1873 having been introduced by the prince of wales lady randolph was well respected and influential in the highest british social and political circles she was said to be intelligent witty and quick to laugh her first son winston churchill was born seven months after the wedding when asked about the circumstances of his birth he replied although present on the occasion i have no clear recollection of the events leading up to it marianne martinez wellesley she originated from baltimore where her father richard cotton was a merchant her mother mary was the daughter of charles carroll the last surviving signatory of the united states declaration of independence on the 29th of october 1825 in dublin following the death of her first husband she married richard wellesley first marques wellesley prior to the marriage they had already been lovers the marquess was short of money and marianne's inheritance was part of the reason for his proposal her family disapproved of the marriage because of the bridegroom's reputation her two sisters also married into british aristocracy elizabeth married george stafford jenningham 8th baron stafford in 1836 and louisa cuttin married francis godolphin osborne seventh duke of leeds in 1828 consuela montague duchess of manchester consuela was born in 1853 in new york city the second of four children of antonio and ellen maria in her teenage years she became known on the new york social scene as one of the group called the buccaneers in the autumn of 1875 she met george montague 8th duke of manchester at her family plantation on the 22nd of may 1876 the couple were married during her marriage she engaged herself in charitable organizations poverty was a cause that concerned her and she was also interested in education and health francis ellen work she was born in new york city on october 27 1857 francis was a prominent figure in the new york city and newport rhode island social sets on september 22 1880 at christ church new york city she married the honorable james booth by burke roach who would later become the third baron firmoy she was a great-grandmother of diana princess of wales and her great-great-grand include prince william duke of cambridge prince harry duke of sussex and the american actor oliver platt lily spencer churchill duchess of marlborough lillian warren price was born on june 10th 1854 in troy new york after her first husband louie a millionaire heir to a real estate fortune in new york died in 1883. she married george charles spencer churchill 8th duke of marlborough in 1910 as a result of this marriage she became the duchess of marlborough the inheritance she received from her first husband was used to restore blenheim palace in woodstock oxfordshire in 1883 after the death of her husband she sued her stepson charles spencer churchill ninth duke of marlborough to retrieve the money she had spent on its restoration adele keppel countess of essex she was born in new york city on the 9th of december 1866 the daughter of rebecca stewart grant and david beech grant she was a society beauty one of the so-called lovely five adele was engaged to lord kearns but broke off the engagement on the eve of their wedding owing to the bridegroom's extortionate demands for a settlement on the dowry she married george keppel seventh earl of essex ascend margaret's westminister on the 14th of december 1893 the earl and countess lived at casio berry park watford the couple had two daughters iris and john me you're here mary augusta yoher was born in pennsylvania after beginning her career with the mccall comic opera company in 1886 in new york and chicago and after other performances in the united states she quickly gained success on the london stage in november 1894 at his suburban registry office she married sir francis pelhelm clinton hope eighth duke of newcastle she wore her husband's most prized possession the hope diamond they led an extravagant lifestyle and this eventually caught up with them leading to marriage and financial troubles in 1896 his bankruptcy was discharged this embarrassed the two of them but she said a future duke and duchess can always beg or borrow and they did elise paisle smith she was born in philadelphia pennsylvania she chaired the italian refugees relief committee to help people fleeing benito mussolini's italy and also chaired their general committee of the mothers and infants society which set up a school for mothers also known as mothers and babies welcome on the 13th of december 1894 she married bertrand arthur william russell third earl russell in the quick meeting house in saint martin lane london their marriage began to fall apart in 1901 when it occurred to russell while he was cycling that he no longer loved her when she asked him if he loved her he simply replied that he did not she said it was a hollow shell of a marriage and a lengthy period of separation began in 1911. maude alice burke lady canard moord known as emerald was born in san francisco on the 3rd of august 1872 she was brought up in new york where she became a devotee of music hearing her first wagner the complete ring cycle when she was just 12. she hoped to marry prince andre ponotorsky grandson of the lead king of poland but he jilted her in april 1895 she married sir canard third baronet grandson of the founder of the canard shipping line he was 21 years her senior and despite his affection for her they had little in common she preferred being a high society hostess in london he preferred living in his country house neville halt hall in leicestershire where he was a cane huntsman mary victoria curzon baroness cousin of kendallston mary was born on the 27th of may 1870 her family moved to washington dc in 1881 and entered the exclusive circle of official society there mary was a striking six-foot tall presence with a curvy figure her appearance was described as a face of unusual beauty with dark gray eyes straight black brows a sweet sensitive mouth a prettily shaped nose and lower forehead with fine black hair brushed simply away from her face and emphasizing its whiteness in 1890 age 20 mary was introduced to london's society she met george cousin a conservative member of parliament and they were married on the 22nd of april 1895 at st john's church in washington d.c her husband accepted the position of viceroy of india and was elevated to the peerage of ireland as baron curzon of kendallston in the summer of 1898 at the age of 39 as viceroy of india his wife held the highest official title in the indian empire that a woman could hold she instantly made an impression of beauty and respect that soon spread all over india george said initially he had married her for her money so he could save his estate but ended up nursing strong feelings for her mary had a long and nearly fatal illness in the summer of 1904 from which she never really recovered falling ill again in 1906 she died on the 18th of that month in her husband's arms at the age of just 36 he said it was the greatest personal loss of his life consuela spencer churchill duchess of marlborough consuela vanderbilt born on the 2nd of march 1877 in new york city a friend described her as her oval face perched upon a long slender neck her enormous dark eyes fringed with curling lashes her dimples and her tiny teeth are beautiful when she smiles she was largely dominated by her mother alva who determined to secure the highest ranking mid possible for her only daughter alva told her that i do the thinking you do as you are told alvare engineered a meeting between consuela and charles spencer churchill her mother cajuled wheedled begged and then ultimately ordered her daughter to marry him consuela had no interest in the duke being secretly engaged to winthrop rotherland it was only when her mother claimed that her health was being seriously and irretrievably undermined by consuela's stubbornness that she agreed to the marriage alva made an astonishing recovery from her entirely phantom illness the same day the couple were married on the 6th of november 1895 in new york city consuela stood at the altar weeping behind her veil the new duchess was adored by her poor and less fortunate tenants on her husband's estate whom she visited and to whom she provided assistance she later became involved with other projects and was particularly interested in those that affected mothers and children the marlboroughs separated in 1906 divorced in 1921 and the marriage was annulled at the duke's request with consuela's agreement [Music] helena keith falconer duchess of manchester countess of kintore helena was born in cincinnati ohio on the 25th of september 1878. as a child her father sent her to france where she lived for many years was educated and became accomplished in horsemanship and fencing while attending a costume ball at a brittany coast resort in france the 21 year old helena met william angus drago montague 9th duke of manchester who was then 23 on the 14th of november 1900 they married in london without her father or his mother present but this love match didn't last the couple separated in 1914 and eventually divorced in 1930 on the 23rd of november 1937 the duchess of manchester remarried arthur keith falconer 10th earl of kintore alice cornelia thor she was born on january 2nd 1880 in pittsburgh pennsylvania she was the daughter of william thor senior who is considered one of the 100 wealthiest americans of all time in january 1903 george seymour earl of yarmouth and amateur actor was a two-week guest of her mother they became fond of each other and their engagement was announced in february 1903 they were married shortly after on april 27th but their marriage was annulled in 1908 on the grounds of non-consummation mary in esker duchess of roxburgh mary collette was born on october 6 1878 in new york city on november 10th 1903 she married henry innisker 8th duke of roxbury at the time of her marriage she was the wealthiest american heiress with a diary of 20 million dollars exceeded only by consuela vanderbilt and the wealth brought to the transatlantic marriages the 8th duke and duchess roxburgh settled at flores castle where mary decorated the fortress with her own collection of art including a priceless series of 17th century tapestries jean templeton liddy ward jean templeton reed was born on the 13th of july 1884. she was an accomplished horsewoman excellent musician and fluent in several languages including german and italian the 23 year old jane's engagement to the 38 year old honorable sir hubert ward was announced in april 1908 they were married on the 23rd of june 1908 at the chapel royal saint james's palace in a ceremony attended by king edward and queen alexandra the wedding was celebrated at dorchester house and was considered one of the greatest society events of the year the couple spent their time between dudley house a 44 000 square foot london town house that was built for his ancestor the sixth baron ward and their country estate known as chilton for her charitable work during world war ii lady ward was made a commander of the british empire and a dame of the order of saint john of jerusalem [Music] hazel lady livery hazel martin was born in chicago on the 14th of march 1880 a contemporary recount refers to young hazel as the most beautiful girl in the midwest hazel had one sister dorothea hope martin who was an aspiring playwright suffering from anorexia nervosa dorothy died in 1911 at the age of 23 and it is her death that spurred hazel to leave america in 1903 she married edward livingston trudeau who died five months later while still married to him she met sir john livery a catholic-born painter painter originally from belfast in 1909 they married after the anglo-irish treaty the irish free state government invited lavery to create an image of a female personification of ireland for the new irish banknotes lady lavery sat for more than 400 portraits by sir john beatrice forbes countess of grenade jane beatrice mills was born on the 19th of july 1883 in newport rhode island home to some of the most prominent and wealthy american families she was raised around horses at her family's livingston mansion in new york her father owned thoroughbred resources in the united states and in france in 1909 she married bernard arthur william patrick hastings forbes 8th earl of grenade their shared fondness for horses and horse racing bernard was master of the horse whose duties for king george v included overseer of the royal stables and stood her husband's wealth was limited and she provided the funds to finish restoring the family's historic castle forbes in county longford island their principal residence was at forbes house in london margareta armstrong finch hutton countess of winchelsea and nottingham margareta drexel was born on march 1st 1885 into a wealthy philadelphia banking dynasty she was presented at court in 1908 after her presentation she attained great popularity in london's society on the 8th of june 1910 she was married to guy finch hutton vi count made stone by the bishop of london at saint margaret's westminster mildred countess of gosford caroline mildred carter or millie as she was also known was born on the 2nd of march 1888 in cambridge massachusetts in may 1908 noted american portrait painter john singer sergeant painted a portrait of mildred in london that was described at the time by the new york times as in the painter's best manner and brings out all of the immediate sweetness of nature which has endured miss carter to her english as much as to her american friends all of whom agree that she has the wonderful tact of her father on june 21st 1910 mildred was married to archibald charles munterqueue accolson fifth earl of gosford at saint george's hanover square church in london followed by a reception at dorchester house the countess of gosford obtained a divorce in december 1927. lord gosford went to new york the contest of gosford stayed in the uk helen agnes paused lady of saint germain's helen was born on the 11th of january 1885. she was the only child of arthur post and elizabeth wordsworth known to her family as nelly on the 22nd of june 1910 she married montague elliot 8th earl of saint-germain's a newspaper wrote her dress was a simple one made with a train and was of softest white satin the york of the slaves to the elbows being of old lace the quartering worn from the shoulders was of white muslin while the deep and pretty graduated end of the rain train was of softest saturn grace elvina curzon marchiness of kendallston grace heinz was born on the 16th of may 1885. in alabama she was a wealthy woman inheriting an estate of more than 18 million dollars in 1917 at the age of 32 she became the second wife of george first marquez carson of kendallston in 1917 they bought boredium castle in east sussex a 14th century building that had been gutted during their english civil war they restored it extensively then bequeathed it to the national trust in the 1922 new year's honors list she was appointed dm grand cross of the order of the british empire four services rendered during the war to the british red cross society and to the soldiers and sailors families association despite her fertility related operations and several miscarriages the couple did not produce any children this eroded the marriage which ended in separation but not divorced eva lau lady ripplesdale she was born on september 15 1868 in philadelphia to edward shippen willing and alice bell barton on february 17 1891 she married colonel john jacob astor iv in 1909 after returning from england she sued her husband for divorce on november 19th and four months later on the 5th of march 1910 the state of new york decreed in her she received a settlement which today is the equivalent of over 274 million dollars on june 3rd 1919 eva married thomas lister fourth baron ripplesdale at saint mary's church in london she was known as lady rubblesdale thomas died six years later on october 21st 1925 they had no children together and she did not remarry gladys spencer churchill duchess of marlborough gladys deacon was born on the 7th of february 1881 at the age of 22 she underwent plastic surgery in which she had her nose injected with paraffin wax it slipped to her chin causing big lumps the first thing she would do in the morning was sit in front of the fire molding the wax charles spencer churchill ninth duke of marlborough invited her to his home and she became friends with his wife consuela she became the duke's mistress soon after after his divorce in 1921 they're married in paris edith liddy queensborough edith star miller was born in newport rhode island on july 16 1887 lord queensborough was in new york visiting his late wife's brother where he met edith and the couple married on the 19th of july 1921 after their marriage they lived at camfield place near hatfield hartfordshire in england ann herbert lady carnarvon and catherine tredick wendell was born on the 29th of november 1900 in new york city in 1921 she met henry herbert sixth earl of carnarvon at first she treated him with the utmost indifference but he pursued a very romantic courtship and they were married on the 17th of july 1922 in saint margaret's church westminster the couple moved to his family home of high claire castle in hampshire if this looks familiar it's because it's this setting for downton abbey they're divorced 14 years later in 1936. elsie dewolfe lady mendel she was born on december the 20th 1859 elsie was very sensitive to environment from her earliest years and became one of the first women interior designers replacing heavy victorian styles with light intimate effects and uncluttered layouts in 1926 she married sir charles simon mendel in the british embassy in paris the marriage was platonic and one of convenience as elsie was living in a lesbian relationship with elizabeth marbury and the marriage allowed her to use the title lady she appeared her husband a monthly allowance and the two did not live together selma furnace vicontess furnace thelma morgan and her twin sister gloria were born on the 23rd of august 1904 for a brief time she was a motion picture producer and actress after founding thelma morgan pictures at the age of 17 in 1923 as she told time magazine i am incorporating the thelma morgan pictures with 100 000 capital i will be my own star her second husband was mama duke furness first viking furnace the chairman of furnace shipping company she was his second wife and they were married on the 27th of june 1926. thelma had a four-year affair with edward then the prince of wales they first met at a ball at londonderry house in 1926 but they did not meet again until the 14th of june 1929 edward asked her to dine with him on edward's return to britain in april 1930 she was his regular weekend companion until january 1934 she introduced the prince to her closest friend wallace simpson and while visiting her sister gloria in america between january and march 1934 she was supplanted in the prince's affection by wallace reacting to edward's coldness later that year she threw herself into a short-lived affair with prince ali khan she had openly flirted with khan during her voyage back to the uk in march 1934 which was reported to the prince of wales and widely reported in the british and american press including the social gossip magazine tatler adele astaire liddy cavendish she was born on september 10 1896 in omaha nebraska her younger brother fred astaire was born three years later after adele showed an early propensity for dance she was enrolled in a local dance skill she soon stood out for her natural ability as a dancer and began making appearances at local recitals and parties in 1922 adellan fred landed their first proper speaking rules in the broadway musical for goodness sake playing the best friends of the lead characters the astaire's london debut of fully face took place in november 1920 the shore ran for 263 performances on the night of their final performance in london adele was introduced to lord charles cavendish after the two had been courting for some time adele proposed marriage to charles to speak easy named 21 and he accepted she was tired of the relentless travel and rehearsals required of a performer and had been considering retirement she said her theatrical life had always been like olives and acquired taste when she met the rest of the cavendish family for the first time she was formally announced quietly entered the room where the cavendish family was waiting and then launched herself into a series of cartwheels across the floor until she reached her new relatives the couple were married on may 9th 1932. kathleen cavendish martinez of hartington kathleen agnes kennedy also known as kik was born in brooklyn massachusetts she was the fourth child and second daughter of joseph p kennedy senior and rose kennedy she was nicknamed kik because of her irrepressible nature kathleen was especially close to her older brother john f kennedy known to his family as jack as a child kathleen was very athletic and played football with her brothers her optimism and high spirits attracted many suitors her mother did not approve of the male attention she attracted and sent her to the all-girl skill norton convent of the sacred heart kathleen's time in britain during her father's term as ambassador dramatically influenced the remainder of her life in 1940 seeking a way to return to england kathleen signed up to work in a center for servicemen set up by the red cross during this time she began a romantic relationship with the politician william cavendish known to his family and friends as billy despite objections from her mother who saw that their marriage would break the laws of the roman catholic church kathleen stubbornly married william on may 6 1944 in a civil ceremony at coxton hall registry office they spent less than five weeks together before william went out to fight in france just four months after their marriage he was killed by a sniper during a battle with the germans in belgium on may 13 1948 she died in a plane crash while flying from paris to the french riviera her father was the only family member to attend her church of england funeral her mother rose said her daughter's death was good pointing a finger wallace duchess of windsor bessie wallace warfield was born on the 19th of june 1896 in blue ridge summit pennsylvania in january 1934 wallace became the prince's mistress edward denied this to his father despite his staff reporting seeing them in bed together by the end of 1934 edward was irretrievably besotted with her finding her domineering manner appealing according to wallace it was during a cruise in august 1934 that she fell in love with edward on the 20th of january 1936 george v died and edward ascended the throne as king edward viii the next day he broke royal protocol by watching the proclamation from a window of saint james's palace while in the company of the still married wallace it was becoming apparent to court and government that the new king emperor meant to marry her after the death of george v but before her divorce from her second husband wallace said soon i shall be queen of england domineering governments believe that a twice divorced woman was politically socially and morally unsuitable as a prospective consort the king signed the instrument of abdication on the 10th of december 1936 and the couple were married on the 3rd of june 1936 and this concludes the video thank you very much for watching if you enjoyed this please click the like button give it a thumbs up and please subscribe for future videos thank you

Channel: Rebecca Pattison the History Buff

Views: 50,066

Keywords: lord, prince, queen, vintage, education, educational, history, uk, historical, era, royal, royalty, dynasty, age, monarchs, monarch, england, Great, Britain, Edwardian, Georgian, Regency, Victorian, Windsor, Saxe, Coburg, Gotha, Modern, america, usa

Id: VPsjq3aC854

Length: 43min 37sec (2617 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 07 2021