Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor

Caroline Schermerhorn Astor
Schermerhorn Astor, c. 1850s
Born	Caroline Webster Schermerhorn (1830-09-21)September 21, 1830 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	October 30, 1908(1908-10-30) (aged 78) New York City, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Trinity Church Cemetery, New York City, New York, U.S.
Known for	self-proclaimed The Mrs. Astor, matriarch of male line of American Astors
Spouse(s)	William Backhouse Astor Jr. (m. 1853; his death 1892)
Children	Emily, Helen, Charlotte, Caroline, and John
Parent(s)	Abraham Schermerhorn Helen White
Relatives	See Astor family

Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn (September 21, 1830 – October 30, 1908) was a prominent American socialite of the last quarter of the 19th century. Famous for being referred to later in life as "the Mrs. Astor" or simply "Mrs. Astor", she was the wife of businessman, racehorse breeder/owner, and yachtsman William Backhouse Astor Jr. (1829–1892). Their son, Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, perished on the RMS Titanic. Through her marriage, she was a prominent member of the Astor family and matriarch of the male line of American Astors.

Lina was born on September 21, 1830 into New York City's Dutch aristocracy, descendants of the city's original settlers. Her father, Abraham Schermerhorn (1783–1850), and the extended Schermerhorn family were engaged in shipping. At the time of Lina's birth, Abraham was worth half a million dollars. Her mother was Helen White (1792–1881). Lina was the couple's ninth child.

At the time of her birth, her family lived at 1 Greenwich Street, near the Bowling Green, but the population growth and increasing urbanization of lower Manhattan in the 1830s led her family to move farther north to 36 Bond Street, near the then-ultra fashionable "Lafayette Place," which had been developed by her future husband's paternal grandfather, fur-trader John Jacob Astor.

Young Lina was educated at a school run by Mrs. Bensee, a French emigree. There she learned to speak French fluently.

On September 23, 1853, she married William Backhouse Astor Jr. (1829–1892) at Trinity Church. Her husband was the middle son of real estate businessman William Backhouse Astor Sr. (1792–1875) and Margaret Alida Rebecca Armstrong (1800–1872). His paternal grandfather was John Jacob Astor (1763–1848) and his maternal grandparents were Senator John Armstrong Jr. (1758–1843) and Alida Livingston (1761–1822), daughter of Robert Livingston of the Livingston family.