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| Astor family | |
|---|---|
 John Jacob Astor  John Jacob Astor III _-_Marceau_LCCN96503454_(cropped).jpg) Vincent Astor | |
| Current region | United States United Kingdom |
| Place of origin | Walldorf, Electoral Palatinate Chiavenna, Duchy of Savoy |
| Current head | William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor |
| Titles | |
| Heirlooms | Sancy diamond |
| Estate(s) | |
The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to the Italian and Swiss Alps,[1] the Astors settled in Germany, first appearing in North America in the 18th century with John Jacob Astor, one of the wealthiest people in history.
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Madsen, Axel (March 14, 2002). John Jacob Astor: America's First Multimillionaire. New York: John Wiley & Sons (published 2002). pp. 7–8. ISBN 9780471009351. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
The Astors [...] were Italian Protestants from the Alpine village of Chiavenna high above the northern end of Lake Como. [...] The first documented ancestor is Jean-Jacques d'Astorg. [...] He and his family are assumed to have been followers of the persecuted Waldensian Puritan faith [...]. Like most subjects of the duke of Savoy, d'Astorg spoke French and Italian, and answered both to Jean-Jacques and Giovan Petro Astore. [...] [I]n 1685 [...] the Sun King revoked the Edict of Nantes [...]. The massacre of Protestants in Valtellina high up in the Adda Valley sent d'Astorg-Astore, his wife, and their two children fleeing north across Switzerland to Heidelberg.