Where did the vanderbilts money come from?

Answer 1

The Vanderbilt family is a significant international family with Dutch origins, they were highly prominent during the 19th century due to family patriarch Cornelius Vanderbilt's railroad and shipping empires. The family is known for 'building America's railroads'. His descendants went on to build great Fifth Avenue mansions, Newport, Rhode Island summer cottages, the famous Biltmore Houseand various other exclusive homes. The family members were the leaders of the high society scene and the Gilded Age, until the early 20th century, when the ten great Fifth Avenue mansions were torn down and fellow Vanderbilt homes were sold as museums and the like. The family suffered from a major downfall in prominence by the mid-20th century, known as the Fall of the House of Vanderbilt.[1] Despite the family's downfall and major loss of fortunes, the Vanderbilts remain the seventh wealthiest family in history