iris lilies
3-2-25, 10:41am
Do any of you know true old money people? I’ve had such a friend for more than a dozen years with whom I do work in one of my hobby groups.
Knowing her has opened my eyes to the very real world of old wealth. See, we don’t have that in Iowa where I grew up. That kind of old money property just does not exist. Iowa wasn’t really settled until mid 1800s. My friend’s family estate goes back to the 1600s. I’m sure those of you on the East Coast touch this 1% of the 1% but in flyover country this demographic is unusual.
A few of things about her are remarkable.
Thing one: that her family estate still exists after generations of 300+ years. That is pretty damn impressive that they were able to keep it through economic challenges,. And there’s still a pile of money that goes with the estate, although the estate is a working farm and has to earn its money. There is an enormous burden of legacy this gives to her as the inheritor.
Thing two: Her daily lifestyle is SO VERY modest. She lives in a modest apartment in a modest neighborhood. When I took her out to dinner last week, we compared notes about the new organization of the Salvation Army thrift store. She doesn’t mind it, I hate it.
Thing three: She is extremely circumspect about this family legacy, and her own business acumen. The only reason I know of her privilege is because I listen for her to drop simple facts: her brothers went to Exeter where their father delivered them each year in his plane. The women in their family always go to one of the seven sister colleges, I can’t remember which, but she rebelled and went to another Ivy. Her mother got into a snit with her father when they were children and took the children to France to live for a few years. She refers to someone enormously wealthy whose name you would all recognize as “uncle” because there was some intermarrying.
This world is fascinating and she did finally show me pictures of her family estate because I love architecture and old houses. It is a huge old estate that has been built onto by successive generations, but still they maintained the balance of the original structure. It’s everything you would expect from the words “ Large Georgian house and estate from the 1700s.” The original kitchen fireplace is still there and is big enough to put a cow onto a spit.
This whole world fascinates me, and makes me so very thankful I wasn’t born into it. Believe me when I say it is a burden.
Knowing her has opened my eyes to the very real world of old wealth. See, we don’t have that in Iowa where I grew up. That kind of old money property just does not exist. Iowa wasn’t really settled until mid 1800s. My friend’s family estate goes back to the 1600s. I’m sure those of you on the East Coast touch this 1% of the 1% but in flyover country this demographic is unusual.
A few of things about her are remarkable.
Thing one: that her family estate still exists after generations of 300+ years. That is pretty damn impressive that they were able to keep it through economic challenges,. And there’s still a pile of money that goes with the estate, although the estate is a working farm and has to earn its money. There is an enormous burden of legacy this gives to her as the inheritor.
Thing two: Her daily lifestyle is SO VERY modest. She lives in a modest apartment in a modest neighborhood. When I took her out to dinner last week, we compared notes about the new organization of the Salvation Army thrift store. She doesn’t mind it, I hate it.
Thing three: She is extremely circumspect about this family legacy, and her own business acumen. The only reason I know of her privilege is because I listen for her to drop simple facts: her brothers went to Exeter where their father delivered them each year in his plane. The women in their family always go to one of the seven sister colleges, I can’t remember which, but she rebelled and went to another Ivy. Her mother got into a snit with her father when they were children and took the children to France to live for a few years. She refers to someone enormously wealthy whose name you would all recognize as “uncle” because there was some intermarrying.
This world is fascinating and she did finally show me pictures of her family estate because I love architecture and old houses. It is a huge old estate that has been built onto by successive generations, but still they maintained the balance of the original structure. It’s everything you would expect from the words “ Large Georgian house and estate from the 1700s.” The original kitchen fireplace is still there and is big enough to put a cow onto a spit.
This whole world fascinates me, and makes me so very thankful I wasn’t born into it. Believe me when I say it is a burden.