Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt was born at the famous Biltmore Estate, August 22, 1900, the only child of George Washington Vanderbilt and Edith Dresser Vanderbilt. Upon George Vanderbilt's death in 1914, Cornelia Vanderbilt became heiress to the Biltmore Estate.
Cornelia was raised at Biltmore and tutored privately. She later attended Miss Madeira's School for Girls in Washington, D.C.
Cornelia was married first to Hon John Francis Amherst Cecil in 1924. About 1932, Cornelia found life at Biltmore too dull to endure and moved to New York briefly to study art. She later moved to Paris, divorced Cecil in 1934, and lived for a time with aspiring Swiss artist, Guy Baer. That phase passed, and while living quietly and modestly in London, she met and married Vivian Francis Bulkely-Johnson in 1949.
At some point she adopted the name Mary. Her last marriage was in 1972 to William Goodsir, 26 years her junior. They lived very quietly; Cornelia never spoke of her past, and never returned to Biltmore or the US after leaving in 1934.
Her sons with Cecil, George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil (b. 1925) and William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil (b. 1928), eventually inherited the Biltmore Estate and land.
Cornelia was cremated. Her ashes were placed at a church near her home, Mount Farm, in Churchill, in Oxfordshire. When her husband Bill Goodsir died in 1984, her ashes were placed on top of his casket and buried with him. The Goodsir family grave and Cornelia's ashes are located near entrance gate one of St. Peters, Eastside, South Ronaldsay, Orkney.
Words were chosen for a marker, but never added. The inscription was to have read, "Interred here are the ashes of Cornelia Mary Goodsir Died 7 Feb 1976 aged 75 yrs." Cornelia's grave was initially without identification. However, the burial site was marked with a small sandstone plaque by a local craftsman, identity unknown, in September 2017.
Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt was born at the famous Biltmore Estate, August 22, 1900, the only child of George Washington Vanderbilt and Edith Dresser Vanderbilt. Upon George Vanderbilt's death in 1914, Cornelia Vanderbilt became heiress to the Biltmore Estate.
Cornelia was raised at Biltmore and tutored privately. She later attended Miss Madeira's School for Girls in Washington, D.C.
Cornelia was married first to Hon John Francis Amherst Cecil in 1924. About 1932, Cornelia found life at Biltmore too dull to endure and moved to New York briefly to study art. She later moved to Paris, divorced Cecil in 1934, and lived for a time with aspiring Swiss artist, Guy Baer. That phase passed, and while living quietly and modestly in London, she met and married Vivian Francis Bulkely-Johnson in 1949.
At some point she adopted the name Mary. Her last marriage was in 1972 to William Goodsir, 26 years her junior. They lived very quietly; Cornelia never spoke of her past, and never returned to Biltmore or the US after leaving in 1934.
Her sons with Cecil, George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil (b. 1925) and William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil (b. 1928), eventually inherited the Biltmore Estate and land.
Cornelia was cremated. Her ashes were placed at a church near her home, Mount Farm, in Churchill, in Oxfordshire. When her husband Bill Goodsir died in 1984, her ashes were placed on top of his casket and buried with him. The Goodsir family grave and Cornelia's ashes are located near entrance gate one of St. Peters, Eastside, South Ronaldsay, Orkney.
Words were chosen for a marker, but never added. The inscription was to have read, "Interred here are the ashes of Cornelia Mary Goodsir Died 7 Feb 1976 aged 75 yrs." Cornelia's grave was initially without identification. However, the burial site was marked with a small sandstone plaque by a local craftsman, identity unknown, in September 2017.
Inscription
Here Lies the Dust of Cornelia Vanderbilt 1900 -1976