George Frederick Shrady, Sr.

George Frederick Shrady Sr. (January 13, 1830 – November 30, 1907) was an American physician active in the late 19th century.

Early life and education He was born in New York City on January 13, 1830, to Margaret Beinhauer and John Shrady, he was one of five children, all were born at No. 138 Rivington Street, now part of Central Park. His paternal grandfather emigrated from Baden-Baden, Germany, and settled in New York City in 1735. Both of his grandfathers were soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, and his father served in the War of 1812. Son George Jr. married Katharine Wolfe Ambrose, daughter of the civil engineer John Wolfe Ambrose. Daughter Minnie married Katharine Wolfe Ambrose's brother, John Fremont Ambrose, superintendent of New York City's Department of Docks and Ferries. Son Henry became a prominent sculptor, and is best known for the Grant Memorial on the National Mall.

Mary Lewis Shrady died on April 29, 1883, and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York. On December 19, 1888, Dr. Shrady married his second wife, Hester Ellen Cantine (1850-1916), of New York, a widow with one daughter, Sarah Cantine Shrady, née Shultis, who married Edwin Gould. The Shradys were members of the Jekyll Island Club (a.k.a. The Millionaires Club), on Jekyll Island, Georgia, as was the Gould family. They built Cherokee Cottage, there, in 1904.

Dr. Shrady died November 30, 1907, at 9:30 p.m., at his residence at 512 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. He was buried at Saint Paul's Chapel and Churchyard in Manhattan. His body was later moved and re-interred, alongside his first wife, Mary, and son Charles, along with several other Shrady relations, at Woodlawn Cemetery, in Bronx, New York.

Appley estate In 1910, the Shrady Family successfully claimed two-thirds of the Appley estate (worth nearly $1 million at the time of the settlement), finally resolving a legal battle that was initiated in the 1860s. They fought for this money even though the Appley heirs relied on it for support while they themselves were wealthy and successful. The founder of the estate was Jacob Appley, the son of a German immigrant. He started out as a butcher working at a stall in the Oswego Market on Broadway. But his fortunes were greatly elevated by a windfall from a shrewd investment in the mutton market which he made in the early 1800s. He expanded his fortune by investing in properties around the Lower East Side on Eldridge, Delancey, Forsyth, Bayard, and First Streets. When he died in 1840, he left the estate, which included about 40 houses, in trust to his only son, Jacob Alexander Appley (Jacob A). The trust document, one of the earliest of its kind, provided Jacob A with the income from the estate for life and saved the properties to be distributed to Jacob A's issue (children) after his death. In case no issue existed, the trust named Jacob's sister, Barbara (Shrady), and her heirs, as the beneficiaries. As one of Barbara's grandsons, Dr. George Frederick Shrady was a potential beneficiary.

Jacob A Appley had many children with at least 3 women, but none of them were legitimate, which, as the Shrady position maintained, disqualified them from being legal beneficiaries (under the laws in effect at the time). At the age of 25, Jacob A had married 16-year-old Mary Brown, and although she deserted him after a short time, they were never legally divorced. For 20 years after acquiring the estate, Jacob A acted as the trustee, and with full control of the properties, he freely funded an extravagant lifestyle and financed several business ventures. Then in the 1860s, the Shradys became aware of Jacob A’s unresolved marriage to Mary Brown. They allied with Mary providing her with support so that she would deny Jacob A a legal divorce and prevent him from having legitimate heirs. Control of the estate was transferred to an independent trustee and Jacob A was restricted to an allowance to preserve the principal until his death. Jacob A prevailed, at least partially, by living on for another 50 years continuing to receive income from the properties while they were left unimproved remaining like time capsules for 100 years. Jacob A was 91 when he finally died in 1906 and had outlasted a generation of the Shradys. When Mary Brown died in 1899, he finally was able to legally marry his common law wife Mary Jane Rockefeller (Rockefellow) thereby granting some legitimate status to their 11 children. The ceremony was performed by the Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court. (She was a third cousin of John D.) Furthermore, his attorneys pushed through a state law making children legitimate if subsequent to their birth, the parents become legally married. However, the law did not clearly apply to children already born at the time the law was passed. Consequently, the Appley children from Mary Jane Rockefeller were compelled to give up two thirds of the estate to their distant cousins. Appley’s children from other women were excluded from any inheritance.

Legacy The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine noted that:

"Few men are so sincerely mourned or by such a wide circle of friends, personal and professional, as is Dr. Shrady. For nearly half a century he was a conspicuous figure in his chosen profession, and during his whole career he was ever active to help the unfortunate, to advise and assist the young practitioner, and in all efforts to raise the standard of medical education and ethics. Simple, unaffected, courteous, and with a heart brimming over with kindness, he won the warm affection of all with whom he came in contact. Among the sincerest mourners at his bier are the poor, to whom he gave his best services without hope of fee or reward."

This article incorporates text from the 1908 book General Grant's Last Days; with a Short Biographical Sketch of Dr. Shrady, a work now in the public domain. Feel free to alter the text but please maintain the proper citations to that work.