John Wendel kept his sisters from marrying to hold the family's Manhattan land together, and more than 2,000 people claimed the last sister's estate

John Gottlieb Wendel made a fortune in fur and Manhattan land and was an associate and in-law of John Jacob Astor. His son John D. Wendel built a brick house at Fifth Avenue and 39th Street in 1856. At his death the estate was split equally among his eight children. The only son, John G. Wendel II, kept his sisters from marrying for fear they would take their shares out of the family. He locked half the house's 20 rooms, refused electric light and telephones, and built a 12-foot wall around the yard. When Georgiana fled under a false name, he hired 29 detectives to find her; she was committed to an asylum and died there in 1924. Rebecca left in 1903, at 61, to marry Professor Luther Swope. John died in 1914. From 1925 Ella lived alone in the house with her poodle, Toby. She died on 13 March 1931, and her will left the fortune to charities. More than 2,000 people claimed to be heirs. Thomas Patrick Morris said he was John's son by a secret marriage in 1876. Surrogate James Foley disposed of 2,294 claims after about 11 months of hearings. A Brooklyn housepainter who called himself the son of the last male Wendel was jailed for conspiracy. Four fifth-degree relatives settled for $2,125,000 and dropped their suits to break the will. Five charities, including Drew University, shared the rest. Drew received the house and leased the site to S. H. Kress, which demolished it.