2025 Scholarship Winner
Charles Burr (32632234)
In his essay, Charles explores the different traits of his ancestors and how they reflect in his own life.
Charles' essay -
Helen Miller Gould Shepard was my Great-Great-Grandmother. Born into a family of tremendous wealth and status, Helen (or Nellie, as she was referred to by many) had an upbringing that was nearly the closest America could offer to royalty. She was the daughter of the railroad magnate Jay Gould, who gained notoriety in the latter half of the nineteenth century for his dodgy, yet highly successful business endeavors. Jay Gould was the Great-Grandson of John and Betty More and the first-born son of John Burr Gould and Mary More. Despite his being the first-born son, by the time of his birth his parents had already had five daughters. He was born prematurely and grew in adulthood to a full height of just above five feet. His family was by no means wealthy, but Gould was savvy, quick-witted, and not at all afraid to take risks. By his early-thirties, Gould had become a notable name on Wall Street. In 1968, he and his wife welcomed their first daughter, Helen Miller Gould, into the world.
Helen split time between residences in Manhattan and the Gould vacation home, Lyndhurst. Lyndhurst, which still stands today, is a castle-like mansion of gothic design. The grounds hold a massive greenhouse (no longer in operation), a pool, and a bowling alley. Following the young death of her father in 1892, Helen was left in his will as the sole owner of both Lyndhurst and the Gould mansion at 579 fifth street in New York City. The pool and bowling alley were both installed at Lyndhurst by Helen once she gained ownership.
While her father was a cutthroat businessman who rarely let sympathy interrupt his public decisions, he possessed a serious devotion to his children. He loved them more than anything, furnishing them not only with luxury and wealth, but a means to maintain their family’s success through education, patriotism, love, and faith. Many sources do not recognize the charitable contributions that Jay Gould made in his lifetime because he more than often donated anonymously. This anonymity being the case, he is usually remembered as a selfish man. Despite his public perception, Gould’s family was aware of his quiet generosity. The man who was deemed by Mark Twain to be, “the mightiest disaster that has ever befallen this country” even had each of his children choose a charity to receive donations from the Gould family weekly. These actions worked to propel Helen into a life structured around philanthropy and selflessness.
Helen was a member of various Christian and humanitarian organizations, taking particular interest in the development of YMCAs and involvement with the Red Cross. She donated one hundred thousand dollars to the US government to support the military in the Spanish-American War. She endowed NYU’s Hall of Fame for Great Americans, gifting two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the university. These are just several of the many charitable actions Helen engaged in during her seventy years of life.
While I am not in possession of nearly as much wealth as what was left to Helen, I consider myself an embodiment of her ideals. In no way am I currently in a position to make large charitable donations, but I do have a selfless nature that compels me to do moral rights. If I was in the place of my great-great-grandmother, being a woman with a law degree from one of two law schools that accepted women at the time of her enrollment (NYU), I would have used my influence for the benefit of others. Helen was deeply involved in issues of women’s rights because her own education and status had exposed her to the benefits of intellect and personal liberty. I’m sure if I were a man during her time, I would have my own biases built up by societal influence, but if I were her, I likely would have had similar inclinations as she. I would have had the same respect for education, shown through her support of various all female colleges in the US as well as NYU, because in my life proper education has afforded me so many opportunities that would otherwise have been unavailable. I also would have had her deep sense of patriotism, shown through her donations to the government itself and the various organizations she worked with to benefit American society. I believe no country could have furnished me (and her) with the opportunities I have been blessed with quite like America, and giving back through whatever means I can to those who wish to find the same opportunities is a privelege too valuable to be squandered (especially if I had the wealth she had). Jay Gould died as one of the most despised men in America, while Helen became one of the most beloved women of her time. While my saying how I would like to be remembered empty now because I have lived so little life, I would like to leave the same selfless and positive imprint left by Helen Gould in the time I have left.
It was interesting reading the essays of previous JMA scholarship recipients and seeing how immensely they varied. Not one of the ancestors discussed in those essays was very similar to another. I believe this to be the most significant takeaway I have found from being a member of the JMA. Every member came from John and Betty, but not one is alike. We may all be cousins, but the experiences of our ancestors (and ourselves) are unique in every way. Exploring the past and remembering those who have passed is the only way to understand who people were to a fuller extent, and the JMA encourages us to do so. That is why I value my membership and am proud to be part of the John More family.
Works Cited
Farley, Todd. “Why Gilded Age Tycoon Jay Gould Was One of the Most Hated Men in America.” New York Post, New York Post, 30 July 2022, nypost.com/2022/07/30/why-jay-gould-was-among-the-most-hated-men-in-gilded-age-america/.
“Jay Gould Mansion.” American Aristocracy, americanaristocracy.com/houses/jay-gould-mansion. Accessed 1 June 2025.
JMA Directory – Directory of Descendants of John and Betty Taylor More, www.more.org/directory/lineage.php. Accessed 1 June 2025.
Klein, Maury. The Life and Legend of Jay Gould. Johns Hopkins U.P, 1986.
Renehan, Edward J. Dark Genius of Wall Street: The Misunderstood Life of Jay Gould, King of the Robber Barons. Basic Books, 2006.
“Useful Daughter.” TIME, 2 Jan. 1939, web.archive.org/web/20080307113053/www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,760528,00.html.
Zar, Howard A. “Helen Gould and Tiffany.” Lyndhurst Mansion, lyndhurst.org/pieces/helen-gould-and-tiffany/. Accessed 1 June 2025.