Editing John Jacob Astor (section)

===Early life===
Johann Jakob Astor was born in 1763 in [[Walldorf]], a town near [[Heidelberg]] in the [[Electoral Palatinate]], which is in the present-day German state of [[Baden-Württemberg]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}{{sfnp|''BDNA''|1904}} He was the youngest son of Johann Jacob Astor and Maria Magdalena vom Berg. His three older brothers were George, Henry, and Melchior. In his childhood, Johann worked in his father's butcher shop{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} and as a dairy salesman.<ref name="Walker 2015">{{Cite book|title=The Legendary Mountain Men of North America|last=Walker|first=J. P.|publisher=Lulu Co.|year=2015|isbn=9781312921511|location=Raleigh, NC|pages=154–158}}</ref> In 1779, at the age of 16, he moved to [[London]] to join his brother George in working for an uncle's [[piano]] and [[flute]] manufacturer, Astor & Broadwood.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} While there, he learned English and [[anglicization of names|anglicized his name]] to John Jacob Astor.<ref>Herbert C. Ebeling: ''Johann Jakob Astor – Ein Lebensbild''. pp. 63–69.</ref>