Eugene Langdon Wilks (1855-1934)

He was born in New York at The Langdon House, a great-grandson of John Jacob Astor. In 1898, he built Langdon Hall on the Cruickston Park estate purchased by his father forty years before. He married Pauline Kingsmill (1867-1914). When she developed cancer they went to Europe in search of a cure and she was cared for by a Swiss nurse, Marguerite Briquet (1880-1961) to whom he was married the year after Pauline's death. Pauline died without children but Eugene had three daughters by Marguerite. The family divided their time between New York City, the Chateau des Grandes-Brosses at Metrray in Touraine, and Langdon Hall. Eugene died at their French home and was buried with many other members of his paternal family at Cheltenham. On the outbreak of the Second World War, the French Army commandeered their chateau and his widow and three daughters returned to Canada and Langdon Hall permanently.