A native child of Portsmouth has recently become the focus of an elderly abuse court case. Brooke Astor—the 104-year-old millionaire New York philanthropist—has reportedly been neglected by her son and guardian, Anthony Dryden Marshall. Astor’s grandson Phillip Cryan Marshall recently filed a lawsuit to have Anthony Marshall removed as Astor’s guardian, citing his father’s harmful neglect and its negative impact on his grandmother. The story was first reported on the front page of the New York Daily News on July 26. Phillip Marshall says his father has committed a list of egregious offenses against his grandmother, including buying a diluted, generic form of necessary medication; not providing money to purchase new clothing for the elderly Astor; removing comforts from Astor’s home, such as flower arrangements and her beloved dogs; and not allowing Astor to move to her estate in Westchester, despite Astor’s having stated that she wishes to die in that home. New York Supreme Court Justice John Stackhouse appointed Annette de la Renta—wife of designer Oscar de la Renta and close friend of Brooke Astor—as Astor’s guardian and put JP Morgan Chase & Co. in charge of Astor’s estate. A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 8.

Astor was born Roberta Brooke Russell in Portsmouth between 1902 and 1905 (the actual date is disputed). Her parents were Mabel Cecile Hornby Howard and John Henry Russell, Jr., a Marine Corps officer. Neither the Portsmouth Athenaeum nor Portsmouth Public Library reference librarian supervisor Michael Huxtable had more detailed information on Astor’s early life in Portsmouth.