Miles Livingstone

[Gerald Schmidt]

Donald, most of this was copied from "The History Of Deleware County, Iowa"

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Gerald, Yes indeed you have the right Hugh Livingstone. I believe he actually left the Red River Settlement for Iowa in the late 1830's rather than the 1820's. It it interesting to read this Iowa account of the arrival of the

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hello Gerald, I don't know the full extent of your knowledge regarding your great-great grandfather Hugh Livingstone. I will pass on to you what I have. Hugh Livingstone was born abt. 1801 in Argyllshire, Scotland either at Morvern or near Bowmore on the Isle of Islay. His parents were Neil Livingstone b. abt. 1761 d. about 1840 believed to be originally a native of Movern in Argyllshire and his wife known only to family historians as Ann. Neil and others of Livingstone kin from Movern left there sometime between 1780 and the early 1800's and resettled near Bowmore on the Isle of Islay. It is unlikely they were forced off their land at Movern by their landlord the 5th Duke of Argyll who was known to have been a benevolent landlord, but left due to economic hardship and better opportunities on the Isle of Islay. My ancestor Miles Livingstone b. 1775, his older brother Donald Livingstone Jr., their father? and others from Mile's family also apparently left for the Isle of Islay around this time. Apparently both my family and your Livingstones were able to make a living as carpenters, boat builders or as barrelmakers for the whiskey trade on the Isle of Islay. THe aristocrat Lord Selkirk of Kirkcudbright in Lowland Scotland was deeply distressed by the poverty and suffering he witnessed during his travels through highlands in the late 1700's and vowed to use his influence and wealth to establish colonies in British North America where these impoverished highlanders could farm and start a new and better life for themselves. After establishing a colony of Scots begining in 1803 in Prince Edward Island (which included a few Argylshire Livingstones), he acquired a large tract of land in British North AMerica, for settlement purposes, part of Hudson's Bay Company Territory encompassing a piece of what is now Southern Manitoba in Canada and the State of North Dakota. I will not go into the detail on the difficulties of establishing Selkirks settlement known as the Red River Settlement which is of interest, but length in detail. Suffice to say that an older brother of your ancestor Hugh was Donald Livingstone b. abt. 1791 with my ancestor Miles Livingstone and his older brother Donald Livingstone Jr. were recruited probably by one of Lord Selkirks settlement recruiters a Charles McLean in about 1811 or 1812 to settle in the Selkirk's REd River Settlement. Miles, his brother Donald Livingstone JR. Jessie Livingstone and your ancestor's brother Donald Livingstone b.1791. son of Neil Livingstone. boarded the "Robert Taylor" at the port of Sligo Ireland in June of 1812, travelling with Alexander McLean and several other McLeans who originated from Northern Mull. WIth the MCLeans were a related family the MacGilverarys one of whom Ann McGilverary married your ancestor's brother Donald Livingstone early in September of 1812 shortly after the settlers arrived at York Factory on Hudsons Bay. Another 700 or 800 mile trek southward by small boats and canoes to Red RIver awaited them after their brief rest at York Factory. As I previously mentioned due to the hostilities that occurred between the Selkirks settlement and the rival Northwest Company, Miles and later his brother Donald left the settlement. Your ancestor's brother Donald Livingstone b. 1791 however fled the settlement in 1815, but unlike my ancestor Miles remained in Hudsons Bay territory with some tough determined settlers and eventually stuck through thick and thin and helped to reestablish the Red River Colony. Donald became a constable to help maintain order. In 1818 and in 1819, he wrote to his father Neil Livingston at Islay and brothers some of whom were working at Jura asking them to join him as colonists at

[Jerry]

The Neill you mention is my Great-Great-Great Grandfather. I have more than 1 Hugh Livingstone as a direct ancestor.

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Jerry, Yes somewhere I saw an article mentioning your great grandfather Dr. Hugh Livingstone when I was in contact with a descendant of his Uncle James a few years back. Most of my Red River Manitoba Livingstone research is in a file separate from ancient highland material and it has been temporarily misplaced somewhere. A major search

[Jerry]

Yes, both Hugh (sr) & James Livingstone froze to death in Iowa in the mid to late 1840's.

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Jerry, Yes oddly enough both Hugh and James Livingston froze to death, the one in 1847 the other in 1845. Guess Iowa must have nasty winters. I heard about this from a descendant of James Livingston a few years ago. As for Neil Livingston born abt. 1761 he and his wife were alive and living in 1840 at the Red River Settlement in Manitoba according to census records there. I dont know that they made it to Iowa although I understood at one point that his wife Ann made it to Iowa where she died a short time later. I am not certain whether or not this story is confused with Donald Livingston's wife Nancy Ann MacGilverary who died in 1841 shortly after Donald arrived. (The family did not all settle in Iowa at the same time.) Nancy Ann MacGilverary is buried I am told with her husband Donald Livingstone who died in 1876 at Edinburgh Cemetery, Wayne Township, Jones County, Iowa. The brother John Livingston also died in 1841 and is said to have been the first Livingston buried at the cemetery at Edinburgh. I also have the passenger list from the vessel "Prince of Wales which set sail with your ancestor Hugh on May 22, 1819 (I think?) and reached York Factory on August 31th. If you go by the passenger list, Neil Livingstone was born abt. 1763, but other records indicate he was born somewhat earlier than that. So somewhere in the 1758-1763 might be a safe assumption at this point in time. Old Neil's last census from Red River indicates he was born sometime around 1760. From the "Prince of Wales" passenger list it can be deduced that his wife Ann was possibly born abt. 1764. A descendant of James Livingston informed me that Neil was a skilled tradesman, a joiner and a cartwright and no doubt a carpenter as well.

[Jerry]

Great information here Donald, thank you. Not sure if you would be interested but the following website

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Jerry, It is encouraging for Iowa "Red River Livingstones" that there is a fair bit of local history articles about the Scottish settlers and other family history resource material available to the researcher. I have soon going to do some serious sorting of family research files and hopefully my main Red River Livingstone file will emerge from the debris field known as my personal archives. Genealogists have been copying cemetery records in their districts for a number of years now, but with the computer and the internet, more and more cemeteries are being photographed and the cemetery stone pictures and made available online. Recently found my brother-in-law's great-great-great grandparents tombstone in mint condition on one those sites. I think I probably have most of research material filed away somewhere, relating to the Red RIver Livingstones that settled in Iowa in the mid to late 1830's. Hang on to everything you have though in case I dont. I must confess to not seriously researching your Iowa Livingstones in any great depth, but have been in the past in contact with a descendant of Hugh's brother James whom passed on to me much of what I have passed on to you. Great to have another Livingstone with some probable kinship to my Red River Livingstone line and another participant to this forum. Don't forget to go to check out Clan Chief Niall Livingstone's information at the main Clan site if you haven't already. There is a wealth of information there on the highland Maconlea-Livingstone Clan including the origins and history. Also see the photos of the Isle of Lismore where Baron Livingstone lives to inspire you to take another trip to SCotland. regards Donald (Livingstone) Clink

[Jerry]

I just wanted to find some other family records before I actually confirmed it but Hugh Livingstone Sr. was definitly born in 1801 in Argyllshire.