A Livingston Legacy Revived
Speaker-to-Be Has Rich Bloodlines in North and South
New York Times, Monday, November 23rd, 1998 p. B1
By DAVID W. CHEN
LIVINGSTON, N.Y. – Before the Kennedys, before the Roosevelts, before the Vanderbilts, there were the Livingstons.
From the late 17th century to the early 19th century, they were one of America’s most aristocratic families, lording over the Hudson River Valley and owning more land than the state of Rhode Island has.
Firm believers in noblesse oblige, the family helped mold the republic- one Livingston administered the oath of office to George Washington, another signed the Declaration of Independence, still another became a Supreme Court Justice.
As the country matured, the Livingstons consolidated their status, fiercely protecting their legacy and often marrying one another to retain their land. But by the early 20th century, the Livingstons had retreated from public life, preferring instead to enjoy the view.
Now, though, after coasting for two centuries on the achievements of men in big wigs with titles like “The Signer” and “The Judge,” the family has returned to prominence, thanks to Representative Robert Linlithgow Livingston, a 10th-generation descendant of Robert Livingston, First Lord of the Manor.
Mr. Livingston, the 55-year-old Louisiana Republican who is poised to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, may officially be a man of the South. But his distinctly Yankee and upper-crust bloodline has prompted Livingstons and non-Livingstons in upstate New York to claim him as an honorary son.
“I think this is great news, and we’re all very proud of him,” said Henry H. Livingston, a distant cousin who lives at Oak Hill, a 200-acre riverfront estate that was built in the 1790’s. “We’re not bragging, but this family is very interested in its history.”
Like so many blue-blooded families in the 20th century, though, the Livingstons have sometimes been bewildered by modernity, their fortunes watered down by income taxes, their sensibilities entrenched in a genteel time warp. So until the Congressman’s ascension to national prominence, few people talked about the Livingstons outside of the tour guides at the museums and historic sites dotting the area.To date, Mr. Livingston, the would-be Speaker, has not had much of a connection with the Hudson River Valley; he has only been here once, his sister said, and that was for a big family reunion at the Clermont State Historic Site in 1986. But should he return, he would find an area steeped in Livingstonia, one still shaped by the family’s influence. There is, of course, the town of Livingston in Columbia County. There is the village of Linlithgo, which, save for a dropped “w” at the end, is the same as the Congressman’s middle name. Linlithgo is the family’s ancestral home in Scotland.
Clermont, the town, is named after Clermont, the family mansion. The village of Blue Store is named after a tavern that was painted blue, and owned by a W. T. Livingston. There is also Linlithgo Mills (a village), Livingston Manor (a town in Sullivan County) and assorted local institutions, such as Livingston Memorial Church (which is in Linlithgo, naturally).
Then there is the name Robert Livingston. According to the family’s hefty genealogical register, which is decorated with the family’s coat of arms, there have been 63 Robert Livingstons. This includes five Robert Linlithgow Livingstons, of whom the Congressman would technically be the 4th, and his 32-year-old son, the 5th.
One Livingston family, unable to muster anything original, simply named one of their sons Livingston Livingston.
“There is no more of an old-money, blue-blood family in the United States than the Livingstons,” said Robert Engel, the curator of collections for the Clermont State Historic Site, a former Livingston homestead. “These people know their legacy, and what is amazing is how much they continue to protect that legacy.”
The family’s fortunes began in 1686, when Robert Livingston, a 32-year-old merchant from Scotland, bought 160,000 acres and called it Livingston Manor. By the early 1800’s, the family had built about 40 mansions on the Hudson’s east bank and had accumulated, through business deals and marriages to families like the Van Rensselaers and the Beekmans, one million acres, including most of the Catskills.
The Livingston men entered public life. The most famous was Robert R. Livingston, great-grandson of the First Lord, who was known as “The Chancellor” because he was the first Chancellor of the State of New York. He also helped draft the Declaration of Independence, negotiate the Louisiana Purchase and provide financial muscle for Robert Fulton’s steamboat, the Clermont.
Edward Livingston, brother of “The Chancellor,” was no slouch, either. He was the Mayor of New York City and the United States Attorney from the New York district – simultaneously. Then, after he learned that some aides had embezzled municipal funds, he resigned and moved to New Orleans, where he became a United States Senator and Andrew Jackson’s Secretary of State.
No other person in the family with the last name Livingston has made national news since the early 1800’s Mr. Engel said. But there have been many notable people with Livingston blood – so many, in fact, that the apropos question may well be who is not a Livingston?
Eleanor Roosevelt and Hamilton Fish were Livingstons. George Bush and his scions are Livingstons. So too, is former Gov. Thomas H. Kean of New Jersey, whose own home is in the township of – what else? – Livingston, N.J.
“The Livingstons were like the Kennedys: they were in politics, there were a million of them, and you can’t help but liken them to a dynasty,” said Lucy Kuriger, the site director of Montgomery Place, a historic estate in Annandale-on-Hudson that was last owned by Dennis Dolefield, a first cousin of the Louisiana Congressman.
But unlike, say, the Kennedys or the Bushes, the Livingstons have never been associated with one political party or ideology. Instead, they were more known for their baronial life style in an area that does not look much different now than it did generations ago, with its rolling hills, apple farms and sweeping river views.
Shuttling between their estates on the river and their commodious apartments in Manhattan, the Livingstons floated through a world defined by Old World grace and comportment and lubricated by cook servants and gardeners. And they usually did not venture outside their peer group. In the town of Tivoli, for instance, there used to be two churches: one for the Livingstons, one for hoi polloi.
“It was an absolutely differen world then, and they were like the landlord and we were like the tenant,” said Peter Fingar, 69, of Germantown, whose ancestors moved from Germany in 1710 and worked on the Livingstons’ land. “We didn’t break bread with them, any more than the English did with the queen.”
These days, the Livingston aura continues at Oak Hill, the home of Henry H. Livingston, a retired financial analyst, and at Rokeby Preserve, a 500-acre estate owned by Winthrop Aldrich, a deputy commissioner of historic preservation for New York State.
But the family’s influence on residents like Mr. Fingar has become muted, given that the family’s reach has become so ingrained into everyday life: Townsfolk drive down streets that were once the Livingstons’ private roads, they eat in restaurants where Livingstons once dined, they pass historic markers bearing the Livingston name.
Even so, the news of Mr. Livingston’s rise to Speaker of the House has engendered calls for a commemorative plaque. Donald R. Kline, Livingston’s Town Supervisor, has suggested putting up a marker in town noting the connection between the Livingstons of the past and the Livingstons of the present.
Not only do the plaques abound, so, too, do the stories.
One of the more popular, for instance, involves Philip Henry Livingston, who was a grandson of Philip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
A few years ago, Laura W. Murphy, a black woman and director of the national legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union, discovered that she was a descendant of Philip Henry Livingston.
In 1812, Mr. Livingston had a daughter with a slave, Barbara Williams, but never acknowledged his liaison. Ms. Murphy mentioned this bond in a letter to the Congressman a couple of years ago. He has responded with class and good cheer, Ms. Murphy said, occasionally signing his letters as “Cousin Bob” and introducing Ms. Murphy as his cousin.
“We’re having a ball with it,” said Ms. Murphy, who lives in Washington. “He seems to embrace history.”
Indeed, Mr. Livingston is aware – if perhaps a bit wary – of his family’s history, having inherited boxes of family mementos and an oil portrait of their grandfather, said his sister, Carolyn Teaford, in a telephone interview from her home in New Orleans.
Their grandfather (Robert L. Livingston) was a banker in New York City who died of pneumonia in 1925.
His widow, who also came from a wealthy family, then took her five children to France.
Their father (also Robert L. Livingston) returned to the United States during World War II, attending Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Mrs. Teaford said. He met their mother there, and the future Congressman was born in 1943. After the war, they spent a few years in Tuxedo Park, N.Y., before the father got a job in New Orleans as a salesman for National Distillers.
It was a bad omen; he was an alcoholic, Mrs. Teaford said. In 1950, their parents divorced, and their father eventually fled to Spain to avoid paying alimony. But their mother persevered, found steady work and raised the two children.
As a result, they had little contact with the Livingston side of the family. But when they did meet, the Livingstons talked incessantly about the past.
“They loved to talk their family history; they were big on things like, `Now your great-great-grandfather did such and such,’ ” Mrs. Teaford recalled. “Certainly we’re proud of that, and it’s wonderful to have a heritage. But my brother and I believe it’s who you are, and what you do, and not who your ancestors are, that make you a person.”
Postscript: Henry H. Livingston died in November, 2008. His son Henry now lives at Oak Hill
LIVINGSTON, N.Y. – Before the Kennedys, before the Roosevelts, before the Vanderbilts, there were the Livingstons.
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Bruce
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2024 4:12 am
- Location: on the Canals-Paynesville, Victoria. Australia
An early account of the "New York Livingstons"
An early account of the "New York Livingstons"
PHILIP PHILIP LIVINGSTON.
(1741-1787.)
Holy Bible in English; Cambridge, Archdeacon, 1768.
Contains the records of Philip P. Livingston and
Sarah Johnson his wife. It has descended directly to
the present owner, Oswald J. Cammann Eose, Esq., of
Geneva, N. Y., the great-great-grandson of Philip Livingston.
[On July 9,1679, I, Robert Livingston, was married to
my worthy wife Alida Schuyler last widow of the deceased
Domine Nicolaus Van Rensselaer, in the Reformed Church at
Albany in America on a Wednesday in the forenoon, by Dom.
Gideon Schaets. May God grant us to Honor Him, toward our
salvation, Amen.
[1680 April 26, being Monday morning between 8 and 9 o'clock
my eldest son Johannes was born; may the Lord grant him to
grow up virtuous; he was named for my deceased father, and
baptised on May 2, being a Sunday. The witnesses were my father in law Cap Phillip Schuyler and Dirk Wessels, and was
presented for baptism by my mother in law Mrs. Margareta
Schuyler. But Father Schuyler, being at the Flatts, was prevented by the extremely high water from coming hither, and
Brother Pieter acted as witness in his father's stead.
[138 3
[1681, December 5, being Monday morning about 6 o'clock my
eldest daughter Margareta was born; may the Lord bless her both
spiritually and physically she was named for my mother in law
and was baptised on the 11th of the said month by Dom. Gideon
Schaets. The witnesses were my father in law Cap Phill. Schuyler and my mother in law who has presented her for baptism.
[1683/4 February first, being Friday morning about 7 o'clock,
my second daughter Johanna Philippina was born; may the Lord
bless her and grant her to grow up virtuous; she was named after
my mother and my deceased father in law, and was baptized on
the 3rd by D° Gideon Schaets, Dom. Godevridus Dellius reading
the Formulary. The witnesses were uncle David Schuyler and
Brother Arent Schuyler, and was presented for baptism by Sister
Engeltie Schuyler.
[1686, July 9, being Friday evening about ten o 'clock, my second
son Philip was born; may God grant him to grow up in virtue;
he was named for my father in law, and on the 25th was baptized
by Dom. Gideon Schaats, D° Godevridus Dellius reading the Formulary. The Witnesses were uncle David Schuyler and Brother
Phillip Schuyler, and was presented for baptism by Sister Cornelia Schuyler, wife of Brother Brant. I was at New York as
Commissioner for the Charter, with brother Pr
.
[1688 July 24,being Tuesday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon my wife
was delivered of my third son Robert, the Lord will bless him
that he may grow up in virtue in the true Reformed Religion;
was baptised on Sunday the 29th by D° Godevridus Dellius. The
witnesses were Uncle David Schuyler and Brother Johannes
Schuyler, and was presented for baptism by sister Margareta
Schuyler. I had departed with Governor Dongan for New York,
in regard to making out the account for the soldiers garrisoned
here last winter, and supported by me.
[1689/90 March 3d being Monday at 5 o'clock in the morning my
fourth son was born; named Gysbertus after my wife's deceased
brother; may the Lord protect him and us together in these dangerous times of war. Was baptised on Wednesday the 5th by
Dom. Godevridus Dellius. Was presented for baptism by sister
Jenneke Schuyler. The witnesses were Levinus Van Sehayke &
I was deputed by the Convention to the New England
[1393
Colonies, to request assistance of people and ammunition against
the French, who on February 9 last had surprised Schenectady,
no guard having been kept, the people being divided on account
of the usurpation of one Jacob Leysler, merchant at New York,
who, without a commission, assumed the government of this
Province. N.B. Was also executed as a traitor at New York in
May 1691.
[1690 June 24, Our beloved daughter Johanna Philippina slept in
the Lord at New York, and was buried next to Engeltje. I was
at Hartford intending to stay there during the period of revolt
and disorder. I arrived in July at Albany in Company with
Maj. Genl Winthrop, and was taken sick with fever. Departed
in September for Stratford. My wife followed in December, and
on the 15th she with the children arrived at Norwalk. We went
to live at Fairfield for the winter. Meanwhile Majr. Richd
Ingolsby arrived with the soldiers from England, and afterward
Col. Henry Slougter, govr
Genl. But Jacob Leysler and his faction resisted the royal authority and was unwilling to surrender
the fort. Afterward the mob falling away from him left him and
his Councillors in a pickle, to answer for everything. On account
hereof eight have been condemned to death on a charge of high
treason; Leysler and Milborn hung as the ringleaders. The
remainder imprisoned till the King's pleasure shall be known.
[1679 July 9 Old Style, I Robert Livingston was married to my
worthy wife Alida Schuyler last widow of the deceased Domine
Nicolas Van Renselaer, in the Reformed Church of Albany in
America, on a Wednesday in the forenoon by Dom. Gideon
Schaets. May God grant us to honor Him, for our salvation,
Amen.
[1680 April 26, being monday morning between 8 and 9 o'clock
my son . . . was born. May the Lord grant him to grow up
virtuous. He was named for my deceased father, and baptised on
May 2 being a Sunday, at which there were witnesses my father
in law Philip Schuyler & Dirk Wessels. Was presented for baptism by my Mother in law Mrs. Margareta Schuyler. But Father
Schuyler being on the Flatts, was prevented coming here by the
extremely high flood, so that Brother Pieter stood in his stead
as witness.
[1403
[1681 December 5, being Monday about 6 o'clock in the Morning,
my eldest daughter Margareta was born; may the Lord bless her
spiritually and physically; she was named for my mother in law,
and on the 11th of the said month was baptised by Dom. Shaets.
Witnesses were my Father in Law Phillip Schuyler and my
mother in law who presented her for baptism.
[1683/4 February 1, being Friday morning about 7 o'clock my
daughter Johanna Phillipina was born; may God endow her with
His Spirit and grant her to grow up in virtue; she was named
for my mother and my deceased father in law and was baptized
on the 3d by Dom. Shaets, Dom. Godevridus Dellius reading the
Formulary. The witnesses were Uncle David Shuyler, Brother
Arent Shuyler and was presented for baptism by Sister Engeltie
Schuyler. N.B. She rested in the Lord at New York, dying with
small pox, June 1690.
[1686, July 9, being Friday evening at 10 o'clock my second son
Phillip was born; may God grant him to grow up in virtue. He
was named for my father in law and baptised on the 25th of the
same month by Dom. Shaets. Dom Godevridus Dellius read the
Formulary. Witnesses were uncle David Schuyler & Brother
Phillip Schuyler, and was presented for baptism by Sister Cornelia Schuyler, Brother Brant's wife. I was at New York, as
Commissioner regarding the Charter.
[1688, July 24, being Tuesday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon my
wife was delivered of my third son Robert.; the Lord will bless
him that he may grow up in virtue, in the pure Reformed religion. Was baptised on Sunday the 29th by Dom. Godevridus Van
Dell. The witnesses were Uncle David and Johannes Schuyler.
Presented for baptism by Sister Margareta Schuyler. I had gone
to New York with His Excellency Tho: Dongan, Captain General, in order to make out the accounts concerning the Military.
[1689/90 March 3, being Monday at five o'clock in the morning
my dear life partner was delivered of my son Gysbert. May the
Almighty guard him in these dangerous times and make [obliterated] in the eternal Paradise. Was baptised on Wednesday the
5th by Dom. Godevridus. The witnesses were Brother Peter
Schuyler, the mayor, & Alderman Levinus Van Shaick. Sister
Jenneke Shuylers was godmother.
[1413
[1692 March — Was born my fifth son Willhem. May the Lord
grant him happiness and prosperity. He was baptised by Do.
Dellius and as witnesses stood . . .
[November 5. My son Willem slept in the Lord. He was buried
when I arrived from New York.
[1694 December 10. Was born my third daughter Johanna, being
Monday in the evening. (On the same day I and my Johannes
passed the Sand Point in the ship The Charity, Lancaster Syms,
skipper) She was baptised by Dom. Godevridus Dellius. Witnesses were: Colonel Richard Ingoldesby and Maj. Pr
Shuyler,
and Mrs. Dellius presented her for baptism.
[Here follows one line which is entirely obliterated]
[1698 May 22 Was born my fourth daughter Catharina, and two
weeks later was baptized by Dom. Godevridus Dellius. The witnesses were Capt. Brant Schuyler and Col. Abraham De Peyster.
And the Countess Gravinne Van Bellomont was the godmother,
presenting her for baptism.
[1699 December 6, about 8 o'clock in the evening our little daughter Catharina slept in the Lord, and was on the 9th following
buried in the Church next to her grandfather Capt. Phil Schuyler, deceased.
[1700 December 20. My oldest daughter Margareta was married
to Capt. Samuel Veitch, in our house by Do. Johannes Lydius,
with a licence. May the Lord grant her His blessings in this
World, and eternal joy hereafter, Amen
PHILIP PHILIP LIVINGSTON.
(1741-1787.)
Holy Bible in English; Cambridge, Archdeacon, 1768.
Contains the records of Philip P. Livingston and
Sarah Johnson his wife. It has descended directly to
the present owner, Oswald J. Cammann Eose, Esq., of
Geneva, N. Y., the great-great-grandson of Philip Livingston.
[On July 9,1679, I, Robert Livingston, was married to
my worthy wife Alida Schuyler last widow of the deceased
Domine Nicolaus Van Rensselaer, in the Reformed Church at
Albany in America on a Wednesday in the forenoon, by Dom.
Gideon Schaets. May God grant us to Honor Him, toward our
salvation, Amen.
[1680 April 26, being Monday morning between 8 and 9 o'clock
my eldest son Johannes was born; may the Lord grant him to
grow up virtuous; he was named for my deceased father, and
baptised on May 2, being a Sunday. The witnesses were my father in law Cap Phillip Schuyler and Dirk Wessels, and was
presented for baptism by my mother in law Mrs. Margareta
Schuyler. But Father Schuyler, being at the Flatts, was prevented by the extremely high water from coming hither, and
Brother Pieter acted as witness in his father's stead.
[138 3
[1681, December 5, being Monday morning about 6 o'clock my
eldest daughter Margareta was born; may the Lord bless her both
spiritually and physically she was named for my mother in law
and was baptised on the 11th of the said month by Dom. Gideon
Schaets. The witnesses were my father in law Cap Phill. Schuyler and my mother in law who has presented her for baptism.
[1683/4 February first, being Friday morning about 7 o'clock,
my second daughter Johanna Philippina was born; may the Lord
bless her and grant her to grow up virtuous; she was named after
my mother and my deceased father in law, and was baptized on
the 3rd by D° Gideon Schaets, Dom. Godevridus Dellius reading
the Formulary. The witnesses were uncle David Schuyler and
Brother Arent Schuyler, and was presented for baptism by Sister
Engeltie Schuyler.
[1686, July 9, being Friday evening about ten o 'clock, my second
son Philip was born; may God grant him to grow up in virtue;
he was named for my father in law, and on the 25th was baptized
by Dom. Gideon Schaats, D° Godevridus Dellius reading the Formulary. The Witnesses were uncle David Schuyler and Brother
Phillip Schuyler, and was presented for baptism by Sister Cornelia Schuyler, wife of Brother Brant. I was at New York as
Commissioner for the Charter, with brother Pr
.
[1688 July 24,being Tuesday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon my wife
was delivered of my third son Robert, the Lord will bless him
that he may grow up in virtue in the true Reformed Religion;
was baptised on Sunday the 29th by D° Godevridus Dellius. The
witnesses were Uncle David Schuyler and Brother Johannes
Schuyler, and was presented for baptism by sister Margareta
Schuyler. I had departed with Governor Dongan for New York,
in regard to making out the account for the soldiers garrisoned
here last winter, and supported by me.
[1689/90 March 3d being Monday at 5 o'clock in the morning my
fourth son was born; named Gysbertus after my wife's deceased
brother; may the Lord protect him and us together in these dangerous times of war. Was baptised on Wednesday the 5th by
Dom. Godevridus Dellius. Was presented for baptism by sister
Jenneke Schuyler. The witnesses were Levinus Van Sehayke &
I was deputed by the Convention to the New England
[1393
Colonies, to request assistance of people and ammunition against
the French, who on February 9 last had surprised Schenectady,
no guard having been kept, the people being divided on account
of the usurpation of one Jacob Leysler, merchant at New York,
who, without a commission, assumed the government of this
Province. N.B. Was also executed as a traitor at New York in
May 1691.
[1690 June 24, Our beloved daughter Johanna Philippina slept in
the Lord at New York, and was buried next to Engeltje. I was
at Hartford intending to stay there during the period of revolt
and disorder. I arrived in July at Albany in Company with
Maj. Genl Winthrop, and was taken sick with fever. Departed
in September for Stratford. My wife followed in December, and
on the 15th she with the children arrived at Norwalk. We went
to live at Fairfield for the winter. Meanwhile Majr. Richd
Ingolsby arrived with the soldiers from England, and afterward
Col. Henry Slougter, govr
Genl. But Jacob Leysler and his faction resisted the royal authority and was unwilling to surrender
the fort. Afterward the mob falling away from him left him and
his Councillors in a pickle, to answer for everything. On account
hereof eight have been condemned to death on a charge of high
treason; Leysler and Milborn hung as the ringleaders. The
remainder imprisoned till the King's pleasure shall be known.
[1679 July 9 Old Style, I Robert Livingston was married to my
worthy wife Alida Schuyler last widow of the deceased Domine
Nicolas Van Renselaer, in the Reformed Church of Albany in
America, on a Wednesday in the forenoon by Dom. Gideon
Schaets. May God grant us to honor Him, for our salvation,
Amen.
[1680 April 26, being monday morning between 8 and 9 o'clock
my son . . . was born. May the Lord grant him to grow up
virtuous. He was named for my deceased father, and baptised on
May 2 being a Sunday, at which there were witnesses my father
in law Philip Schuyler & Dirk Wessels. Was presented for baptism by my Mother in law Mrs. Margareta Schuyler. But Father
Schuyler being on the Flatts, was prevented coming here by the
extremely high flood, so that Brother Pieter stood in his stead
as witness.
[1403
[1681 December 5, being Monday about 6 o'clock in the Morning,
my eldest daughter Margareta was born; may the Lord bless her
spiritually and physically; she was named for my mother in law,
and on the 11th of the said month was baptised by Dom. Shaets.
Witnesses were my Father in Law Phillip Schuyler and my
mother in law who presented her for baptism.
[1683/4 February 1, being Friday morning about 7 o'clock my
daughter Johanna Phillipina was born; may God endow her with
His Spirit and grant her to grow up in virtue; she was named
for my mother and my deceased father in law and was baptized
on the 3d by Dom. Shaets, Dom. Godevridus Dellius reading the
Formulary. The witnesses were Uncle David Shuyler, Brother
Arent Shuyler and was presented for baptism by Sister Engeltie
Schuyler. N.B. She rested in the Lord at New York, dying with
small pox, June 1690.
[1686, July 9, being Friday evening at 10 o'clock my second son
Phillip was born; may God grant him to grow up in virtue. He
was named for my father in law and baptised on the 25th of the
same month by Dom. Shaets. Dom Godevridus Dellius read the
Formulary. Witnesses were uncle David Schuyler & Brother
Phillip Schuyler, and was presented for baptism by Sister Cornelia Schuyler, Brother Brant's wife. I was at New York, as
Commissioner regarding the Charter.
[1688, July 24, being Tuesday at 3 o'clock in the afternoon my
wife was delivered of my third son Robert.; the Lord will bless
him that he may grow up in virtue, in the pure Reformed religion. Was baptised on Sunday the 29th by Dom. Godevridus Van
Dell. The witnesses were Uncle David and Johannes Schuyler.
Presented for baptism by Sister Margareta Schuyler. I had gone
to New York with His Excellency Tho: Dongan, Captain General, in order to make out the accounts concerning the Military.
[1689/90 March 3, being Monday at five o'clock in the morning
my dear life partner was delivered of my son Gysbert. May the
Almighty guard him in these dangerous times and make [obliterated] in the eternal Paradise. Was baptised on Wednesday the
5th by Dom. Godevridus. The witnesses were Brother Peter
Schuyler, the mayor, & Alderman Levinus Van Shaick. Sister
Jenneke Shuylers was godmother.
[1413
[1692 March — Was born my fifth son Willhem. May the Lord
grant him happiness and prosperity. He was baptised by Do.
Dellius and as witnesses stood . . .
[November 5. My son Willem slept in the Lord. He was buried
when I arrived from New York.
[1694 December 10. Was born my third daughter Johanna, being
Monday in the evening. (On the same day I and my Johannes
passed the Sand Point in the ship The Charity, Lancaster Syms,
skipper) She was baptised by Dom. Godevridus Dellius. Witnesses were: Colonel Richard Ingoldesby and Maj. Pr
Shuyler,
and Mrs. Dellius presented her for baptism.
[Here follows one line which is entirely obliterated]
[1698 May 22 Was born my fourth daughter Catharina, and two
weeks later was baptized by Dom. Godevridus Dellius. The witnesses were Capt. Brant Schuyler and Col. Abraham De Peyster.
And the Countess Gravinne Van Bellomont was the godmother,
presenting her for baptism.
[1699 December 6, about 8 o'clock in the evening our little daughter Catharina slept in the Lord, and was on the 9th following
buried in the Church next to her grandfather Capt. Phil Schuyler, deceased.
[1700 December 20. My oldest daughter Margareta was married
to Capt. Samuel Veitch, in our house by Do. Johannes Lydius,
with a licence. May the Lord grant her His blessings in this
World, and eternal joy hereafter, Amen
-
Canadian Livingstone
- Posts: 2778
- Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:00 pm
Re: LIVINGSTON, N.Y. – Before the Kennedys, before the Roosevelts, before the Vanderbilts, there were the Livingstons.
Hi Bruce,
Once again thank you so much for sharing all of this very interesting information with the Forum. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
It is interesting that the Robert Livingston who acquired a large amount of property in present day New York State back in the 1600's though his Scottish father Rev. John Livingston's family line it is believed is connected to a branch of the old Linlithgo Livingston family and a 4th Lord Livingston William Livingston. I know that some of Livingstons with possible Livingston family connections in 18th and 19th century New York State to this Robert Livingston and his father Rev. William Livingston have done YDNA testing some years ago and I don't that the results established conclusively a link to the old Linlithgo Livingston family but there could been a family connection. I have interested in finding Scottish Livingstons who have well documented family history in Scotland linking themselves and fathers and grandfathers to the a branch of the old Callendar Livingstons but in my time with the Forum I had only been contacted by one person over the years whose descendants were definitely descended the old Westquarter Livingston family a known branch of the Callendar Livingston and she and her current family were not Livingstons so unfortunately the option to do a Livingston YDNA test was not an option. Because highland Argyll Clan Maclea Livingstones aren't of lowland origin it may be the reason why seem to get most of our Livingstone/Livingston inquiries from Livingstons and their relatives who have Argyllshire Livingstone/Livingston ancestry. That being said I have the Edwin Livingston book on the Callendar Livingstons and also am aware of a number of "other' lowland Livingston families such as those living in Ayrshire that settled in the 1600's in County Down, Ulster Ireland and a few of that group who decided at the last moment to settle on the Isle of Islay in Southern Argyllshire a short distance from the shores of County Down in Ulster. A g number of later descendants of the those Ayrshire Livingstons who settled in County Down and possibly neighbouring County Antrim in the early 1600's had descendants in the 1700's who left Ulster for a better life in Pennsylvania and later North Carolina in America. I had been doing a bit of research as well. While I probably seem somewhat Argyll centric with the Clan Maclea Livingstone being of ancient Western Argyllshire origins I do try to learn what I can about "other" Livingstons who originated in other parts of Scotland as we are interested in the origins and history of all Livingtons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Li ... _the_Elder
regards,
Donald
Once again thank you so much for sharing all of this very interesting information with the Forum. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
It is interesting that the Robert Livingston who acquired a large amount of property in present day New York State back in the 1600's though his Scottish father Rev. John Livingston's family line it is believed is connected to a branch of the old Linlithgo Livingston family and a 4th Lord Livingston William Livingston. I know that some of Livingstons with possible Livingston family connections in 18th and 19th century New York State to this Robert Livingston and his father Rev. William Livingston have done YDNA testing some years ago and I don't that the results established conclusively a link to the old Linlithgo Livingston family but there could been a family connection. I have interested in finding Scottish Livingstons who have well documented family history in Scotland linking themselves and fathers and grandfathers to the a branch of the old Callendar Livingstons but in my time with the Forum I had only been contacted by one person over the years whose descendants were definitely descended the old Westquarter Livingston family a known branch of the Callendar Livingston and she and her current family were not Livingstons so unfortunately the option to do a Livingston YDNA test was not an option. Because highland Argyll Clan Maclea Livingstones aren't of lowland origin it may be the reason why seem to get most of our Livingstone/Livingston inquiries from Livingstons and their relatives who have Argyllshire Livingstone/Livingston ancestry. That being said I have the Edwin Livingston book on the Callendar Livingstons and also am aware of a number of "other' lowland Livingston families such as those living in Ayrshire that settled in the 1600's in County Down, Ulster Ireland and a few of that group who decided at the last moment to settle on the Isle of Islay in Southern Argyllshire a short distance from the shores of County Down in Ulster. A g number of later descendants of the those Ayrshire Livingstons who settled in County Down and possibly neighbouring County Antrim in the early 1600's had descendants in the 1700's who left Ulster for a better life in Pennsylvania and later North Carolina in America. I had been doing a bit of research as well. While I probably seem somewhat Argyll centric with the Clan Maclea Livingstone being of ancient Western Argyllshire origins I do try to learn what I can about "other" Livingstons who originated in other parts of Scotland as we are interested in the origins and history of all Livingtons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Li ... _the_Elder
regards,
Donald
-
Bruce
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2024 4:12 am
- Location: on the Canals-Paynesville, Victoria. Australia
Re: LIVINGSTON, N.Y. – Before the Kennedys, before the Roosevelts, before the Vanderbilts, there were the Livingstons.
Hi Donald,
I noted your information on the Livingstons of Callendar so I have attached my link to James Livingston (1645) who is shown as my 4th cousin (Family Search data)... it seems a very interesting connection,
regards Bruce
I noted your information on the Livingstons of Callendar so I have attached my link to James Livingston (1645) who is shown as my 4th cousin (Family Search data)... it seems a very interesting connection,
regards Bruce
-
Canadian Livingstone
- Posts: 2778
- Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:00 pm
Re: LIVINGSTON, N.Y. – Before the Kennedys, before the Roosevelts, before the Vanderbilts, there were the Livingstons.
Hi Bruce,
You have no doubt worked very hard to try and establish a family connection to the old Callendar Livingston family. There are so family branches of that very old lowland Livingston family I would myself would find that a daunting and very challenging task. But kudos to you for taking on that family research project. Unfortunately I am not so lucky and have not to been able take my highland Maclea-Livingstone ancestry back farther than my great-great-great grandfather Miles Livingston ''a native of Morvern" according to his 1812 Argyllshire marriage record though I have seen the baptism record for a Male Livingston baptized in the year 1775 son of Donald Livingston and Christian Campbell of neighbouring Lismore. And Miles my great great great grandfather according to his later records when he settled in British North America from settlement records seems to have been born in 1775. In any event his descendant's YDNA test matches with Livingstons of Morvern ancestry and none of Lismore Livingston ancestry. But no doubt Livingtons of Morvern ancestry resided on the Isle of Lismore and vice versa over the years due in part to the close proximity of the Isle of Lismore with the Morvern coastal settlements. My Livingston ancestors in Morvern and those in neighbouring Lismore were in very real sense not only fellow clan members they could be called Western Argyllshire neighbours.
Indeed the Callendar Livingstons were ardent supporters of the exiled Stuarts and they paid a terrible price for that loyalty becoming exiled themselves and in the end loosing everything. Years ago I came across a particularly sad letter written by one of the exiled Callendar Livingstons who following one of Jacobite rebellions was living in exile in Italy or France. I was trying to find it for you today but it years ago and I was unable to find it. The Lismore and neighbouring Macleas and other local clans in Morvern Parish were also known to have been ardent supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his father James Stuart in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 serving in the Stewart of Appin Regiment along with number of other Western Argyllshire clans. Knowing that the Morvern Coast was full of rebel clansmen supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Duke of Cumberland ordered the Royal Navy during the 1745 Rebellion to make raids along the Morvern coast putting farms and residences of suspected rebels to the torch. Such was the devastation to local people of Morvern by these raids that even the Duke of Argyll a supporter of the King during the 1745 Rebellion expressed his concerns about this particularly brutal military tactic. I found interesting records at the time regarding this effort lay waste to Morvern at the time of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion.
In terms of my own Livingston ancestry as we discussed there were indeed Livingstons by the name of Miles Livingston residing on Isle of Lismore and in the neighbouring Parish of Morvern the 18th and early 19th century so back around 2006 I had a Livingston cousin do the YDNA test and the results indicated my cousins closest YDNA matches with 67 markers tested were all of 18th or 19th century Morvern Maclea/Livingstone ancestry. The closest match with my Livingston cousin at a 66/67 marker match very close match was descended from Livingston who at the time of his marriage was a labourer from Kilundine, Morvern on the Morvern coast. Possibly a cousin of my own ancestor Miles Livingston. A Morvern Parish Church of Scotland birth record from the early 1800's lists a Miles Livingston Livingston as being a resident of Killundine, MOrvern. At a match of 64/67 markers tested more interestingly was a Livingston whose ancestor had been a farmer Hugh Livingston in Achbeg, Morvern in the 1840's who died during the potato crop failure in Western Argyllshire in the 1840's and whose grandfather or great grandfather was Hugh (Ewen) Livingston of Savary Morvern next to Achbeg farm in Morvern who was a brother of the famous Donald Livingston (1728- 1816). Hugh Livingston of Savary and the more famous Donald Livingston 1728-1716 are listed together as residents of Savary, Morvern in the 1779 Argyll Census which has been published more recently. My Livingston cousin also had a number of Livingston YDNA matches with other Livingstons not surprisingly who had family history info and records indicating their Livingston ancestor originated in Kilninian Parish in nearby Mull and some other nearby parishes. None of my cousin's Livingston matches however were with Livingstones connected to the old Maclea Livingstone Bachuil family that had resided on the Isle of Lismore for centuries or the neighbouring Appin Livingston families thought to be closely related to them much to my surprise back around 2006.
regards,
Donald
You have no doubt worked very hard to try and establish a family connection to the old Callendar Livingston family. There are so family branches of that very old lowland Livingston family I would myself would find that a daunting and very challenging task. But kudos to you for taking on that family research project. Unfortunately I am not so lucky and have not to been able take my highland Maclea-Livingstone ancestry back farther than my great-great-great grandfather Miles Livingston ''a native of Morvern" according to his 1812 Argyllshire marriage record though I have seen the baptism record for a Male Livingston baptized in the year 1775 son of Donald Livingston and Christian Campbell of neighbouring Lismore. And Miles my great great great grandfather according to his later records when he settled in British North America from settlement records seems to have been born in 1775. In any event his descendant's YDNA test matches with Livingstons of Morvern ancestry and none of Lismore Livingston ancestry. But no doubt Livingtons of Morvern ancestry resided on the Isle of Lismore and vice versa over the years due in part to the close proximity of the Isle of Lismore with the Morvern coastal settlements. My Livingston ancestors in Morvern and those in neighbouring Lismore were in very real sense not only fellow clan members they could be called Western Argyllshire neighbours.
Indeed the Callendar Livingstons were ardent supporters of the exiled Stuarts and they paid a terrible price for that loyalty becoming exiled themselves and in the end loosing everything. Years ago I came across a particularly sad letter written by one of the exiled Callendar Livingstons who following one of Jacobite rebellions was living in exile in Italy or France. I was trying to find it for you today but it years ago and I was unable to find it. The Lismore and neighbouring Macleas and other local clans in Morvern Parish were also known to have been ardent supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his father James Stuart in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 serving in the Stewart of Appin Regiment along with number of other Western Argyllshire clans. Knowing that the Morvern Coast was full of rebel clansmen supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Duke of Cumberland ordered the Royal Navy during the 1745 Rebellion to make raids along the Morvern coast putting farms and residences of suspected rebels to the torch. Such was the devastation to local people of Morvern by these raids that even the Duke of Argyll a supporter of the King during the 1745 Rebellion expressed his concerns about this particularly brutal military tactic. I found interesting records at the time regarding this effort lay waste to Morvern at the time of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion.
In terms of my own Livingston ancestry as we discussed there were indeed Livingstons by the name of Miles Livingston residing on Isle of Lismore and in the neighbouring Parish of Morvern the 18th and early 19th century so back around 2006 I had a Livingston cousin do the YDNA test and the results indicated my cousins closest YDNA matches with 67 markers tested were all of 18th or 19th century Morvern Maclea/Livingstone ancestry. The closest match with my Livingston cousin at a 66/67 marker match very close match was descended from Livingston who at the time of his marriage was a labourer from Kilundine, Morvern on the Morvern coast. Possibly a cousin of my own ancestor Miles Livingston. A Morvern Parish Church of Scotland birth record from the early 1800's lists a Miles Livingston Livingston as being a resident of Killundine, MOrvern. At a match of 64/67 markers tested more interestingly was a Livingston whose ancestor had been a farmer Hugh Livingston in Achbeg, Morvern in the 1840's who died during the potato crop failure in Western Argyllshire in the 1840's and whose grandfather or great grandfather was Hugh (Ewen) Livingston of Savary Morvern next to Achbeg farm in Morvern who was a brother of the famous Donald Livingston (1728- 1816). Hugh Livingston of Savary and the more famous Donald Livingston 1728-1716 are listed together as residents of Savary, Morvern in the 1779 Argyll Census which has been published more recently. My Livingston cousin also had a number of Livingston YDNA matches with other Livingstons not surprisingly who had family history info and records indicating their Livingston ancestor originated in Kilninian Parish in nearby Mull and some other nearby parishes. None of my cousin's Livingston matches however were with Livingstones connected to the old Maclea Livingstone Bachuil family that had resided on the Isle of Lismore for centuries or the neighbouring Appin Livingston families thought to be closely related to them much to my surprise back around 2006.
regards,
Donald
-
Bruce
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2024 4:12 am
- Location: on the Canals-Paynesville, Victoria. Australia
Re: LIVINGSTON, N.Y. – Before the Kennedys, before the Roosevelts, before the Vanderbilts, there were the Livingstons.
Thank you Donald, I would love to claim the scholarship alone but with the database of "Family Search" and their clever free app. "Relative Finder" the task has been made easier. I would recommend trying these out as they are both comprehensive and free and have developed, and now like Wikipedia they have become massive databases.
As a further indulgence I have attached on 2 pages of my line back to Thurston Livingston who appears as my 21st G.Grandfather- which I think is correct adding the 14 back to William (1456) and the 7 from William back to Thurston (1124). It is interesting to see a lot of the Livingstons who appear along this line as it goes a long way back.
I appreciate your work on this site...it brings it all to life,
regards Bruce
PS This line on "Family Search" goes way back to Edward de Leving (AD 990)
PPS. Donald on a separate topic - I searched for your Miles ( Myles ?) ancestor - could this one be the right one ( there are others) *I bookmarked it as the date corresponded with your bio. there would be a tree for this going forward or to antecedents! (*9th Cousin 6 times removed to Bruce Uebergang)
Brief Life History of Myles
When Myles Livingston was born on 27 September 1775, in Lismore, Argyll, Scotland, his father, Donald Livingston, was 34 and his mother, Christian McCaskill Campbell, was 34. He married Janet Livingston on 20 June 1812, in Killarrow, Argyll, Scotland, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 1 daughter. He died about 1841, in Halton, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 67
As a further indulgence I have attached on 2 pages of my line back to Thurston Livingston who appears as my 21st G.Grandfather- which I think is correct adding the 14 back to William (1456) and the 7 from William back to Thurston (1124). It is interesting to see a lot of the Livingstons who appear along this line as it goes a long way back.
I appreciate your work on this site...it brings it all to life,
regards Bruce
PS This line on "Family Search" goes way back to Edward de Leving (AD 990)
PPS. Donald on a separate topic - I searched for your Miles ( Myles ?) ancestor - could this one be the right one ( there are others) *I bookmarked it as the date corresponded with your bio. there would be a tree for this going forward or to antecedents! (*9th Cousin 6 times removed to Bruce Uebergang)
Brief Life History of Myles
When Myles Livingston was born on 27 September 1775, in Lismore, Argyll, Scotland, his father, Donald Livingston, was 34 and his mother, Christian McCaskill Campbell, was 34. He married Janet Livingston on 20 June 1812, in Killarrow, Argyll, Scotland, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 1 daughter. He died about 1841, in Halton, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 67