John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

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Kyle MacLea
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Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:54 am
Location: New Hampshire, USA
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Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by Kyle MacLea »

Canadian Livingstone wrote: Did you see that one birth record from Rothesay/ Bute that David stumbled across in his search with a John Livingston born 1806 to parents Donald Livingston and Margaret Mclea? Have not seen that too often. Maybe your related to Margaret McLea.
Hi Donald

I did see that. I have Margarets in my line, so it is possible she is a relative, although not in the direct line. The records in Rothesay are decent, but it is not always possible to completely flesh out family trees. I would have to look at that record in more detail to see if there are locations/etc that may make the connection more explicit.

Thanks!
Kyle
Kyle S. MacLea
Clan Society Life Member; DNA Project Co-Admin
New Hampshire, USA
kyle -dot- maclea -at- gmail -dot- com
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D.W.Livingston
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Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:08 pm
Location: Tucson, Arizona, United States

Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by D.W.Livingston »

Hi Donald,

I can't thank you enough for all the hard work and research you have done. One more step down the generations. :)

Sorry it took me a while to jump back in and see the new update and thank you. End of year Projects at work have kept me very busy.

Thank you Again!!!!
David
David Wyse Livingston
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Canadian Livingstone
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Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:00 pm

Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi David,

No problem at all. And I hope that Margaret's leads regarding more recent relatives will help you to find your long lost cousins in the old Country when you visit Scotland next year. I know that it will be quite a thrill to meet your distant cousins in the land of your ancestors. I had not looked at your family history project for a while, so I must admit I had long since forgotten the details. I think I actually enjoy the challenge when in the case of Livingston ancestral lines the level of difficulty is a bit more than others such as yours. Perhaps I did not have access to Scottish death records at that time. I also missed your ancestor in the 1871 census in that case probably because I did not check for him under the Levingston spelling in that census. Also it is reminder to me to check all the spelling variations of Livingston in the records which I now usually do. Generally you find what your looking for under Livingston Livingstone or Levingston but just the other day I found an early 19th century gravestone in an old Argyll churchyard cemetery the ancestors of a North Carolina Livingston family and I because the letters are a bit worn on the old stone or for whatever reason it was recorded in a cemetery gravestone list as "Lillingston". Fortunately in this case there was another family name on the stone and I saw immeditely that this was actually an old Livingston family grave stone of a Livingston family I was researching in that particular parish. Another important lesson learned in Livingston Genealogy 101. Always check all possible spelling variations and also anticipate uncommon spelling variations of Livingston such as "Lillingston"

regards,

Donald
Margaret Stewart
Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 pm

Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by Margaret Stewart »

Hi David
I trawled the IGI Family Search and came up with the following. Have a good look at it because I did it in the wee small hours but I think its correct.

James Livingston and Sarah Wood


BIRTH CHRISTENED TRANENT

Alexander Livingston 22.03.1789 29.03.1780 “
Janet Livingston 22.05.1791 12.06.1791
James Livingston 10.03.1794 16.03.1794
James Livingston 17.06.1796 03.07.1796
John Livingston 24.09.1798 04.10.1798
David Howie Livingston 28.04.1803 15.05.1803 “




…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Family connection??

IGI Family Search Submission ID MMDK-8WC - Alexander Corbett Family Tree

James Livingston born 21.08.1763 Tranent Parents : Alexander Livingston and Elspeth Hog


………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Chelsea Pensions Service Records – John Livingston b 1807 Midlothian

Hope this might help

Kind regards

Margaret
Canadian Livingstone
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Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi Margaret,

Glad you found John in the parish records. For some reason I did not see him with the other family in the Scotland People's search I recently did. There is such a variance in ages frequently in some of the records and in this case in the census records and the death record that it helpful when there is a birth or baptismal record to compare with. Interesting that the eldest son of James Livingston and Sarah Wood was named Alexander that ties in nicely I think with the notion that this James Livingston was possibly the son of an Alexander Livingston of Tranent Parish. As I recall from another Livingston with roots to the Tranent Parish Livingstons I think are quite an old Livingston family in Midlothian no doubt with an interesting history. Perhaps someday our Clan Society DNA project with Familytreedna can help to determine if there is connection with other LIvingstons that lived in other areas in Lowland Scotland with the Tranent Livingstons. Apart from the fact I am in the midst of a terrible cold, I am celebrating the find of an old Livingston tombstone in Kilmodan Parish, Argyll though I guess 1839 is not very old in comparison with the age of all of the medieval gravestones, church and castle ruins that abound in Argyllshire. Hope things are going well with your own family research.

I don't know if you are familiar John Livingstone who is a frequent participant at the forum but he a descendant of Angus Livingstone (1775-1846) born in Shiaba, Ross of Mull and later resided on the Isle of Colonsay. In the late 1700's he enlisted in the Argyll Fencibles which took him to Ireland where they were used to defend Ireland from an Invasion by the French that was anticipated at the time. After the Unit was disbanded in the early 1800's Angus became a Chelsea Pensioner and was so for rest of his life and he is recorded as an old napoleonic war pensioner in the 1841 Census in the Jura Records though he and wife Margaret were living on the Isle of Colonsay at Arasaig or something like that. Only a year or so ago did I discover that some of the Chelsea Pension Records or at least the ones for the Argyll Fencibles have entries regarding the death date and I guess the final payment of their pension. And it was there I found a death date for Angus scribbled in a ledger with the name of the town he died at which turned out to be a lowland town where infact one of his sons and one of his daughters was living at the time of his death. So it was a location that made sense. So it may be that there are many Chelsea Pension Records that contain the death date of the pensioners. Given that JOhn could find no death record or a cemetery stone for his Livingston ancestor this quite by accident find in the Chelsea Pension Records finally gave him some answers as to what happened to his ancestor Angus Livingston and when and where he died. I cant say for certain however if all the Chelsea Pensioners have death date information included in their records. A question to ask the Archives I guess.

regards,

Donald
Margaret Stewart
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Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 pm

Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by Margaret Stewart »

Hi Donald,

I haven't done much with my own research recently so that when I paid a visit to the Mitchell Library in Glasgow recently I was glad to spend the day tracking David's living family members. I need to spend some time going over my own tree to ascertain where the gaps are because it's so long since I've done any serious research.
I don't use the IGI records much except for clues to follow a particular line. Late at night I like to have a look at the forum and, just sometimes, have been lucky to find something to pass on to another member.

Kind regards

Margaret
Canadian Livingstone
Posts: 2770
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:00 pm

Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi Margaret,

Not too much activity here anyways as in the old days I am sorry to say. Recently however a Livingston dropped by the forum looking for information on their Argyll Livingstons who settled in North Carolina presumingly in late 1700's, found some info on their family and I connected them with one distant cousin proven through 19th century census records of their Livingston ancestors and I am researching the possibility of another family connection in North Carolina. I have been told more than a few times that a Livingston or someone who is related to a Livingston has found some information here that has been of some help with their own family research. I find myself once in a while going through past posts over the years refreshing my memory on past discussions and topics of a Livingstone nature.

I am still struggling with my own Livingston ancestry. My great-great-great grandfather was Miles Livingston b. 1775 a boatbuilder, cooper, carpenter who married his second wife Janet Livingston (perhaps a cousin) on June 20, 1812 at Bowmore, Kilarrow Parish, Isle of Islay. The Church of Scotland minister of the old Round Church at Bowmore noted that both Miles and Janet Livingston were not from Kilarrow Parish, Islay but natives of MOrvern, Argyll. The Morvern parish records however do survive before about 1804 so no documentation on that. The late clan chief Baron Alastair Livingstone pointed out to a late cousin of mine years ago that there was Myles Livingston baptized in 1775 from the Isle of Lismore and was told by the current Clan Chief Baron Niall Livingstone that Miles or Myles Livingston was not a common name among Livingstons but one that was found among some our clan in time past on the Isle of Lismore. It also occurred in the neighbouring Morvern records among a few Livingstons who resided there and with a Miles McInnes who was born in the 1770's in Savary, MOrvern and who as a young man was a neighbour of the famous Donald Livingstone 1728-1816. Angus McInnes,the father of Miles McInnes according to 1779 Argyll census of tenants was a neighbour of Donald Livingstone and his brother Hugh (EWEN) Livingston at Savary.

I lean towards the notion my ancestor Miles Livingston was born in Morvern Parish as he stated on his marriage record and I fee he likely resided as a boy either at Savary or one of several other settlements along the west coast of Movern in the last quarter of the 1700's before seeking work on the Isle of Islay with Livingston cousins also from Morvern possibly by about 1800. Later one of them Donald Livingston 1791-1876 who stated he was born in Morvern Parish, journeyed to British North America in the Summer of 1812 with MIles Livngston, his second wife Janet "Jessie" Livingston and Miles son Donald (1796-1862) from a first marriage probably in Morvern Parish the records of which do not longer exist. So I can sympathize when others are having difficulties with their research. I have experienced that same situation myself and can relate to the frustration.

regards,

Donald
Margaret Stewart
Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 pm

Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by Margaret Stewart »

Hi Donald,
Yes it is frustrating when you hit a brick wall. A couple of years ago I had a look at some old Kirk Session records and they can hold quite a bit of information if your ancestor had been "naughty" and was brought before the Kirk Session. You might want to check if any of these records survive in the areas your ancestors lived. Unfortunately I can't offer to help as I am going away from tomorrow for a few weeks. I think I found the information on what records survive by looking on either Scotland's People or something like historical records held in Register House in Edinburgh. If I get time tonight between packing I'll try to find the web site but if not just google the above.

Kind regards

Margaret
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D.W.Livingston
Posts: 95
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:08 pm
Location: Tucson, Arizona, United States

Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by D.W.Livingston »

Margaret Stewart wrote:Hi David
I trawled the IGI Family Search and came up with the following. Have a good look at it because I did it in the wee small hours but I think its correct.

James Livingston and Sarah Wood


BIRTH CHRISTENED TRANENT

Alexander Livingston 22.03.1789 29.03.1780 “
Janet Livingston 22.05.1791 12.06.1791
James Livingston 10.03.1794 16.03.1794
James Livingston 17.06.1796 03.07.1796
John Livingston 24.09.1798 04.10.1798
David Howie Livingston 28.04.1803 15.05.1803 “
Thank you Margaret. You and Donald are amazing and have helped me so much. I can't say Thank You enough!!!!
David Wyse Livingston
Tucson, Arizona, United States
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D.W.Livingston
Posts: 95
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:08 pm
Location: Tucson, Arizona, United States

Re: John Livingston and Helen Cockburn Marriage

Post by D.W.Livingston »

Hello Donald and Margaret,

So I took the information you gave me on James Livingstone and Sarah Wood and could not find anything in Scotland People. I did a search in Ancestry.com and foudn another member who had a James Livingstone who married a Sarah Wood.

He was born/baptized 21 Aug 1763 in Tranent, East Lothian, Scotland
FHL Film Number: 1067861
Reference ID: 2:15TV5W0
He was also in the 1841 Scotland Census as 78 year old James Livingstone (Farmer) at Muirside, Kinclaven, Perthshire - Parish number 365

Sarah Wood has a birth date of 20 Sep 1759 according to this members records in Ancestry.com but no source for that information.

His parents are Alexander Livingstone (1730 - 1795) and Elisabeth Hog (1728 - )
- they married 25 Dec 1751

Siblings:
Janet Livingstone (1752 - )
Alexander Livingstone (08 Jan 1753)
Andrew Livingstone ((07 Feb 1754)
Charles Livingstone ( 10 Jul 1757)
Elizabeth Livingstone (28 Jul 1760)
Jean Livingstone (27 Sep 1761)
- James Livingstone (21 Aug 1763)
Marion Livingstone (16 Dec 1764)
Margaret Livingstone (24 May 1767)
Agnes Livingstone (21 May 1769)
Christian Livingstone (25 Jan 1775)

So Thank You both for helping me get through that initial wall. :)
David Wyse Livingston
Tucson, Arizona, United States
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