www.clanlivingstone.info

Hello all,
My name is Ryan Gregory Walker and I am a newcomer to the forum but a long time browser of the site.

I stumbled across my family connection to the Livingston line by accident after recalling a story my grandmother told me about a Great Uncle that was a Ship's Captain. The Captain in question was Capt. William Dawson Livingston (navigation officer of the Mackay Bennett, a cable ship that recovered the dead from the RMS Titanic) younger brother to my great grandmother, Margaret Alice Livingston.

link:
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ ... ngstn.html

This page, now hosted by ancestry.com was the first step. Angus (Margaret's grandfather) was the first of the Boularderie Livingstons, and born in Argyllshire, Scotland in c.1773
It was said that rumours were that Angus was the uncle of famous Dr. David Livingstone but that there was no evidence of the link.

I had traced the lineage back to a Malcolm Livingston who had died in the Jacobite Uprising (Culloden 1746) but the sources were vague.

Then came the recent family tree on your beautiful website as well as another more detailed family tree that overlapped and coincided with my previous theories. It also shows a connection (though distant) to Dr David Livingston that coincides with your findings on the previous Barons.

link:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... .html#I516

While I had trouble finding birth records, as I have no knowledge of where in Argyll these men were born, I was hoping that other records may be available to help me in the search. My paternal lineage only goes as far as Margaret Alice, so I don't think I am of use in the DNA project but I am glad to be part of such a proud clan.

Quick tree:

Dougal MacLea?
father of

Malcolm LIVINGSTON ( ? -1746)
father of

--Malcolm LIVINGSTON ( ? - ?) and Neil LIVINGSTON (father of Neil Livingston and grandfather of Dr. David Livingstone)
father of

Angus Livingston (c.1773-1840)
father of

Alexander Livingston (1806-1894)
who married Isabelle Deason
and fathered:

Capt. John LIVINGSTON (13 Sep 1838 - 28 Jun 1930)
who married Elizabeth Hayes
and fathered:

Margaret Alice LIVINGSTON (1869 - ? )
who married Charles Deveau
father of

Genevieve Deveau
only child who married
George Francis Walker and gave birth to 21 the youngest surviving of whom is

Thomas Gregory Walker
married Joanne Buffett
and fathered

me.

I had previously investigated my ancestry on the Walker side looking for my Scotch roots as Walker is a lesser documented sept of the Gregor Clan. I thought that might have something to do with the choice of "Gregory" as my father's and my own middle names. I can safely say that it was not my Grandmother's reason and that it is more plausible that with so many children, she simply was running out of names!

I hope this post is of interest to you all as it ties the Clan to its descendants in Nova Scotia. I also have some photographs which may be of interest to the database.

Thank you again for making all of this research possible.

Sincerely,
-Ryan

Hi Ryan,

Welcome to the Maclea Livingstone Forum.

I read with great interest your ancestral connection to the Livington that served aboard the Mackey Bennett. As a Titantic enthusiast I knew the part the Mackey Bennett played in the recovery of the few hundred bodies that they were able to find floating in the ocean inthe aftermath of the Titantic sinking. Regretably most of those who did not go down with the separated stern and bow of the ship apparently froze many floating in their lifejackets and drifted with the ice flow that was in the vicinity when the Titantic struck the berg. There was not much hope for those in those floating in the frigid waters to be rescued by the Carpathia or any other vessels in the area in the hours after the sinking of the Titanic given that the water temperature was about 28 degrees and most of those in the water would probably have not survived much longer than 20 minutes. By the time the Mackey Bennett arrived on the scene it was of course a recovery operation.

We have no proof of any Nova Scotia Livingstons being related to Dr. David Livingston. We have now however the means through the science of DNA to test any Nova Scotia Livingstone who thinks their family was related to Dr. Livingstone. There is no evidence or information supporting the notion that Dr. David Livingstone's grandfather was a Malcolm Livingston killed at Culloden. It is more likely that his great-grandfather who the Doctor stated was killed at Culloden was named John Livingston .INterestingly after Culloden the eldest sons were all named John among Dr. Livingston's fathers and grandfather's families and it seems like there may have been John Livingstons or Macleas in his family for a few generations prior to Culloden. I wouid assume there would have been someone named in the family after the family member who died at Culloden as in Morvern and eslewhere in Western Argyll where there were so many Livingstons named Donald after the famous DOnald Livngston of Culloden fame.

I suspect the Malcolm Livingston information in the Ashman genealogy seems to have been an attempt to tie in Dr. Livingstons great grandfather whom we know died at Culloden to a father of the Malcolm Livingston who in the 1790's settled at Pictou County and later Antigonish County in Nova Scotia. I also noticed that Angus Livingston who settled at Boularderie in Victoria County is listed in this Ashman family
tree as son of Malcolm Livingston. I have wondered that also but he did not settle until after the Napoleonic Wars at Bras d'or Boularderie in Victoria County, Cape Breton and I have not seen any solid evidence that he was a son of old Malcolm. The records that our researchers here have located seem to indicate the sons were John, Allan, Duncan and a couple of others perhaps who lived in the Livingstone COve/Cape George area. It seems unlikely that ANgus would stay behind when all the other sons of Malcolm arived in the 1790's but maybe he joined the military as a young man as we know he did and thus was too busy with the Napoleonic Wars to worry about settleing in Nova Scotia or Cape Breton until after 1815. But this speculation on my part. I cant say for certain he was Malcolm's son and I think I would not state it as fact unless I had some sort of proof to be fair.Still it is a possibility I guess.

As you have noticed Ann Capstick has done some of the best research on your Bras d'or Livingston family that I am aware of. I have been contacted by one other descendant of Angus Livingstone of Bras d'or Boularderie some time ago who was connected to his son Alexander who married Isabella Deason. They were connected to the Boularderie area though there name was no longer Livingston. We have not been contacted by Livingstons from this family as yet but I am hoping this will happen soon and that they participate in our Maclea Livingstone DNA Project so that we are able to better identify the Scottish origins of this family and any linkage to other Livingston families that have already been tested and their history recorded.

regards

Donald

Thank you Donald for the very detailed reply.

I would have replied sooner but I'm sure you too are busy with the holidays. About a year or two ago I came across a family tree site with sparse information surrounding the Malcolm that died in the Forty-Five. It seemed plausible, but at that time I knew it was only a theory. What I think happened is that the creator Ashman site may have found Anne's research and simply made educated guesses at a possible lineage. I had my doubts as to the accuracy of the claim with the lack of birth and death dates as well as the absence of spouses. This was also my reason for posting. I have pretty good access to records here in Nova Scotia but going back from Angus before he left Scotland has been the problem. Just so you know I'm more interested in tracing back my Livingston ancestry back as many generations as possible than I am with finding a connection to the famous missionary. My aim is to one day make the trip to the British Isles and be able to walk with my wife on the land (or island) of my past generations. So the ultimate goal for me is to find a place, not a place in history if you get my meaning.

It seems now my search goes to the Isle of Mull rather than Lismore.

Another note that may be of some interest. A granddaughter of John Livingston and Elizabeth Hayes is Euphemia Beatrice Livingston. She married a man named Daniel Walker who donated the land for the site of St. Anne's church of Alder Point (my hometown). The playground and baseball field behind it is the Daniel Walker Memorial Park.

Ryan Walker
And Happy Holidays to you all

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for your reply during the busy holiday season. Yes unfortunately one has to carefully sift and sort as I always say through published family histories to hope to get an accurate account of your family history. Internet genealogy offers great opportunities for those looking for information on their ancestors providing they are sensitive to errors.

The British Archives is working on setting up their collection of military records some of which pertains to the period that Angus served in the military on line in a searchable database and that should be completed by next year or 2011. I went through a bunch of them before this but Angus was not among them and then I lost the list I had written down. Not something I do commonly but as you can imagine scraps of paper sometimes get lost. There were a number of highland Livingstons whom originated from Argyll that served in British regiments during the late 1700's and into the Napoleonic War period. About tens years after the Jacobite revolt of 1745 the British government began to see the merit of recruiting former disaffected, Jacobite highlanders and their sons into the British Army to be used in their conflict with the French in America. If one were cynical you would say their recruitment was for cannon fodder for the British Army, but General Wolfe among others had noticed first hand the bravery and fighting abilities of the highland Jacobite soldier first hand at Culloden in 1746 when they were on opposing sides.

The best bet is to look for soldiers or naval personnell who completed their service during the Napoleonic Wars as there will be probably some sort of records. One is not likely to find a list of enlisted men named Livingston who died during the Napoleonic wars unfortunately, but as Angus survived the war and apparently completed his service and spent some years in the Navy someday we may find more information on him in the British Achives I am hoping. Ann Capstick of course had some info on his military service drawn from whatever records she had located during her research. Have you ever contacted Ann Capstick? Have you been to the provincial archives in Nova Scotia?

Your ancestor Angus Livingston b.about 1773 who settled at Bras d'or Boularderie is indeed likely to be a native of Mull in all likelihood and apparently has some connection to Kilninian Parish there though I could only find an Angus Levingston born or baptised 19 October 1769 son of John Levingston and Catharine Cameron that was the closest to your Angus Livingston born in 1773 in the Kilninian and Kilmore Parish records but is probably the wrong Angus. A number of Livingston families that settled in Nova Scotia and PEI originated from Mull or neighbouring Morvern. For many of them the port of Tobermory in Mull was their departure point.

There was actually a lady who contacted me some time ago who is a descendant of this Angus Livingston and her family still have property in the original area where they settled I was told.

regards,

Donald

Thanks for the advice,

And I wonder if I know the lady who contacted you and maybe she is a close relative. How I came to know of the Bras d'Or Livingstons is mostly by coincidence. When I was still in junior high school, a friend of mine mentioned the ruined foundation of a house known only as the "Old Livingston Place" not far from where he lived. I, at that time knew nothing of my connection to the family but was surprised to find out that my grandmother, turning the age of 95 this year, knew my friend's grandfather very well. This was surprising since the most recognizable feature of this man is his heavy Dutch accent. My grandmother explained to me that the land around what is now Factory Road was sold to the Hendriksen's that emigrated to Canada during the Second World War.

<a href="http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=46.28214,- ... A">Here<a/> is a link to the area on Google Maps

It's actually silly of me to have not contacted Ann Capstick by this point as so much of my knowledge is owed to her research.

Hi Ryan,

Ann Capstick's website looks several years old and I am not certain whether or not she is still doing Livingston research. I dont know that anyone from the Society has contacted her as yet, but she certainly is well informed regarding your ancestor Angus Livingston of Bras d'or, Cape Breton and his family and we would love to hear from her. Our Society in our ongoing effort to research Livingston families in Canada and elsewhere in World has tried to gather some info on Angus and other Cape Breton and Nova Scotia pioneer Livingston families. I will try and search the forum postings from the last few years and try to find out the name of the lady that contacted me some time ago that was a decendant of old Angus and whose family still had property in the Bras d'or area. Perhaps she is related to you. We have the research resources of Jewel Brown and Roberta Livingstone who are our chief maritime Livingston researchers here who know alot of interesting details regarding the Nova Scotia Livingstons as well as others who regulary visit and contribute to our knowledge and insight.

regards,

Donald

Donald,

After a little digging in the NS archives of land grants that Ann Capstick had sourced, I've found that you were correct that the Ashman site is wrong to connect the families.

Two records refer to my great (x4) grandfather Angus Livingstone:

1820
Livingstone, Angus
Petition to Ainslie: Petitioner, a native of Scotland is married and has eight children. He has lived in Cape Breton since September, 1819. He served in the navy. He asks a lot on the west side of Bouladerie. Note: recommended. Name, "Kilninian".

1826
Livingstone, Angus
Petition to Kempt: Petitioner is a native of Scotland, age 53, is married and has eight children. He received from Gov. Ainslie a lot on Great Bras d'Or where he was the first settler. He served in the navy on the Royal George and also in the local militia. He asks a grant of 100 acres conferred on him and of another 100 acres on the outside of the fishing lots. Note: approved.

There is a record for Malcolm, and says he arrived with his family of 9 in 1791

1792
Livingston, Malcolm
Came to Merigomish with his family, consisting of nine, from Highlands of Scotland, in the month of September, 1791. Has received no lands from government, and requests such quantity as may be thought fit.
Entd.
Memorial.

There is a record that refers to a different Angus which fits with Malcolm's grant rather well.

1817
Livingstone, Angus
Petition to Ainslie: Petitioner emigrated with his father's family from Scotland to Nova Scotia 23 years ago. He has a vessel employed in the fishery on the shore of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. He asks lots 2 & 3 in the north block B, Town of Hawksbury or Ship Harbour. Note: granted.

It is now my belief this Angus was one of 8 children to come to Guysborough County and then applied for a land grant closer to where he was employed across the Strait of Canso in the town of Port Hawksbury. They can't be the same Angus as the petition for land in Port Hawksbury was granted in 1817 and the other Angus applied for a lot in 1820 stating that he only lived in Cape Breton since Sept of 1819. Moreover, it clearly states on the 1826 petition for more land, that he was the first settler of that region. It seems odd that he would only expand the land for his own immediate family (for the aims of building a wharf) if he had close relatives not far away involved in the same industry.

The Kilninian Parish records on this site mention only one Angus born c1769 (the approximate age of Angus in 1826 was 53 giving an approx birth o4 1772)

John Levingston and Catherine Cameron
Ardrioch Angus 19 Oct 1769

It seems that Angus was given favor in the grants due to his serving in the navy. The thing that puzzles me is the serving on the Royal George as the ship sank in 1782 and even at the 1769 birthdate gives Angus the young age of 13 at the time of the sinking at the Isle of Wight...

Edit: My mistake to think that there was only one ship of that name. HMS Royal George (1809) 20-gun sloop participated in the war of 1812 which better fits the time period.

I am returning home for my grandmother's 95th birthday at the end of the month. I will clarify a few things with her if she is well enough for it as well as take a few photos of the gravestones at St James Church, Boularderie.

Hello Ryan,

Welcome to the forum! I just thought I would mention that I have access to St. James cemetery records of many of your Livingston family and if I can be of any help please don't hesitate to ask.

Jewel

Thanks Jewel.

Big Bras d'Or is only about a 20 minute drive from my parent's house in Cape Breton but any thing you have I would love to look at. One thing I was looking for was that date of death for my great grandmother, Margaret Alice Livingston. I know she died young as her husband remarried. I have a photograph of her at 37 years and I believe it was close to the end of her life. I assume she was buried in that cemetery since she only lived down the street.

Ryan

Hi Ryan;

Margaret Alice was born July 26, 1868 daughter of John Livingstone and Elizabeth Hayes.
Marriage, Roman Catholic, Margaret age 40 and Charles Deveaux age 33 son of Simon And Margaret of Little Bras d'Or, October 28, 1908. Witnesses: Michael Walker and Carlotta Livingstone.
Margaret's death is not listed. Did they move out of the Province?

Regards;

Roberta