1283 Logan Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
board@livingstonfamily.org
THEATER IN THE PINES
The bagpipes could be heard up and down the mountain valley as the Livingstons gathered at Theater in the Pines to celebrate the 2005 reunion.
The smell of barbecued lamb drifted through the trees, reminding the family of the sheep industry, the livelihood of many who branched out after the Livingston pioneers from Scotland came to the Salt Lake valley.
Heritage stories were told in the amphitheater, reminding us of who we are and where we came from. Tags were distributed to identify which family you were from. We were reminded that the Livingston Book can be purchased, an absolute must for every person who has even thought about being a Livingston.
Children were focused at the reunion with treats and prizes at the amphitheater, Indian crafts, including head bands, body paint, and jewelry. Riding horses was probably the highlight of their reunion.
The morning breakfast, cooked by the Board of Trustees, was eatable. Getting to know family members, young and old, is what a family reunion is all about. That includes becoming familiar with our great heritage and honoring those who came before us.
It was a great celebration of a family we can all be proud to be a part of. Plan to be there next year!
Pictures of the reunion can be viewed at livingstonfamily.org/lfa/reunions/2005/. A special thanks to Dennis Davis for taking these beautiful pictures. The pictures tell a beautiful story you won't want to miss! Also, if there is someone you recognize that we haven't identified, please let us know at board@livingstonfamily.org.
If you weren't able to come to the reunion or haven't sent in your dues, please do it now. As you know, we have never had a set amount for dues in our organization. The suggested amount is $20, but if you can only give $10, that is fine. Some give more and it is appreciated. Please be generous. Newsletters and reunion costs add up. Please mail it to the address above. We really appreciate all the dues that we have received.
We are very excited about the Descendency Chart we had at the reunion. Many families were represented. If you haven't sent your descendency chart in, please take a few minutes and do it today. Enclosed in this newsletter, or available on the website is a descendency form. Send your information in TODAY! You can mail it to Blaine Livingston, 434 Wheatridge Rd, Stansbury Park, UT 84074. Or email a PAF or GEDCOM file to board@livingstonfamily.org. We are STILL searching for the youngest family - are you it?! We especially need family birth and marriage information after 1979. These pictures are of the descendency charts.
When you send in your descendency chart, the Organization will send you a Livingston Crest Patch. These can also be purchased for $3.00 each. Simply send your check and request to the address above.
[For a more detailed look at these beautifully embroidered patches, click on the patch!]
To submit your family's descendency information, please download, print, fill out, and submit the Livingston Line Ancestral Descendency form.
By David C. Dollahite, Ph.D.
BYU School of Family Life
The Old Testament speaks of “Elijah the prophet,” and Malachi writes that “he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:5-6). There are, no doubt, many layers of meaning to this scripture, but I believe it says, in part, something profoundly important about turning the hearts of family members to one another-about the importance of children knowing their father, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, and as many other generations as they can know.
There is an old Hasidic Jewish saying that states, “Give people a fact, and you enlighten their minds; tell them a story, and you touch their souls.” To have an enlightened mind is a good thing, but it is also good to have an enlightened soul. “Turning hearts” through storytelling creates a sense of oneness and connection between family members and generations that is quite different than parents and children who simply feel they are related by blood and the fact that they live under the same roof. Instead, they become connected by a love that grows out of knowing and understanding each other and feeling committed to each other.
I often tell my children about their great grandfather Iver from Norway, who had a very exciting life. He escaped death numerous times; in fact, he came into the port of Birmingham about two weeks after the Titanic set sail, and was hired as a merchant marine on the next major ship to set sail from that port.
After he immigrated to the United States, he worked as a logger in Minnesota and lived in a small cabin in the woods. Each day, he would go home for lunch, and one of his coworkers started coming over everyday as well, which disturbed Grandpa Iver because he was, by nature, a private person. He wanted his coworker to stop coming, but he was uncomfortable with confronting the man directly, so he had to use his wits. So the next time this man came over, Grandpa Iver took the plates off the table after they had finished lunch, put them on the floor, and allowed his dog to lick them clean. Grandpa Iver then put the plates back into the cupboard, and the man never came back for lunch.
My kids love this story and it helps turn their hearts to their great grandfather who they never knew personally. (Excerpts taken from article appearing in the BYU publication, Marriage and Families, Summer 2004)
For our next Livingston Family Reunion we would like to encourage you to be gathering, recording, or remembering some good stories about your ancestors. Our gathering place for summer 2006 will include a large Chalet where we can set up plenty of tables to share stories and old family pictures. What fun to see what others have or know about our direct family line!! If you have a story you would be happy to share, email Ann MacDonald at anniemac50@comcast.net and she will prepare these stories and copies. They don't have to be long, even a few short anecdotes help us see into the hearts of our wonderful Livingston ancestors.
We are also very fortunate to have our cousin, Dennis Davis, who has volunteered to take professional photos of any Livingston artifacts that you might have in your possession. Just bring them to the reunion to share, Dennis will take a picture and Ross will put it on the website to make it available to the whole Livingston family. How cool is that? Start locating your memorabilia now! This is a picture taken at this year's reunion.
Check out our website at www.livingstonfamily.org and sign up to receive ENews today! Currently about 30% of our family receives their newsletter via ENews. We are encouraging anyone who has access to email to join this growing list. If you are worried about “becoming lost”, don't! If your email bounces, we will always send your newsletter to your last known postal address. Email us at board@livingstonfamily.org and we will add you to our ENews list. When newsletters are posted to the website, we will send you an email notifying you and you can then go to the website at your convenience and download or print the newsletter. It is easy, convenient, saves trees and postage! Sign up now!
Livingston Family Board
Term Expires in 2006:
Stott Cook, Reunion Co-Chair
Blaine Livingston, Descendancy Chair
Ann MacDonald, Reunion Co-Chair
Term Expires in 2007:
Charlene Clark, Newsletter & Mailing List
Enid Cox, Secretary/Treasurer
Nadine Curtis, Research Chair
Term Expires in 2005:
Ted Livingston, Chairman
Ross Livingston, Website
Lynne Herring, Vice Chairman
Contact us at 801-484-2678 (Enid's) or email us all at board@livingstonfamily.org
To contact the board, please do so at board@livingstonfamily.org. Please use this family resource for family-related business only.
William Livingston was born April 28, 1848 in Airdrie, Scotland, the 7th child of Archibald Livingston by his second wife, Jean Bain. Orphaned by the time he was one, William was brought to Salt Lake City by “Granny” Livingston when he was seven.
At 22, William, called Will, married 20-year-old Lillias Dick in the Endowment House. Will had a sandy beard and hair and Lilly's hair was coal black. They were born in the same county in Scotland, their villages being only a few miles apart. Lilly helped cook for a crew that was quarrying stone for the Salt Lake temple. Will was on that crew. His granddaughter wrote that William, “a large brawny Scot, had met Grandmother Lilly on a bridge not allowing her to cross without paying the toll in a kiss.” In 1883 they moved with their six children, and a seventh expected, to a place in Sanpete called Birch Creek. According to her daughter, Lillie May Roberson, “mother cried at the thought of going into the wilderness with nothing by sagebrush and trees; and white people still were fearful of the Indians; but she was advised that it would be easier to bring up a family in the country than in the city and better for them.”
At Birch Creek, six more children were born and all grew to adulthood, although Annie died from a heart condition when she was nearly twenty. At first the family lived in a two-room house with a shanty, but later a red brick house was built with a large kitchen and cellar to accommodate the large, growing family.
Lilly and Will were hard working pioneers. A daughter-in-law provided a glimpse of their home. She recalled the big swing and the large crowd at the late Sunday afternoon dinners and the friendliness and hospitality of Will and Lilly. “I just loved her.”
It was November 20, 1900 that William felt a pain at the base of his skull, sat down and was dead. Lilly died from an existing heart condition six weeks later. Twelve children were left without parents. The oldest children, William and Jean, worked hard to keep the large and wonderful family together in the example set by Will and Lilly.
You may see images of a program for the REUNION of all descendants of WILLIAM LIVINGSTON (1848-1900) and LILLIAS DICK which was held on Saturday, August 17, 1946 at the L.D.S. CHAPEL, Craig, Colorado by clicking on the following links:
