A Wee Rhyme
From LFAwiki
A Wee Rhyme
by Douglas Ron Livingston
- James Livingston is my name,
- Scotland is my nation,
- Zion shall be my dwelling place
- and pleasant habitation.
- There I shall live to see and hear
- the Prophet of the Lord,
- Send forth His word as flaming fire
- or as a two-edged sword.[1]
- James Livingston
These words were penned by James Livingston on the inside of the back cover to one of his editions of Millennial Star reprints (Volume XV). He likely wrote them at or very near the same time he recorded the genealogy information that is so crucial to our ability to learn more about our ancestors. Those genealogy-related entries are likewise signed by him, but they also include a date: "November 3, 1856".
Born December 2, 1833, by the time James had written these words, he had been orphaned as a 16-year-old. As the oldest son, he and his younger brother Charles became the providers for the rest of his family. He left them in Charles’ care and crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the S.S.Falcon,[2] drove a team of oxen from Iowa to the Salt Lake Valley, worked to build a road in City Creek Canyon and quarried rock at the mouth of Red Butte Canyon until he could provide the money required to help bring his grandmother, aunt, uncle, brothers and sisters to the United States. He married Agnes Widdison, who had born him a daughter, and built a house. He did all this, not yet 23 years old, before sitting down one Monday to record a few thoughts and bits of information in what must have been a prized possession.
In the years that followed, he would begin a 40-year effort to quarry the rock for the Salt Lake Temple, take two more wives (Hannah Widdison and Annie Elizabeth Muir), raise 26 children, lose his right hand and the lower portion of his arm in an explosion while working to build a railroad, and eventually “retire” to establish a homestead near Fountain Green, Utah, serving as the Patriarch for that area until he died October 17, 1909.[3]
Few that they may be, family members are often inspired by the words he wrote and as they consider the many challenges he faced and overcame. His was a life well-lived and his willingness to follow the Lord and do His will has likewise blessed our family through many generations.
Although many of us are familiar with some of the details of his life story, what may not be as well known are the origins of the words he wrote. Referring to a collection of nursery rhymes and jingles common in Scotland at the time, Ewart Simpkins John observed:[4]
- It is customary for youngsters at school to scribble their names under the boards of their books, in the following fashion:
- "[Andrew Thomson] is my name;
- Scotland is my nation;
- [Dunfermline] is my dwelling place,
- A pleasant habitation."
- Chambers, pp 393-4
The similarity between this verse and the first section of what James wrote is unmistakable. We do not know how young he was when he began working in the coal mines near Shotts and Airdrie, but we know that he worked as a coal miner[5] before immigrating to the United States in 1853. Education was more prevalent among children in Scotland than we might guess, but it generally only extended to children up to the age of 11. Rarely did those over 14 remain in school unless they passed the Bursary exam and could afford High School tuition.[6] We know that James was literate. While we have not found any record of him attending school, it is reasonable to assume that he did. So, it is entirely plausible that James first saw this verse written by another student in the back of one of his schoolbooks while in Scotland.
The language in the second section of James’ poem is likewise recognizable to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Christians alike. References to a “flaming fire” can be found in all four volumes of scriptures in no less than 47 different locations. The phrase “two-edged sword” appears twice in both the Old Testament[7] and the New Testament.[8] It appears as many as five times in the Doctrine & Covenants.[9]
The spirit with which he wrote these words powerfully affirms his inner commitment to following the Savior and His Prophet. His life is exemplary of an individual, who in a very literal way as well as a spiritual one, helped lay the foundation stones upon which the Kingdom of God on Earth is being built.
NOTES
- ↑ These verses are not presented precisely as written. The wording is unchanged, but adjustments were made to the line separation (matching them with the cadence of the verses), punctuation was added, and capitalization changed.
- ↑ It is interesting to note that the Widdison family, including Agnes and Hannah, were also members of the Holytown Branch and sailed with James on the Falcon to Iowa.
- ↑ Livingston, Ronald B. (1980). Descendants of Archibald Livingston & (1) Helen Muir Connor (2) Jean Bain of Scotland. Livingston Family Association, pp 152-158.
- ↑ John, Ewart Simpkins (1912). Examples of Printed Folk-Lore Concerning Fife with Some Notes Clackmannan and Kinross-Shires. The Folk-Lore Society, Page 306.
- ↑ The census conducted in Scotland on March 30, 1851 lists James Livingston as a 17-year-old coal miner living at #83 Hollow Bush, Holytown, Bothwell, Lanarkshire
- ↑ Bennett, Margaret (2004). Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave. Birlinn, pp 82-3.
- ↑ Psalms 149: 6 and Proverbs 5: 4
- ↑ Hebrews 4: 12 and Revelation 1: 16
- ↑ Doctrine & Covenants 6: 2, 11: 2, 12: 2, 14: 2, and 33: 1