LFA Newsletter Volume 36, Issue 2 (September 2009)
From LFAwiki
1283 Logan Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
board@livingstonfamily.org
| Volume: 36 Issue: 2 | Date: September 2009 |
Contents |
2009 Livingston Family Reunion Recap
"Our Heritage: Collecting, Writing and Preserving Life Stories" By Stott Cook and Dennis Davis
The reunion actually began Friday, June 19th at the Salt Lake Temple. Temple work for 28 Livingston ancestors from Scotland was done by Livingstons in the temple. This included baptisms, initiatories and endowments. Kay Livingston Larsen found a researcher who lives in Dunfermline, Scotland who has been retained by the Association to do research on the ancestors of the nine children Granny left in Scotland. These were the first names received. Thanks to Kay, Enid and Glenn for facilitating all this work being done in one day!
Saturday, June 20th, Livingstons gathered in Provo, Utah at 11:00 am. Dana, Enid, and Margaret enjoyed registering all the family attending the reunion. The weather was very threatening with wind and rain. We finally had to grab everything and make a dash for the cultural hall. Everything went smoothly after that.
Dennis took pictures of all who attended as well as pictures of the activites at the reunion. Click here for more pictures of the reunion. Dana provided name tags so we could get acquainted.
After registration, a very delicious lunch was served. We are all very thankful to Stott for providing lunch over the past years. There was plenty of BBQ chicken and beef, corn on the cob, beans, watermelon, sodas, etc. There was also plenty of time to relax, enjoy lunch, and visit with family and distant cousins. Often this is the only time we get to socialize with our cousins from out of state and those who don't live nearby. There were many at the reunion this year who had never attended before. One 10-year-old was heard to incredulously ask her mother, "Are these really all my cousins?" A very big thank you to all who got the word out and encouraged all to attend.
Charlene conducted the business meeting while the younger generation went out and played on the big toys provided. Youth don't mind threatening weather. In fact, they love it. The very large, air-filled trampoline and slide provided a wonderful opportunity for the cousins to get to know each other better - to jump up and down, show off some new-learned tricks, and to hold hands slipping down the slide. Some were seen exchanging phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Close family bonds are formed at these annual reunions.
During the business meeting, Ross used a media projector to show the computer screen on the spacious wall above. He demonstrated the "New Family Search" program and the many features of the Livingston Family Association web site. Much work has gone into making the web site and filling it with pictures, old and new, and histories. All of the newsletters and pictures of reunions from past years are available on the web site. There is also discussion about providing the family genealogy on the web site.
Blaine Livingston, who has been working on the Family Descendancy Project, had a table where families could check their information and add more information to the family data base. Blaine has done a tremendous job over the past several years and is now passing the gavel over to his son, Stephen, who is very capable and will continue on in his father's tradition.
Many thanks to Margaret Livingston who worked tirelessly on a Livingston Family Crest Quilt to be raffled off to help add some funds for the operation of the association. Through her efforts and generosity of family members, hundreds of dollars were raised. We truly have a wonderful, supportive family.
Ann scheduled two presenters between 2:00 and 4:00, who presented workshops on collecting, writing and preserving life stories. The presenters were Don Norton, speaking on “Family History Made Easy” and Janet Hovorka, speaking on “How To Interest Your Family in Their History” plus “Will Your Family History Survive the Digital Age?” They are both professionals in their field and well informed on the mechanics, procedures and process of family history. Much information was given to our family and many questions were answered.
A Scottish bagpiper could be heard in the cultural hall at 4:00 calling everyone to an ice cream bar provided by Dana. All the kids, old and young alike, were in heaven as they made their own sundae creations. It was calorie free so we all ate up as the bagpiper played on and our thoughts turned to Scotland and our ancestors.
The wonderful reunion came to a close with a dance instructor who taught us all a few Scottish dances. There were many smiles and laughter as dozens light-footed their way around the dance floor. But, none enjoyed the dancing more than little Emma Macdonald dancing with her Grandma Ann. Everyone's eyes were on Emma and she was the belle of the ball.
Our ancestors would have been proud of how we celebrated them and we are proud of them and the legacy they left us! Be sure to calendar next year when the Livingstons will be gathering again as the tradition of our wonderful, loving family continues. Reunion 2010 -- June 18 & 19.
Family History and Research Report
Pre-Reunion Temple Session -- "The Miracle"
by Kay Livingston Larsen
The Livingston Family Association determined that the reunion in June 2009 would focus on family history and temple work. Everyone was invited to find a family name to take to the temple during the reunion. I was interested in participating but did not know how to find new names.
In April 2009 my father Lewis Livingston was visited by one of the missionaries who served under him 30 years ago in Anaheim, California. The missionary is from Scotland near where Archibald Livingston lived and was visiting Salt Lake for General Conference. She asked her friend Brenda who is also from Scotland to drive her to Dad's house. While she visited Dad, I chatted with Brenda about Scotland. I learned that not only was Brenda from Dunfermline but she was LDS, she knew where the coal miners had lived, and she was a professional genealogist. I asked her if she thought there was work that could be done for our family which had joined the church and come west, leaving some of the family in Scotland. She was quite confident that she could help us find the Scottish descendants of Granny. I presented this proposal to the Livingston Board who agreed to hire her to do some research.
We already know that Archibald Livingston died and Granny brought his children to Salt Lake City along with two of her own children, but we knew little about the other nine children Granny had left in Scotland. Brenda began piecing together the history of Granny's family. She returned to Scotland at the end of May and searched through the Scotland census records and church records. By June 17 she had found descendants of Granny in Australia, Idaho, Ohio, and Scotland. On June 18 I put her information into my PAF file and took it to the family history library for Temple Ready. On the morning of June 19 I went to the Salt Lake Temple to get cards so that Livingston family members could perform baptisms and initiatories during the day and endowments in the evening. We had 23 endowments to do in the Salt Lake Temple for the reunion.
Brenda sent us her testimony of getting our family names for the reunion in such a short time:
- "I can't express enough that I know the Lord is having a hand in this, what amazes me is the names come forward and then doors open to find a family....
- "What can be said about your wonderful Granny, and yes an impact that she had on her posterity, to leave most of her own children and other grandchildren. I wonder if she ever corresponded with any of them. We cannot be sure on that as basic education was the norm for that period of time and mail to Utah in the early 1800's was few and far between.... Maybe she is getting impatient to have her world wide family joined so they may all have an opportunity to receive their blessings."
Writing Family Histories
We hope you have enjoyed the Family Histories that have been submitted to the web site. We encourage you to write a story about your parents, grandparents or other ancestor and email it to board@livingstonfamily.org. Our goal is to have one new story every month. We really encourage you to do this for your family and for the rest of us who are interested in all of the Livingstons.
Memories Written at the Reunion
You can start your history by just answering a few questions -- here are some answers and memories that were written at the reunion.
- I was born in Utah and everyone loved me. I was so cute and I always hugged my dad when I was little. And I still do it. I love my life. – Mary Barlow
- Popular song as a teenager…Richard Marx was one of my favorite artists as a teenager. He sang a song called “I’ll be right there waiting for you” and another song, “Endless Summer Nights”; between 1985 and 1988. – Stephen Livingston
- One of my fondest memories of home was our Sunday Leg-o-lamb dinners. Mother (Florence Smith Prows) always made homemade bread and rolls. Then in the evening my brothers and sisters and their families would come home for sandwiches. Being the youngest of 7 children, I was always so happy to play with my nieces and nephews. I was two when I became an aunt and I had lots of them to play with. My great grandfather was Charles Livingston. My grandparents are Enoch Smith and Ellen Livingston Smith. My parents are Joseph H Prows and Florence Smith. – Mary Ann Prows Swalberg
- Memory of Charles Livingston Jr. My grandfather, Charles Livingston, died in his later years at 1142 Gilmer Dr. in Salt Lake City. We used to visit often on Sunday after church. Grandmother always prepared a roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy. After dinner the kids would go into the back area where there were terraced levels of grass. We rolled from the top to the bottom. On a weekday visit I observed Grandpa sitting in his brown leather rocking chair on the screened in porch. I always remember him holding and reading his copy of the Book of Mormon. This memory was repeated over and over again. It was all the more interesting in later years when I remembered grandfather smoked a pipe. Whatever! - Parley Joe Livingston
- My favorite April Fool’s Day dinner was serving my family spaghetti and meatballs, along with salad and dressing, but without plates or utensils! - Mickie Dennis
- Reunion memories – I went to the Salt Lake Temple and did all the "male" Livingston family names for baptisms for the dead. At the reunion I played in “jump city”. – Danny Clark
- The first Livingston descendent I met – Mary Ann Prows. She was a young, very attractive blonde speaking in Sacrament meeting. Her topic was the ideal man. When she described him, I thought “that’s me”! So we got married. – Dave Swalberg
- I remember in 4th grade…we were having our wax museum where you chose someone interesting, researched them, prepared a two minute presentation, dressed up like them and stood in the hall. I chose James Campbell Livingston, Jr. I learned a lot about him and will always cherish this memory. – unsigned
- We grew up in California and I remember Zada and Jess Livingston coming to visit us and I remember the smell of Listerine in the bathroom that they used. I remember how funny they looked without their false teeth in their mouth. – Sharon Davis Sherwood
- I remember fishing with my Grandpa, Jesse Livingston, VERY early in the morning and eating my first trout that night. – Scott Worthington
- I was born in Ogden, Utah. I only lived in four houses in my 47 years. 1. Layton, Utah from 1962-1970 (1030E Gentle); 2. Orem, Utah from 1970-1983 (739 S 600 W) (my mission to Minnesota doesn’t count); 3. Orem, Utah from 1986-1993 (1749 N 645 W); 4. Orem, Utah from 1993-2009 (1065 N 1050 E). Let’s hear it for stability! I’m married to Scott, son of Norma Livingston, daughter of Jesse, son of James Campbell, Jr, son of Sr, son of Archibald. – Christine Owens Worthington
- My mother never complained in her role as a mother. She was also always industrious and always active member of the church. – Joanne Livingston
- Married for 49 years. Seven children. Thirty three grandchildren. Husband was in real estate. Joe mission to Japan. Joanne mission to Northern States. Two times mission to England. – Joe and Joanne Livingston
- I went to the Salt Lake Temple and did family name baptisms and confirmations. I saw President Uchtdorf. – Chelle Clark
Thanks to all those who participated. We hope you will use this experience as a springboard to answer more questions, and continue writing your life history.
Personal History Activities for Youth
Excerpt from Guidelines to Creating a Personal History By Don Norton (who was a presenter at the reunion - some great ideas for getting our youth involved)
Personal history activities are a natural answer to young people's search for identity. The teenage years are years of dramatic change—new awareness, new impulses, new freedom, new roles. With careful guidance, young people can, through preparation of a personal history, satisfy some of their deepest yearnings.
A personal history links an individual to other generations, heightening awareness of likenesses between parents, grandparents, and even brothers and sisters. At the same time, a history brings out unique gifts and other characteristics.
Through a personal history, an individual becomes aware of important eternal values—of moral choices, of the relative value of good and bad experiences, of patterns of growth, of relationships with other people.
In fact, the writing of a concise personal history has become a standard assignment in many religion classes and in a variety of basic university courses in personal development, throughout the country.
Generally, personal history activities for youth should be fairly concise and simple; instructions should be clear; the activity should have a clear beginning and end. The skills required should be moderately challenging but not highly demanding. The activity should produce a fairly immediate sense of accomplishment.
The activity should be enjoyable, and sometimes, even fun. Group activities are especially successful in this regard.
Adolescents most often prefer those history activities that keep writing at a minimum. Journal writing is more appropriate for youth than lengthy history writing.
It is best to plan activities that focus on what is meaningful to adolescents: friendships, daily activities, challenges and decisions, special experiences, lifestyle (dress, grooming, pastimes, preferences, etc.), jobs, and other areas of natural concern to youth.
Here are some suggested activities:
1. Compile lists of the following:
• likes, dislikes • friends, enemies • favorites (foods, pastimes, games, friends, teachers); aversions • books, and magazines read; movies, and TV shows watched • clothes • personal possessions Give a brief reason or history behind each item on each list.
2. Keep a brief daily diary of major happenings. Occasionally include explanations or feelings.
3. Account for all of the money you spend over a certain period of time.
4. Give all of the reasons why you like and dislike a job you have (or have had).
5. Compile a personal chronology of all of the major events in your life or of certain aspects of your life—health record, school record, friends, family moves, church activity, club activities, etc.
6. Gather together all of the photographs that help tell your life story. Learn how to preserve and display them properly.
7. Describe the rules of neighborhood games you play, or describe other games you habitually play (with whom, when, and where).
8. Re-create (from newspapers and news magazines) the history of the day you were born.
9. Draw charts, diagrams, plans, drawings, etc., of activities that lend themselves to graphic treatment: paper routes; floor plans of your house or room; playgrounds; favorite fishing, hunting, hiking or camping areas; furniture; or vehicles (cars, bikes, motorcycles, etc.).
10. Clip from magazines and other periodicals pictures (advertisements) of items that are part of your daily lifestyle. Compile these in a scrapbook.
11. Compile a scrapbook of mementos.
12. Prepare a record of a hobby by compiling samples from collections, photographs of items, recordings of talents, and so forth.
13. Collect historical data on places you have lived (maps, tourist brochures, historical summaries, etc.). Local history societies and chambers of commerce are excellent sources.
14. Describe, in a step-by-step format, several basic "processes" you engage in regularly, including details of the items, people, or places involved:
• your job • shopping • putting on makeup • getting ready for school • fixing your car • regular chores and other responsibilities • preparing your favorite meal • a typical date • practicing a musical instrument
15. Interview parents or grandparents on cassette tape about their recollections of your birth, incidents in your early years, or your early childhood traits.
Scotland Anyone?
The Livingston Family Board has opened for discussion the idea of taking a guided tour to Scotland to visit our ancestral home. We have been in contact with Brenda Kucharzewski who is a Professional Scottish Tour Guide, Genealogist, and is familiar with the area of our ancestors. She and her husband, Bob, charge around $275 per day for their tour services. Click here for more information about their tours. They prefer groups of about 10. If any of you have any interest, comments, or other ideas about doing this, please contact Dennis Davis at denriphotography@verizon.net, 626-335-7819, or P.O. Box 815, Glendora, CA 91740. If there's enough interest we will proceed with initial planning. We are at least a year or two away from making this tour.
Dues
Many thanks to those of you who have paid dues. As a result, we were able to retain a researcher and pay her $1,000. You will read about the miraculous story of how she was found further on in the newsletter. She is researching the descendents of the nine children Granny left in Scotland. We have already received from her the names of 28 Livingston ancestors and have done their temple work. This research is very promising and will likely produce more results. If we wish to continue the research, we need to ask you all for more help in funding it. If we all give a little, it will help a lot! We still have reunion and newsletter expenses as an ongoing thing. Thanks to you, we have been able to keep our organization going for many years. If you have not already paid your dues, you can mail them to:
Livingston Family Association
1283 Logan Avenue
Salt Lake City, Utah 84105
Remember donations may be tax deductible The Livingston Family Association has received approval from the Internal Revenue Service for tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the code. This means that contributions to our organization are deductible under section 170 of the Code. We are qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code.
In other words, contributions of all types to the Livingston Family Association are officially tax deductible (consult with your accountant for specific details).
Livingston Family Descendancy Project
We have reached a milestone that we have worked for several years to accomplish. All the individual birth and marriage data contained in the 1808 Archibald Livingston “green” book, that was printed in 1980, has been entered into our electronic PAF database. Many other names have been added that have been sent in via the descendancy submittal charts. Many thanks to all of you who have sent them in. Our database now has over 7,700 names and over 2,250 marriages in it.
We want to continue to receive the birth and marriage data for those that have taken place since 1980. Please continue to use the descendancy submittal charts, available on our website (MS Word or PDF) or from the newsletter and SEND THEM IN!!! You parents – please get your married kids to send their family information to me.
I am seeking volunteer representatives from each of the family lines (James, Charles, Isabella, Archibald, and William) who would assist me in reaching out to our younger families by making personal phone calls and encouraging them to submit their descendancy information. If you will help, please contact me (see below). You can help me by getting close relatives that you know to send in their contact information, and I can help you with contact information of individuals you may not know but who are in your line. Wouldn’t it be great to increase our database to over 8,500 names by next year’s reunion? LET’S DO IT!!
- Stephen Livingston
- 62 Mill Pond
- Stansbury Park, UT 84074
- livingstonsb@ldschurch.org
Thanks again for helping us with this important project.
History of Archibald George Livingston
Archibald George Livingston was born May 31, 1860, in Salt Lake City, Utah to James Campbell Livingston and Agnes Widdison. He married Temperance Lucinda Gillespie on August 8, 1878 in the Endowment house in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were living in Fountain Green, Sanpete County, when their first child was born. The children of this marriage are as follows:
- Agnes Maria, born August 21, 1879, Fountain Green
- Archibald Robert, born April 7, 1881, Fountain Green
- Pearl, born 1883 and died as a baby
- LeRoy, born January 29, 1885, Fountain Green
- Clarence, born March 19, 1887, Spring City, Utah
- Elinore, born September 9, 1889, Spring City, Utah
When the baby Elinore was one month old, her mother, Temperance Lucinda Gillespie Livingston died on October 9, 1889. The oldest, Agnes, was only 10 years old at this time. This was not an easy time for any of them. The baby was taken by a cousin, Agnes Crawforth in Spring City. The rest of the children were taken by their grandmother (Agnes Widdison Livingston) in Salt Lake City, who cared for them until their father remarried and moved to Castle Dale, Emery County, Utah.
A little over two years after the death of his first wife, Archibald married Hannah Amanda Adler on December 7, 1891. Hannah was born January 28, 1870 in Spring City, Utah, to Neils Bengt Adler and Elsa Hakanson. She was blessed February 21, 1870 by Louritz Larsen and she was baptized January 1878 by John F. Allred.
During her young years growing up in Spring City, Hannah had a best friend, Sarah Jane Aiken. They had many good times together. They both had strong testimonies and Hannah had an especially great sense of humor. While still in her teens, Sarah Jane Aiken, along with two of her brothers, James and Charles Aiken, and Hannah and her brother Otto Adler, came to Salt Lake City at the request of Sarah’s uncle, James C. Livingston, to serve as a cook for a group of men. James had a contract at the granite quarry to quarry rock for the Salt Lake Temple. They had a beautiful resort known as the Wasatch and they lived there all summer until the late fall. The girls did the cooking for the workers. Hannah did not know at the time that James Campbell Livingston would soon be her father-in-law.
Hannah was 21 when she and Archibald were married. All of us who can remember them know that they were called “Ma and Pa” by all us kids and grandkids. Ma evidently loved Pa very much to take on such a responsibility at such an early age. She had previously received a proposal of marriage from one of the LDS Apostles (unidentified) from Salt Lake City. However, she chose to marry Pa.
Archibald was 31 years old when Hannah was 21 when they were married. Money was very hard to come by in those days. The older kids were expected to work and help out as much as they could.
We don’t know the exact times and dates, but we know that at one time Archibald had a saw mill in the mountains between Castle Dale and Spring City. Hannah went to cook for the men. We also know that they ran a boarding house in Schofield, Utah. Hannah’s sister Emma Lund and daughter Ada went up and helped take care of the children, the cooking and other duties at the boarding house. The men worked at Schofield Reservoir. At one time Archibald was foreman over the building of the canal from Helper to Price and Hannah cooked for the men. The children of this marriage are as follows:
- Ethel, born November 14, 1893, Castle Dale, Utah
- Hazel, born October 2, 1895, Castle Dale, Utah
- Arnold George, born November 11, 1897, Castle Dale, Utah
- Leander, born June 30, 1900, Castle Dale, Utah
Archibald and Hannah bought their home in Castle Dale in 1900. It was a five room brick home south of the rodeo grounds (or “park” as it was called).
The park was used for the County Fair, which was a gala occasion indeed. There was a grandstand in the northwest corner with the Exhibit House just behind the grandstand where all the products, handiwork and canned goods were exhibited. This building was a long, barn-like structure. It had long tables for the many luscious vegetables, fruits and canned goods. The beautiful quilts, crochet work and other handicrafts were displayed around the sides of the building in booths or sections.
Ma entered many of her articles of handiwork, flowers, vegetables and canned goods. She won many awards for these things. Pa was town marshal for many years – in the early ‘20s. He would guard the Exhibit House at night during Fair time to keep it from being robbed or vandalized. The large porch across the front of their house provided a ringside seat for all the family and special friends to watch the rodeo events – bronc riding, bull riding, and horse racing. It also waved having to pay a ticket and was much more comfortable than the seats on the grandstand.
Read the whole story: Archibald George Livingston
Livingston Family Board
We would like to thank Blaine Livingston, Stott Cook and Ann MacDonald who have served long and well on the board. Stott and Ann have been in charge of the reunions for the past six years, and have done a fantastic job in securing the venue and planning the activities. Blaine has developed the decendency project and spent many hours inputting information. We can't thank them enough. Their term has ended and the new members on the Board are Stephen Livingston, Doug Livingston and Mary Ann Swalberg. We welcome them and thank them for accepting this new assignment. The current board of directors of the Livingston Family Association is as follows:
| Name | Assignment | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Charlene Clark | Chairperson, Newsletter & Mailing List | 2010 |
| Enid Cox | Secretary/Treasurer | 2010 |
| Dana Rogers | Ancestry Co-Chair | 2010 |
| Dennis Davis | Ancestry Co-Chair | 2011 |
| Ross Livingston | Website | 2011 |
| David Cook | Vice Chairperson | 2011 |
| Mary Ann Swalberg | Reunion Co-Chair | 2012 |
| Stephen Livingston | Descendancy Chair | 2012 |
| Doug Livingston | Reunion Co-Chair | 2012 |
Contact us at 801-484-2678 (Enid Cox) or email us all at board@livingstonfamily.org. Please use this family resource for family-related business only.
© 2009 Livingston Family Association
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