LFA Newsletter Volume 44, Issue 2 (Fall 2017)
From LFAwiki
7731 Jefferson Road
Magna, UT 84044
board@livingstonfamily.org
| Volume: 44 Issue: 2 - Highlighting the William Line | Date: Fall 2017 |
Livingston Family Reunion 2017
By Amy Metler & Eric Epperson
The July 1, 2017 Livingston reunion at This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City was very well attended and exceeded our expectations! Many comments consistently echoed the sentiment of how enjoyable the venue was! There were plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy, the food was excellent, and the company was the best!
Cousins ranging in age from 4 weeks up to those who remember what life was like without color TV. It was so fun to gather and talk and hear from loved ones who traveled from both near and far. We had cousins come for the first time as well as veteran reunion-goers and were so pleased with the number of Livingstons all gathered in one spot. We were treated to a special demonstration about DNA and how we can find our cousins using science and technology.
The Livingston rap was a hit and volunteers worked tirelessly to feed all that came. The park was available for the Livingston family to explore and we were able to pan for gold, learn about Native Americans, and see how the early pioneer settlers to Salt Lake enjoyed life.
Thank you all for your efforts to attend and we look forward to seeing you next year.Thank you to all who organized and planned and thanks to those who came. See you next summer!!
Livingston Family Reunion June 8-9, 2018, Save the date!!
The 2018 reunion will be held at The Heber Valley Girls Camp on June 8-9th. We have reserved a large campground with a very large enclosed pavilion for meals and socializing and a commercial kitchenl There will be cabins to reserve that sleep 16 people. There are many activities hosted by Heber Valley staff. We will keep you posted with updates in future newsletters! Mark your calendars now for the 54rd Annual Livingston Reunion! Don’t miss your chance to meet new relatives, share histories, and learn about your amazing Livingston heritage!
Reunion Chairs
Eric Epperson – 801 599.4327
Celeste Livingston – 801 885.7944
Call us with questions, suggestions, or to volunteer.
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>How learning about my ancestry has changed my life
By Dennis Davis, Chairman
After returning home from the mission field, I met a beautiful young lady. We got engaged and were sealed in the Los Angeles Temple in January of 1969. That summer we made a trip to my grandmother’s house in Genola, Utah. She showed me all her genealogy and that of my grandfather’s, too. There was so much. Back then it was not easy to make copies. I sat at a card table in their living room for four days hand-copying the pedigree charts of both my grandmother and grandfather. My wife didn’t understand how I could be so interested in names, dates, and places. My grandparents recognized my interest and asked if my wife and I would like to go with them to Moroni and Birch Creek to see some of the family historical sites. Of course we were thrilled to go. We spent the whole day visiting the old houses and farm area. At that time, the old house that James Campbell Livingston Sr. had built for his wife Agnes was still standing. Though vacant and in great disrepair, it was still a beautiful house with lots of trim on the outside and decorative wallpaper on the inside. Grandpa Jesse showed us the summer kitchen outside and behind the house. He also showed us the blacksmith shop with an anvil, furnace, and big bellows - much like the one in this picture.
Grandpa told me that this bellows had been used in the building of the Salt Lake Temple. Everything was so interesting to see and here about.
When it was time for my wife to return home to California, Grandpa gave me a challenge to continue searching for our ancestors and get their temple work done. I have never forgotten that challenge. My wife was very impressed with that trip to visit my grandparents and she also caught the Spirit of Elijah. Being a convert to the church, not much research had been done on her side of the family. She began writing letters to her grandparents, aunts, and uncles. She was met with a bit of resistance. They didn’t understand why she would want that information. Slowly they began to give her the information she asked for. Today, the temple work for many of her ancestors has been done.
This all began with one short letter to a grandson in the mission field. None of us know the amount of good that will be accomplished when we quickly follow a little prompting to do a small thing.You can make a difference in your family too! I challenge you to share a story with your child or grandchild.
The Livingston Legacy Lives on Through Dwight Epperson of the William Line
By Eric Epperson
Exciting news about recent research done that proves who the real parents are for Jean Bain (2nd wife of Archibald 1808)
By Jaynann Lillywhite
If you missed the last newsletter you probably don’t know the exciting news that we now know the correct parents of Jean Bain, the second wife of Archibald Livingston 1808. This was proven through DNA! She is not the daughter of Walter Bain and Jean Lithgow born in Falkirk, Stirlingshire 14 March 1820. She is the daughter of William Bain and Jean Forrester born in Gorbals, Lanarkshire on the 14 March (isn’t that a coincidence) 1816. Please take the time to correct your records especially if you have put this information online. There are 97 public Ancestry trees with the incorrect information still in them. Is yours one of them? Other people may copy this incorrect information and spread it as fact, please correct it soon. Would you like to know a little about our real Bain family? Jean was the second child. She had an older sister, Christian who married Thomas Forsyth and had 8 children. Thomas worked for the post office. They lived about a half mile down the road from Jean and Archibald. Her younger sister, Charlotte, married John McLean but then they disappeared from the records. Jean had two younger brothers, John Munro, and Colin. Their whereabouts after leaving home is also a mystery for now. (Please do not confuse Colin with another Colin Bain who was sent as a convict to Australia.) Jean and Archibald married in 1840. They lived in Airdrie in 1841. Jean’s parents and 2 brothers also lived in Airdrie about 1/3 of a mile away. Jean’s father was a master tailor. He died between 1841 and 1851. Jean’s mother lived as a widow for nearly 20 years in Airdrie. She took in boarders but was formerly a seamstress. She was born in Stirlingshire but both she and William were living in Gorbals, a parish in Glasgow, when they married and had their first 2 children. Then they moved to Tain, Ross Shire about 200 miles away where they had their next 3 children. They returned to Lanarkshire and settled in Airdrie by 1840.
Here’s another recent discovery for the Livingston family. In July Ancestry DNA sent me a message that we had a “cousin” in Australia who had James and Christina Livingston as a common ancestor. This cousin, Dennis, descended through their daughter Christina and shared DNA with my mother. This was great news as we did not know what happened to Christina after the 1841 census. We found out that she married John Simpson in Airdrie in 1841 and then they immigrated to Australia later that year. John was a coal miner and he and Christina had three daughters before he was killed in a coal mining accident at age 28. Christina married again the next year and she and John Greenwell had 3 more children but each of these died in their first year of life. Christina lived to be 41 years old dying of heart and liver disease.
The discovery of Archibald’s sister, Christina’s family, prompted me to research another sister, Elizabeth. On FamilySearch she was said to be the wife of Alexander Findlater and they also immigrated to Australia a few years after Christina. One thing bothered me about Elizabeth Findlater. She did not follow the naming tradition that the rest of the family followed. After doing some research I found that she did indeed follow the Scottish naming tradition but that proved she belonged to a different Livingston family! She named her first daughter Agnes Haddow Findlater and her second daughter Esther Hamilton Findlater. Esther Hamilton was Alexander’s mother and Agnes Haddow was Elizabeth’s mother. Agnes Haddow married Donald Livingstone from Argyll, Scotland and they lived in Hamilton, Lanarkshire where Elizabeth married Alexander. Elizabeth and Alexander were followed to Australia by Donald and Agnes. Alexander, Elizabeth and her parents all died in Milang, South Australia.
Family Search has the correct information, but if you have the Findlaters in your Livingston tree on Ancestry.com they need to be removed
Summary of changes to be made to the families of 3 of Christina and James Livingston’s children.
1. For Jean Bain (2nd wife of Archibald Livingston) remove the current parents (Walter Bain and Jean Lithgow) add her correct parents (William Bain and Jean Forrester.
2. Christina Livingston, daughter of Christina and James, add husband John Simpson, their 3 children and 2nd husband John Greenwell and their 3 children.
3. Elizabeth, daughter of Christina and James, remove husband, Alexander Findlater. He was married to another Elizabeth Livingston.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW!!
Due to finding more Livingston’s and Muirs through research, we need volunteers to do temple work for ancestors that are waiting for their work to be done. Please email your request for names to Jaynann Lillywhite: lillywhitesonpixley@yahoo.com
History of William and Lillias Dick Livingston
Orphaned by the the time he was a year old, William Livingston probably never felt neglected; for he and his the older brothers and sisters were reared by their paternal grandmother, "Granny" Livingston, with the help of her son, James. Her youngest daughter, Ellen, helped; and eventually so did Ellen's husband, John Dobbie. There had been another sister, Jane, who died before William was born.
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William was in his seventh year when this family immigrated from Airdrie to Salt Lake City, his older brother James having gone ahead to prepare the way for the family. Here the family continued to be supported by their Uncle "Jimmie" and William's older brothers. When old enough, William worked in the quarry with his brothers. He knew about food shortages; and he learned about survival. Recollections of the family convey the impression that a close family unity and the courageous, firm, caring grandmother provided a sense of security for William and his siblings.
At 22, William, called Will, was married in the Endowment House to 20 year-old Lillias Dick, called Lilly. 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 had been only four when her mother died. She had left Scotland at age 17 with her widowed father and an older and younger sister. At Salt Lake she lived and worked as a domestic at the home of Ferramorz Little. In the summer she helped cook for the Ferramorz Little crew that was quarrying stone for the Salt Lake Temple. William was a member of that crew. When they became acquainted is not known, but Annie Livingston Neilson, William's and Lilly's first born 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." William Dobbie, foster son of Will's Aunt Ellen, recalled that Lilly also worked at the home of William's brother, Archibald, on the south side of South Temple Street between 2nd and 3rd West. There, he said, "They teased Lilly about William Livingston when he was courting her, and on one occasion, I recall seeing her burst into tears in her embarrassment."
At first the couple lived "In a little adobe house at 343 Sixth Street (So. or Ave.). Here William Dobbie recalled seeing Lilly standing in the doorway holding her first born child, William D., and asking if he were not a beautiful baby!" Later, they moved to a home Will built at the east of the corner where Granny lived (corner of 9th East 2nd South).
In 1883 they moved with their six children and a seventh expected to a place in Sanpete called Birch Creek located southwest of Fountain Green near the west hills and about 120 miles south of Salt Lake. William's brother, James C., had gotten a tract of land for William and for two of his own sons. William had a quarter section. He and Lilly lived there the remainder of their lives. Leaving Salt Lake vicinity, her father, and other relatives was distressing to Lilly. According to her daughter, Lillie May Robertson, "Mother cried at the thought of going into the wilderness with nothing but 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.
William and his two older sons, Will, 12, and Arch, 10, traveled by team with the household furniture and supplies. The first night they stayed at the home of William's Aunt Ellen and Uncle John Dobbie in Sandy because William had gotten on the wrong road. Willie Dobbie recalled that the two boys were so tired that they fell asleep before beds could be made up for them. Lilly followed by train with the four younger children, John, Annie, Lillie May, and Jean.
At Birch Creek. six more children were born— Joseph, Ray, Abe, Ellen, Heber, and Isabel, and they all grew to adulthood. (Lilly had a miscarriage in Salt Lake that was not recorded on the family group sheets.) At first the family lived in a two-room house with a shanty. Later, their light red brick house consisted of four rooms with a hall in the center running from the front entrance to a large kitchen at the back. A kitchen door opened onto a small porch at the south. To the right, on the west, was the entrance to the cellar. A few feet to the south was a shanty, probably used for cooking in the warm weather and for extra sleeping quarters for the boys in the winter. There was a vegetable garden and a well. The house, surrounded by trees and facing east was set back about 40 or 50 feet from the road with a picket fence in front, a large swing southeast of the house. The tracks for the Sanpete Valley Railroad were about a quarter of a mile west of the house. At least once after moving to Birch Creek, William and his three older sons returned to Salt Lake to work for several months "in the quarry with Uncle Jim." William ran a sawmill located westward from the home. He has been described as having mechanical ability, and his son Abe was impressed with his father's skill with an axe. Upon occasion, Abe would turn the logs while his father hewed with the axe.
Lillie May, the second oldest daughter, recalled that her parents and their children worked hard at a variety of tasks. Besides the usual household functions, the girls attended to outside chores such as milking cows, feeding pigs, and pulling lucerne for feed. Much interaction occurred among the Birch Creek families, many of whom were relatives. William's family gave and received. Sometimes the girls would do housework for pay at 35 cents per day in the 1890's. For several years William's wife Lilly and Jane Livingston Despain were the two women who served as nurses and midwives. Lillie May recalled also the sleigh rides, the good times at the dinner table, the laughing and talking about what happened the night before at a Friday night dance where they had plain quadrilles, tuckers, and round dances. If the girls overslept after a dance, William might complain about their staying out too late. Their mother would be overheard telling him, "Let them rest—girls are not very strong." Upon other occasions she would say, "Let them go—they are only young once." If the older boys were away working and the girls wanted to go to the dance, the mother might encourage the younger boys, Joseph and Ray with, "Don't you want to go with the girls?" The girls were pleased when their older brothers working away from home would return with dress materials.
"Father didn't get angry often, but when he did, he meant it. Mother would not contradict him then—generally though, what Mother said we had to do. Usually we could get around father. He would come through at the last." Lillie May described her father as "quite proud—nothing was too good for us; and he was jolly like Isabel (the youngest child), cracked jokes, and saw the funny side of life. Yes, Father and Mother would go to parties. Mother enjoyed going out, but religion meant more to her than anything." For Relief Society or other meetings, "Father always saw that the horses were hitched up for Mother." Will and Lilly had much concern about schooling for their children. William Dobbie is reported to have had a favorable influence on the children in this respect.
Mary Jolley Oldroyd, a close friend of Lilly's lived with her two small sons across the fields on the west hills prior to moving to Fountain Green. Mary's granddaughter, Mary Jane Oldroyd Livingston(who became the wife of Lilly's son, Heber provided a glimpse of the William Livingston home in the late 1890s when as a small child she would accompany her grandmother on visits to the Livingstons, going to Birch Creek by hone and buggy from Fountain Green. Mary Jane recalled seeing the two women perform many tasks together such as gleaning wheat for their chickens and laughing and talking together. 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." She recalled, also, Lilly's funeral at Fountain Green and the line of school children feeling shock and sadness for the young Livingston children over losing their mother six weeks after the death of their father.
It was November 20, 1900 that William had taken the cows to pasture, walking at the same time with his young children part way to school. His wife Lilly had been sick in bed for some weeks with a heart condition; and his daughter, Lillie, was washing the breakfast dishes. William returned, hitched the team to leave for the lumber mill and then came into the kitchen, saying to his daughter, "Lillie, I don't feel very well." He felt a pain at the base of his skull, sat in a chair and died immediately. Lillie wondered how site could break the news to her mother; but when she entered the front south bedroom, her mother said, "I know that your father is gone," adding that the Lord would not take her yet—that she would remain long enough to prepare the family to manage without their parents. And that is what happened. The family remained intact at the Birch Creek home. When Jean married three years later, her husband, Dave Cook, purchased the property and they continued to care for the children who still were at home.
Thanks to You Who Have Donated to the Family Association
By Mickie Dennis
We had a wonderful turnout for our 2017 Livingston Family reunion at This is the Place State Park, and sold nearly all of the activity wrist bands that were pre-purchased at a discount. I had a few family members, both those who attended and those who had been unable to attend, ask about making financial contributions. Donations are gladly accepted at any time during the year. They should be made payable to Livingston Family Association, and mailed to 7731 Jefferson Rd, Magna, UT 84044. Thank you so much to all who came and contributed to the success of the event! We are very grateful for the donations we receive to help keep this amazing organization going!
Board Member Information
| Photo | Name, Phone | Assignment | Line | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dennis Davis, xxx-xxx-xxxx | Chair | James Line | 2019 |
 | Karolyn Hall, 719-661-4014 | Co-chair | James Line | 2020 |
 | Mike Livingston, 801-850-3616 | Newsletter | James Line | 2020 |
 | Jaynann Lillywhite, 505-632-2514 | Family History Research | Isabella Line | 2020 |
 | Mickie Lewis, 801-250-9323 | Treasurer | James Line | 2018 |
 | Eric Epperson, 801-599-4327 | Reunion Co-chair | William Line | 2018 |
 | Celeste Livingston, 801-885-7944 | Reunion Co-chair | Archibald Line | 2018 |
 | Amy Metler, xxx-xxx-xxxx | Reunion Assistant | William Line | 2019 |
 | Evie Brewerton, 801-580-7939 | Reunion Assistant | William Line | 2019 |
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