LFA Newsletter Volume 45, Issue 2 (Fall 2018)
From LFAwiki
7731 Jefferson Road
Magna, UT 84044
board@livingstonfamily.org
| Volume: 45 Issue: 2 - (View the PDF Version) | Date: Fall 2018 |
A Message From Our Board Chair
By Eric Epperson
Recently, the Livingston Board met to review the results of our 2018 Livingston Reunion at the Heber Valley Camp in Heber City, Utah. We genuinely enjoy being together and catching up. Getting together with our family members is always a joyful event we look forward to each year. My involvement with the board has continually heightened my appreciation for our extended family and the loving willingness they demonstrate to serve one another. My family grew up in Brigham City, Utah. My sweet mother, Leslie Livingston, worked two jobs and was seldom home. Her free time with family was very limited. She would have loved nothing more than to have a day to spend with her seldom seen family and extended family members. Although she passed in 2005, I have no doubt that she would be pleased with our involvement in the Livingston Family now. Indirectly, this is one way I continue to try to please my mother through my Livingston Family involvement. Let us not deny ourselves the opportunity to enrich our lives by learning more from one another and our ancestors who have gone before us. Our goal, as a board, is to improve upon our reunion get together every year. To do this, we need to be sure to understand what areas are of greatest importance to the extended family and what activities will provide each of you with the motivation and desire to make the preparations and efforts to reach out and get to know your wonderful family!
We can make every effort to have the greatest reunion EVER, but if few come, then only a few will be able to share the joy they felt with those who would only feel regret. Please, share with us your vision as to what will motivate your respective family members in greater numbers, to come to our next grand reunion to be held next June in Salt Lake City. I went home after our board meeting last week with a greater excitement for next year than I have felt since, well, last year! Planning and preparing for our reunions require many hands, and as with any form of service, the ones who participate are the ones who feel of the joy and blessings for your involvement. Our 2019 reunion is really going to be fun, rewarding, and a growth experience for all who attend! Please contact a board member if you would like to assist in any way with the planning preparations for 2019. I am sure, it will be an uplifting experience and will be time well served! Thank you all for your past attendance at our reunions, and please begin the encouragement now to your family and extended family to join with us in June, 2019 in Salt Lake for another celebration of our rich family heritage!
Go, Livingstons!!
Livingston Family Financial Report
By Mickie Lewis
I want to thank those of you donated this year, and those who continue to make donations year after year to keep this wonderful organization going. We couldn’t do it without your support. One thing that I brought up at our recent board meeting is that while we have had wonderful reunions this year at the Heber Valley Camp, and last year at This is the Place State Park, we have had more LFA funds going out to pay for these expenses than we have had coming in.
If you would like to donation we will gladly accept this at any time! If any of you forgot to pay for your activities at the Heber Valley Camp, you can still send us a check to cover those activities your family enjoyed. Checks can be made payable to Livingston Family Association, and mailed to 7731 Jefferson Rd, Magna, UT 84044. Thank you once again for your support and participation to keep the Livingston Legacy going!
2018 Reunion - Heber Valley Camp
By Amy Metler
The 2018 Livingston Family Reunion was held June 15-16, 2018 at Heber Valley Camp. Those that came enjoyed a Friday night dinner sampling the delicious dishes supplied by those in attendance. Cousins delighted in getting to know one another better with a questionnaire/survey plus a fun game led by Barb Venema. A campfire was enjoyed while friendships and relationships were strengthened.
The Heber Valley Camp has various rope courses, which challenged those that were brave enough to participate. The camp also has a lake and many took the opportunity to paddle a canoe or boat around the lake. Lots of visiting occurred, games were played, and rockets launched throughout the day on Saturday.
At the meeting portion of the reunion, we learned about James “the Spy” Livingston, and Dwight Epperson was spotlighted by his brother Eric. Ideas were suggested for future reunions; including Birch Creek Campout, This Is The Place State Park, Family History Center, Lagoon, Cherry Hill, Liberty Park, and Seven Peaks. If you have thoughts of suggestions please email amymetler@gmail.com.
Celeste Livingston has finished her term on the Livingston Family Association board and Christine Worthington was voted in as a board member. Barb Venema and Dana Rogers were voted and accepted to be reunion committee members. Eric Epperson was retained as a board member and will serve another 3 year term.
The James and William lines tied for having the most family members present at the reunion.
We loved seeing so many Livingstons and can’t wait ‘til next year.
 Cabins |
 Drone Photo of Everyone |
 Eric & Dwight |
 Karolyn & Daidre |
 Scenery 1 |
 Scenery 2 |
 Scenery 3 |
 Scenery 4 |
 The Food |
 The Livingston Rap |
 Trail Sign |
Archibald Livingston (1808-1849) & Helen Muir Connor (1811-1837)
Compiled by Brent S. Child, December 2001
Archibald Livingston was born 25 July 1808, Fordel, Scotland. The oldest of 12 children (9 sisters and 2 brothers) born to James Livingston (born 25 March 1783), and Christina Campbell Livingston (born 14 February 1789). Both James and Christina were born near Dunfirmline, Fifeshire. Scotland. They were married 9 October 1807 (James 24, Christina 18). At the age of 24, Archibald married (1) Helen Muir Connor (born 26 October 1811). She was the daughter of Charles Connor (born 29 March 1793), and Helen Murray. Archibald and Helen were married at Shotts Iron Works, Lanarkshire, Scotland, near their birth place on 28 December 1832. Helen died 16 October 1837, at the age of 26 after blessing their home with three children (James, Charles, Helen) in just five short years of marriage. Three years later, Archibald, at the age of 32, married a second wife, Jean Bain, age 19, on 19 February 1840. She was born 14 March 1820 the daughter of Walter Bain and Jean Lithgow (not documented). Four more children were born into the home through this marriage: Jane, Isabella, ArchibaId, and William.
These children were all born in Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland. So they had moved from Shotts to Airdrie sometime within that four year period. After only 17 days short of nine years together, Jean died 2 February 1849. She was 28 years old. Just 3 months later, Archibald died on 27 April 1849. He was 40. Both mother and father were victims of the dreadful epidemic of cholera that swept Scotland. (Cholera, little heard of today, once killed millions. It is an infectious disease, brought on usually by drinking contaminated water. Severe dysentery is its chief characteristic. The serious aspect of the infection is that there is only a 50/50 chance of survival. The onset is sudden, with vomiting, diarrhea, prostration and collapse. Within 24 hours the victim loses 20 quarts of fluid from the bowels. The mortality rate is high because dehydration is speedy and progressive and vital chemicals are lost from the body. Muscle cramps occur and thirst is intense. Consuming food or water only increases vomiting. The best treatment is intravenous injections of large amounts of fluids containing potassium, sodium chloride (salt), and sodium bicarbonate. The infection is water-borne and most of the old-time victims lived along the great rivers. More than 10 million Russians died of cholera in the five-year period following their revolution in 1917.) This left six orphaned children. The first child (a daughter, Jane) of the second marriage died at age 6, two years prior to her mother's and father's deaths. No cause of death has been found. Widowed Grandmother, Christina Campbell Livingston, then 60 years old, affectionately known as "Granny", assumed the care of the children. Grandfather James had passed away nearly 10 years prior, 27 July 1839 (age 56). The youngest of the orphaned family was 9 months, William. The two oldest sons, then 15 and 14 James and Charles respectively, worked very hard to support the family. This continued for 4 years at which time the oldest son, James Campbell Livingston emigrated to Salt Lake City, Utah. He left 15 March 1853, and arrived in Salt Lake City 16 October 1853 (7 months). He had joined “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” just ten days after his father’s death (7 May 1849). It was for this purpose that the family saved money and sent him to Utah, to prepare a way for the others to follow.
The Livingston Legacy Lives On Through Dana Maxwell Rogers
My great grandfather is Charles Livingston who came to Utah with his grandmother Granny Livingston in 1855. My father Daniel Livingston Maxwell loved his mother Hazel’s family. Her unmarried sisters would go to Nevada each fall during the harvest to help Hazel cook for the hired hands. They were so loyal and supportive. One of my first memories when we moved to Utah when I was 10 was when he took me and my sister to meet his aunt Grace Livingston. My Dad LOVED the Livingston Family. He was so proud to be a Livingston and instilled in me that love also. As I learned more about the Livingstons’ that came from Scotland, I realized how fortunate I was to have been a descendent of such amazing people who had essentially been slaves to the owner of the coal mine where they lived, to become leaders and successful and outstanding members of their communities in Utah.
I was introduced to family history work by my Beehive teacher who would take our class to the Church’s Family History center which was in the basement of a 5 and 10 cent store in downtown Salt Lake City. I caught the spirit of Elijah and because my mother is the first convert in her family, I have been able to find so much information about her family. One goal I had was to find a living descendant of each of my mothers great grandfather, Joseph Hess’s, 11 children. In doing so, I was able to compile a book about his descendants with family group sheets, stories and photos. It was very rewarding and my mother and I were able to travel to Illinois to meet some of them.
My husband and I met while working at Jacob Lake close to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We attended the American Institute of Foreign Trade in Arizona for people who are interested in working internationally. While there I learned Spanish. We lived and worked in Mexico and Colombia and enjoyed serving in the branches there. Later we moved to San Diego where we raised our family.
We are the parents of 8 children, all boys but 7 as my husband says. They bring us great joy as we see them helping others and teaching their children to serve also. We have 17 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. I have loved telling my grandchildren bedtime stories about their ancestors. I want them to know how much their ancestors loved the Lord, worked hard, served others and did hard things.
Since we moved to Utah, we have been able to use our Spanish to work with the Hispanic people. We have served at the Provo Employment Resource Center for several years and worked with some wonderful Latinos to start classes on networking and creating a business. We also served for 10 years in the Neighborhood in Action for Orem City. We are serving now at the BYU Family History Library and are also assisting in a monthly class for Spanish speaking people.
When we moved to Orem we started attending the Livingston Family Reunions. In 2007 we were at one of the reunions and I was the only descendant from the Charles line, which resulted in becoming a member of the Livingston board where I served for 9 years. Serving on the Livingston Board has been one of the most rewarding things that I have been involved with. I served with so many extraordinary people and grew to love them, laugh with them and admire them. Their enthusiasm, dedication and creativity keeps the Livingston Family Association strong. I remember several years ago no one had been able to find any Livingston family names to do temple work for. One board member asked, “When will we be able take Livingston names to the temple instead of orphans?” Since then Jane Ann Lillywhite has found over 1,000 Livingston cousins. Now if someone wants to take a Livingston name to the temple, they can contact Jane Ann at lillywhitesonpixley@yahoo.com.
I love going to the reunions, reading histories on LivingstonFamily.org, and being inspired by what people are accomplishing. I am grateful that there are talented people who donate their time to maintaining the Livingston website and sending out newsletters.
Charles Livingston said this that after working for Salt Lake City for 36 years. “I am now seventy-one years of age and find it very difficult to get anything to do.” What a great example his work ethic is to me. I feel fortunate that I can continue working for as long as I want on making memories with my family, creating family histories, doing research and performing temple work. A friend said that doing family history work is like taking an anti-depressant. Winston Churchill said “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” My life has been richer, because I have had the opportunity to serve.
Don Livingstone
By Jaynann Lillywhite
Did you know that the president of the Provo Temple is one of our Livingston cousins? Up until a couple of years ago Pres. Don Livingstone and his siblings thought their father was the first one in the Livingstone line to join the Church. They didn’t know about the thousands of Livingston descendants all over the Wasatch front, throughout the country and even the world, who are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and share their Scottish roots back to Robert Livingston and Agnes Ann Campbell.
Granny Christina came from a large family having ten siblings. When she left Scotland her nephew, Andrew, son of her brother Duncan, was only a teenager. He was working in the coal mines in Scotland but soon after his marriage he and his wife emigrated to Ohio. Again he worked in the coal mines while he and his wife raised a family of nine children. The story is that they added an “e” to the end of the Livingston name, to distinguish them from other Livingston families in the community.
At the age of 42, Andrew was accidentally shot by neighbor children playing with a gun. His death made it necessary for his four boys to quit school and go to work in the coal mines. About 13 years later the boys went up to Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada to mine new coal deposits.
Several generations of Livingstones worked in management positions and engineering in the mining company. This brings us down to Andrew’s great-grandson, Don, who grew up in Lethbridge. His mother’s lines were Mormon pioneers who emigrated to Alberta from New Harmony, Utah. Don’s dad was the pioneer on the Livingstone line, joining the Church when Don was about ten. His dad served as bishop, in a stake presidency, as a mission president in London, England, and as a Regional Authority (now Area Seventy).
Don attended BYU, and served a mission to Eastern Canada. He met his future wife, Marsha, at BYU. They lived in California for 29 years and in Provo since 1994, when he retired from his first career and became a business professor at BYU. He has served as a bishop, in a stake presidency, and a mission president in the DR Congo in Africa. They served a second mission in Paris, France and in Frankfurt, Germany. In 2013 Pres. and Sister Livingstone were called to be a counselor to the temple president and assistant matron of the Provo Temple. In November 2016 they began serving as the temple president and matron. They have 8 children and 26 grandchildren.
Since learning about his cousins, they have tried to attend the Livingston Family Association meetings, but each year the reunions have been on days they are serving in the temple. They hope soon to come and meet many Livingston cousins.
The Legacy Of Temple Worship
By Thomas Van Livingston, Monticello Utah Temple President
I have been continually uplifted and inspired from my first introduction to the histories of my Livingston ancestors and when I need a boost I enjoy reading those histories again. I’m especially thankful for my great, great, great, great grandmother Christina Campbell Livingston (Granny), who accepted the gospel and then took on the responsibility of raising her own children as well as her grandchildren at the death of Archibald and Helen Livingston. I am constantly uplifted by the sacrifices made by this family as they eventually left Scotland and joined the Saints in the Salt Lake Valley and the hard work that made them successful. I am thankful for my great, great grandparents, James Campbell and Agnes Widdison Livingston. I remember the love I felt for my Grandpa Livingston when I first saw the video about the building of the Salt Lake Temple in the “Mountain of the Lord”. Viewing this video helped me to appreciate the responsibility and impact he had in the construction of the Salt Lake Temple. This spirit of dedication, by them and other ancestors, has helped motivate me to want to continue the example they set by also giving service to the work in the temple. My wife and I have served in the Monticello Utah Temple since the day it was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley in 1998 as workers, sealer, counselor and president and matron. From our service in the temple we have seen the happiness and felt the special spirit that can come into the lives of those who perform the ordinances for themselves and for their kindred dead. We have learned that the temple, with its gifts and blessings, is open to all who conform to the requirements of the gospel of Jesus Christ, rich or poor, young or old, friend or stranger, it doesn’t matter. Indeed, all faithful members of the church are invited and urged to make use of the temple and enjoy its blessings and privileges. We have also witnessed that members of the church love the temples. We go to the open houses. We travel to see each one of them, but more importantly, we have to love and participate in the great work that is done within the walls of the temples and the family history work which is an important part of redeeming our deceased ancestors. It is good to be in the temple. It is great to know of the contributions and sacrifices made by our ancestors who provided a legacy for the fullness of those blessings of the restoration.
More 2018 Reunion Photos
 Boating 1 |
 Boating 2 |
 Boating 3 |
 Family Fun 1 |
 Family Fun 2 |
 Ropes Course 1 |
 Ropes Course 2 |
 Ropes Course 3 |
 Ropes Course 4 |
 Scenery 5 |
 Zip-line 1 |
 Zip-line 2 |
Association Board Information
| Photo | Name, Phone | Assignment | Line | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Eric Epperson, 801-599-4327 | Chair | William Line | 2021 |
 | Dennis Davis, xxx-xxx-xxxx | Co-chair | James Line | 2019 |
| | Mickie Lewis, 801-250-9323 | Treasurer | James Line | 2019 |
 | Evie Brewerton, 801-580-7939 | Secretary | William Line | 2019 |
| | Amy Metler, xxx-xxx-xxxx | Reunions | William Line | 2019 |
 | Christine Worthington, xxx-xxx-xxxx | Reunions | James Line | 2021 |
| | Dana Rogers, 801-369-2093 | Reunion Committee | Charles Line | 2021 |
 | Barb Venema, xxx-xxx-xxxx | Reunion Committee | James Line | 2021 |
 | Karolyn Hall, 719-661-4014 | Membership/Newsletter | James Line | 2019 |
 | Jaynann Lillywhite, 505-632-2514 | Family History Research | Isabella Line | 2019 |
 | Mike Livingston, 801-850-3616 | Newsletter | James Line | 2019 |
The PDF version of this newsletter can be viewed and downloaded by clicking Fall Newsletter (1.2 MB).