Notes on the Life of Charles Livingston
From LFAwiki
Notes on the Life of Charles Livingston
Written By D. H. Livingston, His Son
Charles Livingston, son of Archibald and Helen Livingston, was born in the little town of Shotts, ten miles out of Glasgow, Scotland, on March 16, 1835. His mother had two other children besides himself; his brother James who was two years older than he, and his sister Helen two years younger. His mother died when Helen was born. Shortly afterward his father married Jean Bain, and she had two boys and two girls; (Jane died at 6 years) Isabella, Archibald and William. Then she died in 1849.
Two months later the father died. leaving six orphan children, the youngest nine months old. Fortunately for these six orphan children they had a wonderful grandmother—their father's mother—Christina Livingston, better known as Granny Livingston by her many friends. She was a very remarkable character—wonderful physique, sterling integrity, and full of courage and determination. She mothered these orphan children with the help of the two older boys. James, the oldest son, was not very strong physically, which forced Charles to take upon his young shoulders additional responsibility. At a very tender age he was forced to go to work in the coal mines to help support the family.
Coal mining In those days was very different than it is now. They worked very long hours. It was not unusual for several months out of the year for the coal miner to never see the light of day. This boy during the short winter days went to work in the dark and came home after dark, and month in and month out he never saw God's blessed sunshine.
The elders brought the Gospel message to them. The grandmother and the children became acquainted with its principles and were all baptized into the Church In May 1849. On joining the Church Granny Livingston was filled with the determination to gather with the Saints in Zion, but It was several years before they could get sufficient means around them with which to immigrate.
In 1853 the family managed to send the oldest son James to Utah, and two years later, in 1855, with the assistance of their uncle John Dobbie, the entire family immigrated to Utah. They left Glasgow on the 16th day of December 1854, and arrived In Salt Lake on the 25th day of September, 1855. They crossed the sea in a sailing vessel and landed in New Orleans. They later made their way up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to what is now known as Atchison, Kansas. There the family had to remain for a short time to replenish their meager stores. Charles by this time was 20 years of age and capable of doing a man's work. He and his uncle John Dobbie secured employment falling timber and building log houses. They helped build the first houses that were built at Atchison, now one of the important railroad centers in the United States.
Later they moved to what was then known as "Mormon Grove" an outfitting point for immigrant trains starting for the West There was plenty of hard work to be done here. His diary showed that they worked early and late for very small wages, cutting timber, digging ditches, making corrals, branding and handling cattle. In this way they earned enough money to buy the outfit and supplies necessary for the trip across the plains to Utah.
While the Livingston family was quartered at Mormon Grove the cholera broke out among the immigrants. Among the Immigrants that were on their way to Utah at this time was the family of Daniel Horrocks. They had the misfortune to lose their only boy and he was buried at Mormon Grove. One day out from Mormon Grove the father of the family, Daniel Horrocks also died of the Cholera, and his widow requested that his body be taken back to Mormon Grove to be buried beside her only son. They made an improvised coffin for her husband, unloaded her effects on the desert, loaded the body into the wagon and with the ox team started back for Mormon Grove, leaving the widow with her three little children on the plains waiting the return of their wagon. The company of immigrants went on and left her.
The body arrived at Mormon Grove in the night, and upon its arrival volunteers were asked for to dig the grave. Charles Livingston volunteered his service, and strange as it may seem it developed later that he had helped lay away the father of his future wives.
Arriving in Salt Lake City, as stated above, on the 25th day of September 1855, their brother James joined them and they located on a lot on 9th East between 1st and 2nd South Street. They succeeded in getting a little home built, and Charles secured employment for a very short time in the quarries, getting out the coping for the wall around the Temple Block, but winter set in early and work at the quarry was suspended, which left the family without any source of income. Before spring the family was reduced to extreme poverty. Work was very scarce, and money and food scarcer. It was almost Impossible to get enough to keep the family alive.
Granny Livingston insisted that Charles take what few clothes they had brought with them that they could spare and take them down to the country south of Salt Lake and try to trade them for something to eat, as the people south of Salt Lake seemed to be better off than the people immediately around the city. Charles tramped as far as Draper through the deep snow trying to dispose of these things. He was able to raise a little food for the family in this way and on this trip secured employment as a farm hand at $ 15.00 per month, which $ 15.00 a month he would get a few dollars at a time and would walk all the way from Draper through the snow to bring it to his hungry brothers and sisters.
He never talked much about this harrowing experience, but he was wont to say that Granny Livingston met the situation courageously. The other children helped in every way that they could to get things to eat and wear, and his brothers, Archibald and William, went into the nearby canyons and got fuel to keep them warm during this hard, trying winter.
Later he and his brother James secured work In the quarry In Little Cottonwood Canyon, getting out the Granite rock for the foundation of the Salt Lake Temple, and It was only a few years until through hard work, he and his brothers were able to provide a comfortable home for his grandmother and the younger children of the family.
Charles was in Big Cottonwood Canyon working when the news of Johnston's Army coming to Utah reached here. He was selected as one of the men to go out and meet the Incoming army and hold them back until such time as President Brigham Young could ascertain their intentions and get information to Washington as to the true conditions here in Utah. He was chosen as one of the captains in Company "A" of the Third Regiment, and served in this campaign for upwards of five months.
The hardships and suffering which these men endured during that winter spent In Echo Canyon have never really beer told. The men were poorly clothed and equipped for such a campaign. Charles had his feet frozen badly during this campaign, and it looked for a time as though he might be crippled for life, but through the blessings of the Lord no real bad effects followed this experience.
His work in this campaign attracted the attention of the leading brethren and was no doubt called to the attention of President Brigham Young, as from that time on a very wonderful friendship and mutual admiration existed between President Young and the four Livingston boys, and was no doubt later responsible for Charles being called into public service as a police officer in different parts of the state.
After working for sometime In the quarries getting out stone for the Temple, Charles went south to secure himself a farm and establish himself a home. He located at what was then known as North Bend—now Fairvlew—Sanpete County. This was in the year 1860. While in Sanpete County he worked as timberman and assisted in the erection of Bernard Shaw's flour mill at Ephraim—one of the first flour mills established south of Provo.
He returned to Salt Lake each year for a few months to work and earn money with which to equip his farm, his brothers and he taking contracts for public work. Along with other work which they took was a contract for filling the center of State Street for about five blocks from the Eagle Gate south. This work they did with wheelbarrows. This street was practically impassable before this work was done, and this opened up the street for traffic.
They also took a contract to supply building rock to the people of the city with which to build their homes. They also contracted for the digging of cellars In the business district. The contract for the digging of the cellar for the Godbe-Pitt building, which still stands on the comer of First South and Main Street, was one of these jobs. This cellar or basement they dug with wheelbarrows, wheeling the dirt out onto what is now Main Street, and grading it for the first time.
About this time the Indian War broke out in Sanpete County and Charles was commissioned by the governor as first lieutenant and went through this campaign.
On returning from this Indian expedition he and his brother James were called by President Brigham Young to work on the police force. A very rough element had drifted into the city and it required men of experience, judgment and courage to handle the situation. For this reason President Young called the two Livingston boys to this work.
As the construction of the Union Pacific Railway reached the border of Utah it was apparent that something had to be done to suppress the crime and protect the lives and property of the people from the rough element that accompanied the building of the transcontinental railroad. Murders were of daily occurrence. Saloons and gambling houses were established all along the line of work. These camps were overrun with some of the worst criminal element of the country. There had been a wild riot at Bear River for some days and the railroad officials appealed to President Young to put a check upon this lawlessness. Charles with his brothers were requested by President Young to undertake this work. They with Andrew Burt and a few other determined and dependable men undertook this job. Before leaving to take up their duties they were tendered a public reception and took with them the blessings and good will of all the citizens of the community. As they left the city it was the general opinion of the people that very few of them if any at all would ever return alive.
Charles Livingston was commissioned by the Governor and appointed by the county court of Summit County to have charge of the policing, enforcing law, and administering of justice along the line of the railroad. He discharged this responsibility in a very creditable manner, enlisting the admiration and esteem of all good citizens for the able and courageous manner with which he handled the situation.
Charles was a man who talked very little about his accomplishments, but those who were with him on this expedition and those who were familiar with the work which he did on this occasion, say that if a history or record of his experiences could have been written it would read like a romance. The lives of himself and his men were in jeopardy every minute of the day and night, and it was only through his absolute lack of fear, his cool headedness, and his determination that prevented serious bloodshed on many occasions.
He was only back in Salt Lake a few months when he was called by President Young and sent to Ogden to assist the police force there to maintain order and enforce the law. He was there for several months and came back home to take up his work on the police force again in Salt Lake City.
In 1880 he was appointed supervisor of streets for Salt Lake City and held that office until 1890, during which time the principal streets of Salt Lake City were graded and surfaced with gravel.
When the Liberal Party got control of the affairs of Salt Lake City in 1890 Charles Livingston went back into the contracting business. It was during this time that he took the contract and built what is now known as the Warm Springs line of the Salt Lake City Railroad from South Temple to Warm Springs. He was later appointed superintendent of the Temple Block and had full charge of the construction of the Temple from that time until the time it was completed. He had the honor of placing in the cap stone the engraved plates and all records and papers that were deposited in that sacred building at the time of its completion. He designed the cap stone so that the papers and records could be deposited beneath it and the cap stone made solid with cement without coming in contact at all with the cement or moisture.
He was very happy in the peaceful work in connection with the construction of the temple as compared with the other rough and troublesome experience he had been accustomed to in life. He would have been happy to have spent the remainder of his days in and around the Temple. After the completion of the Temple and his work in laying out and beautifying the ground was completed he found himself out of employment. He went back into his old work of contracting and spent sometime in opening up the onyx quarries west of Utah Lake from which the onyx that was used in the construction of the City and County building was obtained.
Later he went back onto the police department of Salt Lake City as a sergeant and bail commissioner, and held that position for over ten years, where his counsel and advice in the handling of the affairs of the police department were of inestimable value.
In all he served the city of Salt Lake for over 36 years with the exception of the short time he was called by President Young to police the railroad and help in Ogden for which he was granted a leave of absence. He served this community faithfully and well, giving to his work always the best there was in him.
Charles Livingston married Jane Horrocks May 25, 1861. They had eight children, seven girls and one boy. Only three of these children are now living—all the others died in comparative infancy. One, Ellen Ann, lived to be five years old and Janie two years old.
On October 12, 1867, he married Ellen Harrocks, a sister to his first wife Jane. She had twelve children, nine of whom are still living. They raised eleven to manhood and womanhood.
Up to the time the law interfered both of these families lived together under the same roof though each wife had her separate apartment. They all ate at the same table and it was indeed a wonderful sight to see this large family gather about the family board.
Charles Livingston was always fair and just, kind and patient. He always exercised perfect control and received implicit obedience from his entire family whether large or small. He was never harsh and abusive. He very rarely or ever chastised one of his large family. His son Dan boasts of the fact that he is probably the only one that he ever licked.
He had a keen sense of humor, always genial and pleasant, was excellent company, had a good voice and sang the popular Scotch songs to the delight of everybody.
Charles Livingston was a very active worker in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was ordained to the office of teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood in the Holy Town Branch in Glasgow Conference about 1852, was ordained to the office of Seventy on the 28th day of December 1857; and became one of the presidents of his quorum. He labored as home missionary in the Salt Lake Stake of Zion for over ten years; was superintendent of the Eleventh Ward Sunday School for over five years. On November 1, 1891, he was ordained a high priest and set apart as first counselor to Bishop Robert Morris of the Eleventh Ward, which position he held up to the time of his death.
He died June 17, 1908, at the age of 73, honored and revered by all who knew him.