The name Living

[Donald Livingstone Clink]

Hi Andrew, I don't even go there anymore because endless speculation leads to more endless speculation. Dr. Livingstone is said to have had a third meaning for Maconlea or Maclea that he had no doubt learned from his grandfather or father. His grandfather Neil Livingstone that left the Highlands in 1792 was according to the Doctor the family storyteller who kept in his memory the oral traditions of his ancestors for six previous generations. There is little doubt that Dr. Livingstone learned quite bit of the Livingstone history from his grandfather, but ommitted most of it in his 1857 autobiography because he did not want his book to include an extensive genealogy and Livingstone family history. Perhaps if Stanley had persuaded Dr. Livingstone to return with him from Africa, then he might have retired and spent his final years composing a detailed family history. As we know that did not happen. The prevailing notion was that Maconlea, Maclea and all the other spelling variations of this clan name derived from the gaelic Dunsleeve which in turn has a number of spelling variations. Lyon's ancestral tree suggests that the Highland Livingstones or Maconleas are connected to Dunsleeve and Maelmoire who came to Scotland in the medievil period from Ireland. One theory was that d was not pronouced and was in time dropped to give us Maconlea from say MacDunsleeve. Maelmoire was at one time a first name before last names were in use in Scotland and Ireland, but interestingly enough in both Scotland and Ireland this name became anglicised to Miles which my Livingstone great--great-great grandfather's name. My great-great grandfather John Utter Clink (1810-1887) married the eldest child of Miles Livingstone (1775-1842?) who was Nancy Ann Livingstone (1813-1880). Miles left Bowmore Parish, Isle of Islay.Scotland with his wife Janet Livingstone in June of 1812 for Lord Selkirk's Red River Settlement in British North AMerica. Nancy was born there. My Livingstone DNA would not therefore be from the male Livingstone line. Sorting out my DNA would be a formidible task as I am of German, Scotish, Swedish, English, Dutch and Iroquois Indian origin. Apart from my possible distant connection to the Baron's family, the only family connection of interest is my 7th or 8th great-grandfather on my father's side who was Roger Williams the founder of Rhode Island, the first Baptist Church in Colonial America and one of the earliest proponents in America of the notion of separation of church and state and native Indian land rights. Williams was educated at Oxford or Cambridge and was groomed by his family in England to be an Anglican minister, but broke ranks with his family and went to colonial Massachussetts where he became a Quaker minister at Salem. He soon became an anoyance to them with his radical ideas and was forced to flee with sympathetic members of his congregation from Salem. I suspect that William's notion that the King and the British people should respect

[Andrew Lancaster4]

That's interesting Donald. Do you know of any living Livingstone cousins? The Livingstone DNA in the project from my family is from a cousin of my great grand father who I have never met personally. I arranged the test for the greater family and everyone has been quite pleased about it. Best Regards Andrew

[Donald Livingstone Clink]

Hi Andrew, One of Nancy's brother's Hugh Livingstone died in the 1840's, but as far as I know the other two brothers Daniel and John and their family left Ontario, Canada by the late 1800's and settled in Michigan, USA. I have turned up some clues to suggest that some of their descendants still live there, but have not made contact with any. I am hoping to do so someday soon however and perhaps there is a male descendant of Nancy's brothers who would be interested in the DNA project. Donald