Re: Dalhousie Township, Lanark County, Ontario Livingstons
Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 7:24 pm
Hi John,
That comes originally from DOnald Whyte's two volume set: A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada Before Confederation. It was a mammoth task I a ceratin collecting all this summarized info on thousands of Scots who settled in Canada. In such a situation however it is likely that some errors occurred. There is little doubt that they arrived in what is today Dalhousie Township Lanark County around 1820/1821 however from the origina records on Lanark COunty Ontario settlement Volume 421 in 62 and 63 it indicated what I have been suspecting from the passenger list of the David of London and other ships from 1821 that carried the Emigration society settlers from Lanarkshire and Perthshire etc that Duncan, ALexander and JOhn were not amongst any of these lowland settlement groups and the only Livingston family amongst them was that of Suzannes ancestor William Livingston. He came with his wife Isabella Bremner daughter of George Bremner Sr. President of the Deanstone by Doune Emigration Society aboard the David of London with nine or ten other lowland emigration societies.
Regarding your Dalhousie Township, Lanark County, Ontario Livingstons, Section 62 and 63 of Volume 421 list settlers who are in the process of patent on their land grant after having done the required clearing of the land and residing on it for a while. The first collection is dated January 1, 1825 and tells us that Alex's brother John Levingston is located on Concession 10, Lot 6 east 100 acres and that Alex's brother Duncan Levingston is located Concession 9 Lot 7 West 100 acres and Alex's brother in law, Duncan Stewart Concession 11 Lot 5 W. in Dalhousie Township and in 63 dated December 27, 1824 we find listed ALexander Levingston at Concession 11 Lot 5 west 100 acres and an unknown Hugh Levingston Concession 9 Lot 6w 100 acres Dalhousie Township. (Hugh might be another brother or relative of Alex, Duncan and John but I was not aware of him.) So what this land info tells us is that they were all located a few years earlier in close proximity to one another in the Lanark Military Settlement. I also noticed at the end of 62 and 63 and with the lists of these particular settlers indicates that "the persons recorded on this list had not belonged to Societies of Emigration from Lanarkshire Scotland." So that saved me alot of trouble trying to locate them with a Glasgow or some other emigration society based in Lanarkshire. They also as I mentioned to not show on the many surviving lists of other Emigration societies that were included in the 1821 arrivals. So did come directly from Mull by boat with a Mull group of settlers and are on a surviving passenger list. That seems to be the case. As I have access to a copy of the original David of London Passenger list from the May 1821 voyage that William Livingston of Lanark Township, Ontario was on I am quite certain the Mull Livingstons were not aboard it with him. I think what has happened is that some one a long time ago researching Lanark County Livingsons just assumed as they all arrived around 1821 that they were together on the same boat. Certainly both Volume 421 and the other Scottish records collection that Donald Whyte referenced in his books does not state what ship they were passengers actually. Your point that one entry states only "probably on the David of London is correct.
In any event there may not be many descendants around the area today. Before 1824 we had Alexander on 11-5 W, Hugh on 9-6w, John on 10-6 e and Duncan on 9-7w in close proximity to each other. Studying the deed abstract for Dalhousie Township and the 1842 Dalhousie Township Census it is clear Duncan sold his lot in 1827 and Hugh's lot ended up in the hands of John Levington with Hugh disappearing from scene and is not listed in the 1842 Census in Dalhousie Township. So by the time of the 1842 Census only the brother John still living in the area and a son of Alexander is present with ALexander deceased and his wife Mary Currie living with Alexander's son Duncan. Alexander' son Duncan sells the farm in 1864 and that seems to be the end of that family in the area. And John Livingston and his wife Catharine sell their farm in Dalhousie Township at Concession 9 Lot 6 in 1873. It may well explain why I only found pioneer Alexander Livingston's 1840 gravestone in the old Highland Line Scottish pioneer cemetery in Dalhousie Township in a number of pieces but still quite legible for its age but none of his brothers.
regards,
Donald
That comes originally from DOnald Whyte's two volume set: A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to Canada Before Confederation. It was a mammoth task I a ceratin collecting all this summarized info on thousands of Scots who settled in Canada. In such a situation however it is likely that some errors occurred. There is little doubt that they arrived in what is today Dalhousie Township Lanark County around 1820/1821 however from the origina records on Lanark COunty Ontario settlement Volume 421 in 62 and 63 it indicated what I have been suspecting from the passenger list of the David of London and other ships from 1821 that carried the Emigration society settlers from Lanarkshire and Perthshire etc that Duncan, ALexander and JOhn were not amongst any of these lowland settlement groups and the only Livingston family amongst them was that of Suzannes ancestor William Livingston. He came with his wife Isabella Bremner daughter of George Bremner Sr. President of the Deanstone by Doune Emigration Society aboard the David of London with nine or ten other lowland emigration societies.
Regarding your Dalhousie Township, Lanark County, Ontario Livingstons, Section 62 and 63 of Volume 421 list settlers who are in the process of patent on their land grant after having done the required clearing of the land and residing on it for a while. The first collection is dated January 1, 1825 and tells us that Alex's brother John Levingston is located on Concession 10, Lot 6 east 100 acres and that Alex's brother Duncan Levingston is located Concession 9 Lot 7 West 100 acres and Alex's brother in law, Duncan Stewart Concession 11 Lot 5 W. in Dalhousie Township and in 63 dated December 27, 1824 we find listed ALexander Levingston at Concession 11 Lot 5 west 100 acres and an unknown Hugh Levingston Concession 9 Lot 6w 100 acres Dalhousie Township. (Hugh might be another brother or relative of Alex, Duncan and John but I was not aware of him.) So what this land info tells us is that they were all located a few years earlier in close proximity to one another in the Lanark Military Settlement. I also noticed at the end of 62 and 63 and with the lists of these particular settlers indicates that "the persons recorded on this list had not belonged to Societies of Emigration from Lanarkshire Scotland." So that saved me alot of trouble trying to locate them with a Glasgow or some other emigration society based in Lanarkshire. They also as I mentioned to not show on the many surviving lists of other Emigration societies that were included in the 1821 arrivals. So did come directly from Mull by boat with a Mull group of settlers and are on a surviving passenger list. That seems to be the case. As I have access to a copy of the original David of London Passenger list from the May 1821 voyage that William Livingston of Lanark Township, Ontario was on I am quite certain the Mull Livingstons were not aboard it with him. I think what has happened is that some one a long time ago researching Lanark County Livingsons just assumed as they all arrived around 1821 that they were together on the same boat. Certainly both Volume 421 and the other Scottish records collection that Donald Whyte referenced in his books does not state what ship they were passengers actually. Your point that one entry states only "probably on the David of London is correct.
In any event there may not be many descendants around the area today. Before 1824 we had Alexander on 11-5 W, Hugh on 9-6w, John on 10-6 e and Duncan on 9-7w in close proximity to each other. Studying the deed abstract for Dalhousie Township and the 1842 Dalhousie Township Census it is clear Duncan sold his lot in 1827 and Hugh's lot ended up in the hands of John Levington with Hugh disappearing from scene and is not listed in the 1842 Census in Dalhousie Township. So by the time of the 1842 Census only the brother John still living in the area and a son of Alexander is present with ALexander deceased and his wife Mary Currie living with Alexander's son Duncan. Alexander' son Duncan sells the farm in 1864 and that seems to be the end of that family in the area. And John Livingston and his wife Catharine sell their farm in Dalhousie Township at Concession 9 Lot 6 in 1873. It may well explain why I only found pioneer Alexander Livingston's 1840 gravestone in the old Highland Line Scottish pioneer cemetery in Dalhousie Township in a number of pieces but still quite legible for its age but none of his brothers.
regards,
Donald