Clan Maclea/Livingstone and O'Neill connection?

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Steven,

The problem is that the cousins are part of the same family that originated in Aberdour Parish, Fifeshire, Scotland and descend from the same ancestral line that we have identified from the old Scottish census and parish records for your ancestor James Livingstone. In my oppinion all genealogical roads for your Livingstone family based on your Livingstone families census and parish records prior to 1895 lead originally to an old family of lowlland Livingstones who lived in Aberdour Parish and were recorded in the old parish book since at the least the mid 1600's. And I dont know for certain but I suspect a family or families of Livingstones lived in Aberdour Parish, FIfe before the mid 1600's, but the since the parish records dont survive before that I dont know for sure.

So since all your Livingstone ancestors, their Livingstone cousins ultimately connect to old Aberdour Parish,Fife Livingstone family, the answer to all of the questions in my oppinion can only come from a study of the Livingstones of Aberdour Parish,Fife. I dont think there is anyway you can get around that. Putting aside the important issue of a connection to Dr. Livingstone's family, the inescapable conclusion is that your Livingstone ancestors originated from old lowland family of Livingstones that am reasonably certain from the parish records that lived in Aberdour Parish,Fifeshire. Once you have established that fact and are comfortable with it then you have difficult task of establishing a family connection between Dr. Livingstone's highland Livingstone family and those of the Livingstones of Aberdour Parish, Fifeshire. I think youll have to work through this and decide of course in your own mind whether any of what I have said makes sense to you regarding your ancient Livingstone family origins and then decide how to best resolve the Dr. Livingstone family question as best suits you. As none of us are experts on Fifeshire, Scotland Livingstones I woud suggest you make an effort to contact, if might be worth contacting a Fifeshire historical Society who might have insight into the Fifeshire Livingstones. I assume them to have some connection to the old lowland Livingstones lived principally in Stirlingshire and West Lothian and elsewhere in the lowlands since the early middle ages. There is alot of info on the internet on the old Livingstone Callendar family and other related branches of this aristocratic family. Bruce Sewell has a site dedicated to Callendar,Stirlingshire Livingstones. I cant anyone online who is researching Fifeshire Livingstones but I am sure there must be someone somewhere who knows about them. I am going to see if I can find out anything more on Livingstones of Fifeshire, but so far I have seen anything much out there in the way of research. All that I established from going back as far as I could in the old Aberdour Parish records is that there were a few LIvingstones in Aberdour parish going back the very first entrys in the old book commencing in the mid 1600's. And I suspect but dont know for sure that they were there sometime before that in that parish. I want to see if anyone from the Fifeshire Livingstones created their own personal family coat of arms in the 1600's or 1700's that is derived from the old Callendar Livingstone coat of arms. If so that would strongly suggest a possible distant relationship with the old Callendar aristocratic Livingstone line.

The problem your going to hace sooner or later in trying to make the Dr. Livingstone connection is what is known of Dr. Livingstone's family by most of the Livingstone scholars and biographers is that is grandfather Neil Livingstone was of gaelic speaking highland Livingstone clan once known a Maclea and that the family before 1792 lived in Western Argyllshire on the southern shores of the Island of Ulva in highland Scotland. According to Dr. Livingtone the family have lived for generations in the highlands. After 1792, the grandfather and family settled in Blantrye, Lanarkshire because there was work for him in a cotton mill in Blantyre in lowland Scotland. Family historians for most part do not indicate any family connection to any other Livingstone families beyond those immediate family connected to Grandfather Neil Livingstone and his son Neil Livingstone jr. primarily.

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Steven,
Keep a copy of this for your future reference
We took your ancestral line back for certain to John Livingstone b. abt. 1766 and his wife Agnes Black or Blaick of Aberdour Parish,Fifeshire,Scotland. His son Hugh Livingston born in 1804 in Aberdour Parish lived in a village called Westervillage in Aberdour Parish as did his father John in the early 1800`s. Beyond John and Hugh you are probably connected to earlier Livingstones that lived in Aberdour Parish in the 1700`s and 1600`s but I cant take it that far back with the surviving Aberdour Parish family records.

This is what we know for certain regarding your ancestral line from surviving records
Starting with your great-great grandparents and working backwards in time
1. James Livingstone Jr. b.October 5,1871 at Wishaw, Cambusnethan Parish,Lanarkshire and Katharine Stewart b.July
1875
married Aug. 20,1895, Wishaw,Cambusnethan Parish,Lanarkshire County,Scotland
emmigrated 1895 to America

2. James Livingstone Sr. b. Nov. 10,1833 Aberdour Parish,Fifeshire and Margaret Haistie b. abt. 1834
married July 10, 1857 in Cambusnethan Parish,Lanarkshire (lived at Wishaw,Cambusnethan Parish)

3. Hugh Livingstone b.Oct. 16,1804 in Aberdour Parish,Fifeshire and Cecilia Henderson b. abt. 1811
married November 25,1825 in Aberdour Parish,Fifeshire (Lived at Westervillage,Aberdour Parish)
Cecilia died about 1842 and Hugh remarried Oct. 10,1843 in Aberdour Parish to Martha Brown

4. John Livingstone b. March 4,1764 m. Agnes Blaick or Black (Lived at Westervillage,Aberdour Parish)

5. James Livingstone and Janet Brown m. January 15,1763 in Aberdour Parish,Fifeshire

[jmlivingstone]

Hi Donald,

Some more info on later members of same family, IGI have a Hugh & James both born 1833 at Aberdour.

1. John Livingstone – m. Agnes Blaick.
2. Son Hugh Livingstone b. abt. 1805 – m. Cecilia Henderson.
3. Hugh & Cecilia according to IGI, appear to have had twin sons, Hugh & James, born 10/11/1833 at Aberdour, Fife, not too sure how accurate this is, another son David b. abt. 1838
4. David m. Isabella Cook b. abt. 1836, they had a daughter Jane Currie Livingstone, b. abt. 1862.
5. Jane m. George Palmer abt. 1856, daughter Christina Robina Palmer b. 1898 – d. 1978, born Scotland, 1901 census, resident Woolwich, London.
6. Daughter Christina m. John Wm. Kane, b. 1895 – d. 1957,

John

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi John,
Thanks for that.
I will check James birth and try to locate the original parish record. 1834 was based upon the age given in his marriage record I think. Could be 1833. I will try to locate the precise info. See my last post to Steven for the up to date info I have most of which was taken from the original records but I had not checked the actuall birth record for James Sr. The census indicated he was born in Abordour Parish, FIfeshire around 1834 or 1835 I think.

Thanks for that.

regards,

Donald

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi John,
Thought I would limit it to Steven's ancestral line. The main purpose seemed to be to try and locate where his ancestors originated to try and see if there was any obvious connection to Dr. Livingstone's family. He really wanted to know if he was related to Dr. Livingstone, but there was no way I could determine that unless got a sense of where his Livingstones came from in Scotland. While the Dr. Livingstone connection was not apparent from my search, his Livingstone connection to the old lowland Aberdour Parish,Fifeshire Livingstones I think is very interesting. There were a small number of Livingstones in the Aberdour Parish book going back to begining of the surviving records in the mid 1600's so I suspect they were there before that. I suspect they may be connected to other lowland Livingstone families that may have some connection to old Aristocratic Callendar, Stirlingshire and Linlithgo,West Lothian Livingstons, but dont know for certain. Perhaps we can find someone who has done research on the history of Fifeshire Livingstones.

regards,

Donald

[Steven Meyer]

I'd really appreciate that, I hope there is a connection to the Callendar and Linlithgo Stirlingshire, Livingstons!

[Steven Meyer]

The crest that hangs on my wall seems to be a lowland crest if that helps. I've added a picture if you'd like to see it.

[jmlivingstone]

Hi Donald,

I've finally managed to get back on Scotlands People, I'll have a look there tonight, see if there is any info available,

John

[Jill Richmond]

Hello Steven,

There is a very interesting website giving a pretty comprehensive history of the Livingstons of Callendar which might interest you. It is http://www.robertsewell.ca/livingston.html. It also gives links to other lowland Livingston families. If you cannot access it, let me know because I think I still have it on file, and could forward it to you.

Jill

[jmlivingstone]

No idea if this is the correct John Livingstone or not, Scotlands People has a John Livingstone, b. Aberdour, Fife, 11.03.1764, parents - James Livingstone & Janet Brown, this appears to be the only John Livingstone born in Aberdour in round a three year period,

John