www.clanlivingstone.info

Hi John,

This was an old post of mine that I stumbled across that reinforces the notion that Angus and Donald Livingston of Shiaba, Ross of Mull were brothers. Baptism records of their children indicate that at one point they both were at Kilpatrick, Ross of Mull as well. Seems little doubt that Angus and Donald were the Angus and Donald who are mentioned in that 1779 Ross of Mull Argyll census with father Neil Livingston of Shiaba. Have you been to Ross of Mull or Shiaba on your holidays yet? Recently I recall finding a detailed map someone had of done of the ruins at Shiaba I think it was. Not sure if I still have information on that website.

Canadian Livingstone wrote:
Hi John,

While we dont know precisely what became of Angus Livingston and his wife Margaret who were circa 1841 Census residing at Uragaig in Colonsay near Jura, but we do know that on neighbouring Ross of Mull by 1841, the 7th Duke of Argyll faced with a large number of tenants farming small plots with low rents and tenants often in arrears began contemplating removing such tenants and considered more effiencent use of his tenant holdings. By 1846 there was the potato famine which would greatly affected Ross of Mull and left the Duke's tenants who depended on the Potato in a famine situation. In 1847 the Marquis of Lorne became the 8th Duke of Argyll and he began encouraging his tenants to emigrate and began clearing them from Shiaba and other locations in Southern Ross of Mull. There are apparently lists circa 1847 of those Ross of Mull tenants who wished to settle in Canada a petition which apparently includes the names of 963 who were interested in emigrating. During the famine years from 1846 to 1856 large numbers from Ross of Mull chose to settle in Canada or Australia. ANgus Livingston's brother Donald's sons left Southern Ross of Mull in the early 1850's I think it was for Ontario, Canada. The 8th Duke of Argyll is known to
have evicted tenants from Shiaba in 1847.

The Ross of Mull Historical Centre has researched the evictions of the tenants from Southern Ross of Mull and are quite familiar with the history of Shiaba. THere are number of Walking tour books you can send away for through them one of which is walking guide for Asapol and nearby Shiaba ruins. I would like to know how we can a get a copy of these tenant lists of the Ross of Mull from 1847 or later with those wishing to emigrate or those who infact are emigrating. There may be similiar lists which includes tenants that resided on nearby Colonsay for this time period. Anyways might be worthwhile contacting this the Ross of Mull HIstorical Centre who are probably familiar with what tenant lists of the 8th Duke of Argyll and his factor survived for the 1840's and 1850's.

Based upon the Kilfinichen Parish records for Ross of Mull we have some idea where ANgus and his brother Donald resided in the early 1800's and when. Angus was apparently residing at Kilpatrick from around 1805 to 1807 and subsequently by 1809 he was back at Shiaba where he and his father had resided in 1779 according the Arygll information. His last child was born in 1829 also at Shiaba. HIs brother Donald was at nearby Asapol from 1805 and then by 1807 he is at Kilpatrick til about 1812 where his brother ANgus had been for a time. Then for some reason Donald and family return to Asapol during the 1814 and 1824 period. While brother Angus left Shiaba, Ross of Mull sometime after 1829 and before 1841 for nearby island of Colonsay, his brother Donald and his wife Christie Campbell remained in Southern Ross of Mull despite the many evictions taking place, apparently impoverished and later recorded as paupers at Ardtun where Donald recorded as a pauper died at the age of 84 on Sept. 27 1866. Despite all the hardship Donald and his wife Christie Campbell must of have endured during those famine years and later years as elderly paupers, the landlord seems to have failed to get them out of Ross of Mull and it is there where they died.

Interestingly at the same time as Angus and Donald there was a third Livingston named Duncan Livingston born abt. 1786 and his wife Margaret McCormick who resided at Creich in the early 1800`s After their marriage from about 1812 to 1816 they appear from the parish records to be located at Ardchivaig and then from 1819 to 1825 back at Creich. Following that the records indicate the family moved to Kintra on Ross of Mull which is in close proximity to the isle of Iona apparently. i thought that Kintra was in Iona based on the the famiies later census records but I think Kintra is actually nearby on the Ross of Mull. I dont know whether or not this Duncan is related to ANgus and Donald but I was wondering if he was sibling born after 1779.



regards,

Donald

Hi Donald,

I've just came across some names that take me back to the mid 1500's, unfortunately they are on Agnes Edmiston side of the family, not the Livingston side.

I'll probably never have enough to say 100% that they are definitely ancestors of Agnes, although, enough to safely assume they are related.

It at least keeps hopes of finding more on the Livingstone side alive.

I'm going to start some serious looking for a death record for Margaret Hall/McPhail, around Paisley, as Angus died there, it's quite likely Margaret also died there, I'll also have another dig through Islay records, just in case,

John.

Hi John,
Well I guess one should never give up. I must confess that the odds of finding any information on what became of Old Angus Livingston I had thought to be about a million to one and I guess I proved myself wrong. So you never know. And the odd thing is that I was actually for some mid 19th century British military records pertaining to a great-great Uncle on my Mom's side of the family when I decided at the last moment to do another Angus Livingston search of the military pension records and that info on his death in Paisley came up. It was just a bunch of words at first kinda jumbled and did not make sense to me at all as I was not really aware of a Paisley, Scotland connection to your Livingston relatives. Later I noticed that a cousin of yours had contacted us at the forum and mentioned a Paisley a year or two earlier I think it was. In any event was clear once I looked it over that the clerk had with the greatest word economy clearly indicated when I looked it over a few times that Angus Livingston had died at Paisley and had left us with a date when this took place.

So yes keep on the search. You just never know. If you look back at the history of the Angus Livingston document search, gradually bits of information turns up like the first discovery of the Chelsea Pension record info pertaining to Angus Livingston way back when and the discovery that he served in the Argyll Fencibles and the details which subsequently emerged from that.

It may be difficult to find a death record for ANgus Livingston's wife Margaret McPhail. I assume she died before the 1851 Census took place and I guess you haven't been able to find her in that census so presumingly she went with Angus and other Livingston family members perhaps to Paisley in the mid 1840's and died there sometime before 1851 as did her husband ANgus. Or alternatively died before the Livingstons made the journey to Paisley back in Colonsay sometime between 1841 and 1845. That is the alternative scenario. In either case unless the Church of Scotland minister of the Parish Church kept death information at the time and it survives today which is unfortunately unlikely, I don't think it too likely something will turn up. Unfortunately she likely died in the 1840's and a decade or so before the deaths in Scotland were officially registered starting in 1855 I think it was.

The census info for the Livingstons in Paisley suggest that the son and daughter of Angus arrived in Paisley by at least 1845 if not a year or two earlier. Looks to me like the son and/or daughter who settled in Paisley around this time probably brought their elderly father and possibly there mother with them at this time. I think they arrived just before the Potato famine and some of the clearances in the Ross of Mull/ COlonsay area so there timing was probably good. Angus died in 1846, year of the Potato Famine. I did not realize until fairly recently that tenants in Western Argyll were also impacted by the potato blight. There were also around 1846 or 1847 some clearances in Ross of Mull I think. Things were tough for those who chose to remain in the Mull/Colonsay area. Sickness and disease was a further problem. Angus was almost certainly buried in Paisley in 1846 probably in one of the Church of Scotland parish church cemeteries there. His family likely were poor so his grave marker was likely not elaborate and probably long since gone but you take a look through the old Church of Scotland cemetery nearest to where his son and daughter were living. Some one may have in more recent years attempted to transcribe some of the old gravestones in the church yard. Perhaps Margaret McPhail is buried beside him. It is really difficult to say.

regards,

Donald