Forgotten Savary, Morvern Livingston family connections

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Canadian Livingstone
Posts: 2770
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:00 pm

Forgotten Savary, Morvern Livingston family connections

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi all,
I focused in an earlier article on the children of Donald Livingstone 1728-1816 of Savary, Morvern and some descendants of Donald Livingstone I located in the Scottish records. Here I am identifying a number of other Livingston families of Morvern origin some of whom have a direct or indirect family connection to Savary, Morvern Livingstons. Life for our Morvern Livingstone kin in the 19th century was not easy. Those who stubbornly chose to remain in the Parish after the clearances and others had left for colonies were often reduced to extreme poverty as is indicated in the Morvern Parish census info. My great-great-great grandfather Miles Livingston b.1775 was one of more fortunate Livingstons who as young man left Morvern Parish for the Isle of Islay where he learned boat making and barrel making for the whiskey trade on the Island. In 1811/1812 he and a cousin Donald Livingstone also residing in Islay were recruited by and highland agent of Lord Selkirk to go to Lord Selkirks Red River Colony in Hudsons Bay Territory in then British North America and build small boats for his Selkirk's settlement. My ancestor his second wife Janet (Jessie) Livingston, his son from his first marriage Donald Livingstone (1791-1862) and his cousin Donald Livingstone (1796-1871) left for the Colony in June of 1812. I have no idea how my ancestor Miles Livingstone connects with the below family trees or the earlier family trees I was working on regarding the family and descendant of Donald Livingstone 1728-1816 of Savary, Morvern. Given that my ancestor was born before the early 1800's there are no birth or baptismal records that survive today which give me any certainty as to who his parents were. There are at least two Miles Livingstons that show up in the early 19th century Morvern records and one curiously enough baptised in 1775 on nearby Lismore Parish on the Isle of Lismore. Mile's marriage record to Janet Livingston on June 20, 1812 at Bowmore, Islay states that he and his wife are natives of Morvern. A deposition taken from his cousin Donald at Lord Selkirk's colony indicates that Donald was also a native of Morvern Parish though he, his father and his brothers lived for a number of years on the Isle of Islay and in fact some of his sibblings were born there. Given the frequent intermarriage between families of Clan McInnis and Livingston in the Savary, Morvern area and popularity of the name Miles amongst members of Clan McInnis I am suspecting that my ancestor has some family connection to Clan McInnis and possibly to Savary McInnis and Livingstons but I have no proof of that. But if that is the case then there is a chance that my ancestor Miles Livingston b.1775 according to Red River Settlement records was connected to Savary Morvern of Hugh Livingston or Donald Livingston. As we have no known descendants of either Donald or Hugh Livingston of Savary, Morven in our dna project there is no way knowing if my Livingstone ancestor was related to these Savary Livingstons. I have come very close to finding a descendant however and I have been contacted by at least one descendant of a Livingstone listed on this page who descended from a grandaughter of Donald Livingstone and interestingly enough her husband another Morvern Livingstone of unknown family origin. He is not a participant in the Dna project but is aware that there is dna project on the go.

In the 18th and 19th century in Savary and elsewhere in the Morvern Parish, Argyllshire area of highland Scotland there were Livingston families and other old families such as McInnis and Camerons that lived in close proximity to one other and were quite often related through marriage over the years. The most well known example of a Livingston-McInnis connection was the famed local hero Donald Livingstone 1728-1816 of Savary, Morvern who parents were John Livingstone and Anna McInnes. In later years other Savary McInnes and Livingstons would marry and Savary Livingstons would marry other Livingston families. An interesting example of this was found when I began to research the children of a Donald Livingston and Catharine McInnes and their children. Some interesting family connection through marriage began to emerge the more I researched this family line. While nothing is known of Donald Livingston and Catharine McInnes except that were from Morvern and married before 1788 largely because the Morvern Parish records prior to the early 1800's do not survive, I have been able to piece together information on some of their children from later records and attempt to construct a family tree of sorts. What make this family tree research most interesting is that these families one way or another connect with both Donald Livingston 1728-1816 and his brother Hugh Livingston both long time residents of Savary, Morvern. I found the connectivity of these Morvern families mentioned below most interesting.

Part 1 of Savary and Morvern area McInnes and Livingston families and their Connections

The family of Donald Livingstone and Catharine McInnes of Morvern

1.Catharine Livingston b. abt. 1788 in Morvern died February 6, 1868 in lochaline, Morvern married Myles McInnes b. abt. 1779 in Savary, Morvern died March 20, 1865 Lochaline, Morvern
Children of Myles McInnes and Catharine Livingston
1.Betty McInnes born January 18, 1818 (baptized July 30, 1818) in Savary, Morvern died January 17, 1912 in Lochaline, Morvern married abt. 1842 in Savary Donald Livingston born abt.1805 or 1806 in Portvada, Morvern died March 11, 1877 in Lochaline Village. It was mentioned in Betty Livingston's 1912 obituary that Betty had at one time stated that her late husband Donald Livingston was a great-great nephew of famous old Morvern Jacobite Donald Livingston 1728-1816 of Savary. After her husband's death Betty became a Merchant at Lochaline and lived to be 94. A lengthy obituary and tribute to this well known Morvern old-timer was published in an 1912 issue of the Oban Times of Argyll. (Thanks to John Freeman for sending me that).

2. Angus McInnes born abt. 1820 in Savary, Morvern baptised August 27, 1820

2. Mary Livingston b. abt. 1790 in Morvern, died July 1, 1874 Lochaline, Morvern married Farquhard McInnes
Children of Mary Livingston and Farquhard McInnes
1. Donald McInnes born January 10, 1825 Sornagan,Morvern
2. John McInnes born January 1, 1827 Sornagan, Morvern
3. Janet McInnes born April 23, 1831 Sornagan,Morvern

3.. Donald Livingston b. abt. 1794 or 1796 in Morvern died April 6, 1872 in Keil, Morvern married Sarah Livingston b. abt. 1813 in Savary, Morvern died March 17, 1891 in Lochaline,
Morvern. Donald's wife Sarah Livingston daughter of Adam Livingston Savary Miller and son of Donald Livingstone 1728-1816 of Savary and Battle of Culloden fame.
Children of Donald Livingston and Sarah Livingston
1. Catharine Livingston b. abt. 1842 Savary, Morvern
2. Jane Livingston b. abt. 1844 Keil, Morvern
3. Janet Livingston b. abt. 1847 Keil, Morvern
4. Sarah Livingston b. abt. 1850 Keil, Morvern
5. Donald Livingston b.Sept 13, 1856 Keil, Morvern died August 10, 1933 in Balachulish, Argyll m. Annie McLean January 5,1886 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire ( The descendants in Canada thought it was Annie Mcleod but the marriage and death record of Donald indicates Ann McLean) Donald and Anne's son Donald David Livingston and his wife Jean came to Alberta, Canada in 1924.

4. Janet Livingston b. abt. 1798 in Morvern d. Oct.1,1867 Portmore, Tobermory, Mull married June 18, 1824 Morvern Peter McPherson born in Morvern
1. Donald McPherson born abt. 1825/1826 baptised March 23, 1826 Morvern,
2. Ann McPherson born abt. 1829 Morvern baptised January 21, 1829 in Ardchattan
3. John McPherson born abt. 1837 Morvern

Part 2 of Morvern Livingston - McInnes family Connections (More interesting family connections)
Betty McInnes b. January 18, 1818 in Savary, Morvern (See above Livingston Family tree) d.1912 in Lochaline, Morvern m. Donald Livingston born abt. 1806 in Portvada,Mull died March 11, 1877 in Lochaline, Morvern
Children of Betty McInnes daughter of Miles McInnes and Catharine Livingston and Donald Livingston son of Duncan Livingston and Catharine Cameron
1. Margaret Livingston born abt.1842 Achbeg, Morvern
2.Duncan Livingston born abt. 1846 Achbeg, Morvern
3. Catharine Livingston born 1848 Achbeg, Morvern
4. John Livingston born 1851 Achbeg, Morvern
5. Christina (Christy) Livingston b. 1856 Achbeg, Morvern
6. Mary Livingston? buried in Keil Cemetery with parents Donald Livingston and Elizabeth "Betty" McInnes

By the 1840's the family of Mile McInnes father of Betty McInnes was residing as tenant at Achbeg farm in Morvern. In the 1851 Census the family of Donald Livingston and Betty McInnes are residing with Betty's parents Miles McInnes and his wife Catharine Mcinnes at Achabeg farm. Also at Achbeg circa 1841 was the family of the late Duncan Livingston and widow Catharine Cameron. The widow Catharine left for the United States in the 1840's with two of her sons and some nephews to join her son Angus had left Morvern around 1840 for America.The above mentioned Betty McInnes was married to Donald Livingston born abt. 1806 a son of Duncan Livingston and Catharine Cameron. In the 1841 Census the widow Catharine Livingston (Catharine Cameron) is recorded as being a widow of age 65 residing at Achbegg with a son Duncan Livingston age 30 born in 1810 or 1811. The parish records for Morvern confirm a son Donald of Duncan Livingston and Catrine Cameron was baptised in 1806 and a son Duncan was born and baptised apparently in 1810 or 1811 as well as daughter Ann born abt. 1804. Betty Mcinnes lived into her nineties and after her husband died she was a local merchant at Lochaline according to an obituary in 1912 published in the Oban Times. Interestingly, according to the 1912 obituary, she had stated that her late husband Duncan Livingston was a great-great nephew of Donald Livingston. This would be Hugh (Ewen) Livingston who is recorded in the 1779 Argyll Census as residing beside his brother Donald in Savary. Later as I mentioned in an earlier posting a few years ago, some of Hugh Livingston's grandchildren would end up in New York State and Ohio by the 1840's.

Duncan Livingston born in Morvern in 1770's? died Morvern before 1841 m. Catharine Cameron born abt. 1776 in Morvern (according to 1841 Scottish census) (Duncan was a grandson or son of Hugh Livingston brother of Donald Livingston 1728-1816 of Savary, Morvern local hero of the Battle of Culloden 1746 according to his wife Betty McInnis who died in 1912 in Lochaline Morvern) (Duncan had a brother John Livingston that went to New York State in the 1830's)

Duncan Livingston b. 1770's in Morvern Parish, Argyll d. before 1841 in Morvern Parish, Argyll m. Catharine (Katrine) Cameron b.1772 in Morvern Parish, Argyll d. September 30,1855 Old Wheelersburg Cemetery, Porter Township, Scioto County, Ohio

1. Ann Livingston born abt. 1804 in Achlinan, Morvern
2. Donald Livingston born abt. 1805 in Porvada Morvern died 1877 in Lochaline, Morvern m. Betty McInnes b. 1818 in Savary, Morvern d. 1912 Lochaline Morvern (see Family tree part 1)
3. Angus Livingston born 1808 Barr, Morvern m.Sept. 5, 1848 in New York City, USA d. unknown in Scioto County, Ohio? m. Margaret Livingston b. Dec. 8 1807 in Invernesshire, Scotland d. unknown in Scioto County, Ohio
4. Duncan Livingston born abt. 1810 or 1811 in Barr, Morvern (joined brother Angus Livingston in United State along with their widowed mother Catharine (Cameron) Livingston b. abt. 1776 in the 1840's. Curiously in the 1850 U.S Census Catharine Livingston is recorded as age 65 born abt. 1785 in Scotland. There are a number of age descrepancies in the 1851 Ohio Census information for Catharine and hers son's Angus, Duncan and John Livingston.
Catharine also appears to have had two sister in laws who ended up in New York State or Ohio. (Mrs William Burke and Mary Boyd. Wiliam Burke Jr. son of William and Sarah Burke is sure enough residing with Catharine Livingston at her residence in Achbegg in the 1841 Census before she and son Duncan and another son John leave for America.
5. John Livingston (birthdate not known) (according to a family biography published in the US in the 19th century a brother John joined Angus, his mother Catharine and another brother Duncan in America in the 1840's. I have no census information for him from Scotland but the 1850 U.S Census info suggests he was born in Scotland abt. 1813 but this seems not be correct given that aproximate birth dates estimated from age info in this census conflicts with other sources. But even those are all over the place in terms of an approximate birth date, so John's actual birth date still remains a mystery.

Angus Livingston had actually been working in Lanarkshire for several years before he left Scotland for New York State in 1842 and shortly after that he encourages his two brothers John and Duncan and his mother Catharine Livingston to join him in America which they did in 1845 and they end up settling with him in Clinton Furnace in Vernon Township, Scioto County, Ohio in 1849, following his marriage to Margaret Livingston in New York City. In the 1851 Census on a farm in Vernon Township, Scioto County Ohio there is Angus Livingston, his wife Margaret their infant son Duncan, Angus Livingstons brother John and Duncan, his mother Catharine and her nephews William Burke Jr. and Hugh Burke. Interestingly, William Burke Jr. had lived with Catharine and her son Duncan for a while in Achbegg, Morvern according to the 1841 Scottish census before they all left for America. Hugh and William Burke's father and Mother was William Burke Sr. born abt. 1780 and his wife Sarah Livingston born abt. 1786. Mrs William Burke (Sarah Burke) was apparently a sister in law of Catharine Livingston. Angus Livingston when he arrived in New York State in 1842 he went to visit his father's brother John Livingston b. abt. 1773 who was residing in Waterville, Oneida County, NY. The 1851 Census shows that John Livingston born in Scotland about 1773 is residing on his farm at Westmoreland, Oneida County, NY with his sister Mary (Livingston) Boyd born abt. 1775 in Scotland.

From Duncan Livingston of Ohio we can utilize his information with other info and another family tree which focuses on the Donald Livingston's brother Ewen's family can be attempted.

John Livingston of Savary, Morvern b. abt. 1700 d.1757 in Savary, Morvern m. Anna McInnis Both buried in Keil Cemetery, Morvern and their final resting place is beneath a beautiful and elaborate carved stone slab table tomb complete with a family coat of arms
Known Children
1. Donald Livingstone born 1728 probably at Savary, Morvern d. 1816 Savary, Morvern m. Jane (Jean) Stewart (See earlier posts on family of Donald Livingstone and Jane (Jean Stewart)
2. Ewen (Hugh) Livingstone b. unknown d. Unknown m unknown
3. Angus Livingstone ( Died April 16, 1746 Battle of Culloden, Jacobite Rebellion) according to 19th century Ohio historian Duncan Livingstone a descendant of Ewen Livingstone.
4. Malcolm Livingston?

Piecing together all the information including that of Duncan Livingstons this is my best attempt at trying to reconstruct the known family of Donald Livingstone's brother Ewen Livingstone

The hypothetical? family of Ewen (Hugh) Livingstone of Savary, Morvern brother of Donald Livingstone 1728-1816
1. Duncan Livingston b.1770's in Savary, Morvern d. before 1841 Morvern. m. Catharine Cameron b. abt 1776 in Morvern d. Scioto County, Ohio
2. John Livingston b. abt. 1773 in Savary, Morvern, (single) d. between 1851 and 1861 in Westmoreland, Oneida County, NY
3. ? Ewen (Hugh) Livingston b. abt. 1774 in Savary, Morvern d. 1826 m. Christian (Cirstie) McMaster
4. Mary Livingstone Boyd b. abt. 1775 in Savary, Morvern ( widow) d.in the 1860's in Westmoreland, Oneida County, NY
5. Sarah Livingstone b. abt. 1786 in Savary, Morvern d. bet.1861 and 1871 Iron Valley, Milton Jackson, Ohio m. William Burke b. abt. 1780 in Morvern died in the 1870's Iron Valley, Milton Jackson, Ohio

Sarah Livingston b. abt. 1786 in Morvern d. bet. 1851 and 1861 in Iron Valley, Milton Jackson, Ohio m. William Burke b. abt. 1780 in Morvern died between 1861 and 1871 in Iron Valley, Milton Jackson, Ohio
Children of Sarah and William Burke Sr.
1. Hugh Burke baptised March 30, 1824 in Morvern Parish (later Ohio 1851 Census has born abt. 1828 which is probably wrong)
2.William Burke Jr. b. abt. 1828 or 1827 in Morvern Parish according to 1841 Scottish census
William Burke Jr. is residing with their Aunt Catharine (Cameron) Livingston in Achbegg, Morvern in the 1841 Census and William Burke Jr. and his brother Hugh are living with widowed Aunt Catharine Cameron Livingston and other Livingstons at her son Angus Livingston's farm in Scioto County, Ohio in the 1851 U.S. Census.

Angus Livingston b. 1808 Barr Morvern, Scotland d. Scioto County, Ohio m. Sept.5, 1849 New York City, USA Margaret Livingston b.Dec.18, 1807 Invernesshire, Scotland d. Scioto County after 1880?
Children (1)
1. Duncan Livingstone born January 22, 1850 in Clinton Furnace,Vernon Township, Scioto County, Ohio (single) d. March 23,1910 Ohio
Angus Livingston's son Duncan Livingston 1850-1910 a native of Ohio became a prominent lawyer in Vernon Township, Scioto County, Ohio. He was proud of his family connection to the famous Morvern hero Donald Livingstone (1728-1816) of Savary and interested in his Livingston family history. In his later years he wrote an article in the Celtic Monthly in which he recalled some of the stories about Donald Livingston and the Livingston family in Morvern that his older relatives had told him over the years. In Volume IV March 1896 issue page 120 of the Celtic Monthly in his 3 part article on the Appin Stewarts at Culloden it is stated that "The story of the presentation of the Appin Banner of Culloden the writer has often heard when a child from two nieces of Donald Livingstone - Mrs. Mary Livingstone Boyd and Sarah Livingstone Burke who got the same from the lips of Donald himself. The former Mrs Boyd died in the early part of the sixties and the latter Mrs W. Burke died in the early part of the seventies. They were daughters of his brother Ewen.He also heard it as a child and after arriving at manhood from eight other descendants of Ewen among whom the story is well enough known as well as from several persons familiar with the traditions of Morvern."

A biography of prominent persons of Scioto County, Ohio published a few years later in 1903 includes a brief biography of Angus Livingston's son Duncan Livingston 1850-1910 who was at one time a lawyer in the County. The author of the biography states that Duncan was descended from Donald Livingstone 1728-1816 of Savary who served in the Appin Regiment at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and rescued the Appin Regiment from the field of battle. He however does not make this claim his his article in the Celtic Monthly and as the quote regarding the the nieces of Donald Livingstone appears to be a second person narrative perhaps from someone who edited the article in 1896 I suspect that these nieces of Donald Livingstone were actually great Aunts of Duncan Livingstone of Scioto County, Ohio. I believe that the 1903 biography on Duncan is in error and that Duncan is a descendant of Donald Livingston's brother Hugh as is the two nieces and his great uncle John Livingston of Oneida County, NY. Also the sons of one of the nieces was in Ohio living with Duncan and his father ANgus and his grandmother Catharine Livingston according to the 1850 Census and one of the nieces of Donald Livingstone 1728-1816 Mary Livingston Boyd is living with Duncan Livingston's great Uncle John Livingston of Oneida County, Ny according to the same 1850 Census. I see no evidence that Duncan's great uncle JOhn Livingston who resided in Oneida County, Ny when Duncan's father Angus Livingston first arrived in America and whom we know was born abt. 1773 could be a son of Donald Livngston 1728-1816 although it is possible that old John Livingston was one of the older sons of Donald Livingstone. If that was the case then Angus Livingston's father would not be Duncan LIvingston b. in the 1770's son of Ewen Livingston and then he would be an unknown son of Donald Livingstone 1728-1816. This does not seem likely to be given the close family relationship in Morvern and in Ohio and New York State seen in the census records amongst Duncan Livingston's father ANgus and Uncle John Livingston in Oneida County, Ny with the Burke family and Mary Boyd relatives of Hugh Livingston. In my opinion they are descended from Ewen Livingston brother of Donald Livingston.

The surprising and disappointing thing about Savary, Morvern Ewen (Hugh) Livingston and brother Donald Livingston's ancestral line which I explored in an earlier posting is that since many from these 19th century families remained single a search for later descendants would be a fruitless effort. Some efforts have however been made in cases where a family line could be detected conintuing into the twentieth century in hopes that some descendants of EWen and Donald Livingstone of Savary, Morvern might exist today. The work still continues.
jmlivingstone
Posts: 533
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:34 pm

Re: Forgotten Savary, Morvern Livingston family connections

Post by jmlivingstone »

Donald,

A little bit of info on Donald Livingstone (Donmhnull Mollach) of Savary,

http://www.ralstongenealogy.com/lochalinecemetery.htm,


John
Canadian Livingstone
Posts: 2770
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:00 pm

Re: Forgotten Savary, Morvern Livingston family connections

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi All,

Here is an earlier attempt in a posting to shed some light on some Movern Livingston family connections to Donald Livingstone (1728-1816) and his forgotten brother Hugh (Ewen Livingston) who lived at Savary in 1700's and early 1800's.

regards,

Donald
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