John Livingston Bosanquet Twp Lambton County, Ontario

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

John Livingston Bosanquet Twp Lambton County, Ontario

Post by Canadian Livingstone »

Hi All,

John Livingston was born in 1818 in Etobicoke Township, York County, Upper Canada (Ontario, Canada). His father Miles Livingston b.1775 my great-great-great grandfather and his mother Janet also a Livingston were natives of Morvern Parish, Argyll and married in June 20th, 1812 by the Church of Scotland minister of the old Bowmore Round Church in Kilarrow Parish, Isle of Islay, Argyll on their way to Sligo Ireland to board a Hudsons Bay Company ship "The Robert Taylor" chartered by Lord Selkirk to take settlers and hired men to a a new colony via Hudsons Bay and from there by small boat southward several hundred miles to the forks of the Red River where he was establishing his Red River Settlement in 1812.

Miles, Janet and their children Nancy (Mrs. John Clink) and a son Hugh Livingston b.1814 left the Lord Selkirk's settlement in June of 1815 arriving in York County in the fall of 1815. Miles and the family located in Etobicoke Township, York County, Upper Canada and Miles was employed in his trade as boat builder. About 1817 he was hired with other boatbuilders to work at a British Naval base in Pentanguishene, Upper Canada. John Livingston his third child was born 1818 in Etobicoke, York County. In 1819 Miles and other Scottish settlers received a land grant in neighbouring Halton County in Esquesing Township in the "Scotch Block" area where he established his family farm. A son Daniel Livingston was born abt. 1820 probably in Halton County, Upper Canada.

A little known fact is that Miles and Janet travelled to North America aboard the "Robert Taylor" and to the Red River Settlement of Lord Selkirks with a teenage son of Miles named Donald Livington 1796-1862 from an earlier marriage or he could have been his common-law son. There is unfortunately no marriage or birth info available for Mile's oldest son Donald 1796-1862 who I suspect was born in Morvern where no birth records survive before the year 1803.

I have also noticed there was some alternative family information that Miles and Janet Livingston also had a son Donald who died as a child and that may have been the case but it is known that Miles brought his teenage son with him to the Selkirk's Red River settlement. Miles, Janet and their two infants Nancy and Hugh left the Selkirk settlement at Red River in June of 1815, however his teenage son Donald remained in area and returned for a time after the settlement was rebuilt as an employee of the settlement. This Donald is not to be confused with Donald Livingstone 1791-1876 who was a boat builder at the Red River Colony and lived there up until about 1840 when he went to Iowa where other Livingston kin formerly of the Red River Colony had settled. Donald the boatbuilder came to the settlement with Miles and his wife Janet and Miles teenage son Donald. There is much confusion with two Donald Livingstons in the Red River Colony records. Sometime in 1816 Miles son Donald also left the settlement. His original intention seems to have been to connect with a ship to take him back to Scotland but his subsequent records show that he instead ended travelling east and ended up in Montreal, Quebec by about 1817. Miles when he petitioned for a land grant in Upper Canada included his son Donald of Montreal on that petition so if would seem that the plan was that his oldest son Donald would join his father Miles in Upper Canada but that never happened. Instead Donald choise to remain in Quebec where he became a successful land surveyor in the Beauharnois area of Quebec where he lived. He never married and died in Quebec in 1862.

Miles Livingston as mentioned received a land grant in 1819 from the Crown in Esquesing Township, Halton County in a location referred to as the "Scotch Block" as there were number Scottish settler located there. In the year 1837 Miles sold his farm and the 1842 Census indicates that Miles is now a widow living with one other male probably his youngest son Daniel probably in the town of Acton where Daniel was located and where Daniel worked in the mill in later years. Miles in the 1842 Census is said to be employed in his old age as Cooper or barrel maker. It is not known when Janet died but it is known that she died sometime before the 1842 Census was taken. It is also not known when Miles died and the subsequent 1851 Census for Esquesing Township is missing so that no help in determing whether he was alive in the 1851. He is alive in 1842 at the time of the census but as he does not appear in the 1861 Census so he must of died sometime between 1842 and 1861 in Esquesing Township, Halton County.


Miles Livingston's son John Livingston born 1818 in Etobicoke Township, York County married Joan also a Livingston the daughter of John Livingston b. 1793 in Argyllshire and his wife Elizabeth Chisholm of Halton County, Upper Canada who like John's father Miles had settled in the earlier 1800's in Scotch Block of Esquesing Township, Halton County where Mile's son John likely met Joan. By abt. Around 1853/1854 Miles son John Livingston had acquired land at Concession 6 Lot 5 and 6 in Bosanquet Township, Lambton County, Ontario where he would locate his farm. He married his wife Joan about 1854. John's older sister Nancy Livingston b. 1813 Lord Selkirks Red River colony in Hudsons Bay Territory, British North America married John Utter Clink in the 1830's and by 1861 when John Livingston and his wife Joan and family had settled in Lambton County, Ontario in Bosanquet Township some of his sister Nancy's children were living with them for some reason as indicated in the 1861 Canada West (Ontario) census.

1861 Census Bosanquet Township, Lambton County, Canada West (Ontario)
John Livingston age 42 born CW
John Livingston age 6 born CW
Miles Livingston age 4 born CW
Joan Livingston age 33 born CW
Jennett Livingston age 6 born CW
Elizabeth Livingston age 2 born CW
John Clink age 17 born CW (nephew)
Miles Clink age 13 born CW (nephew)
Elizabeth Clink age 11 born CW (niece)

1881 Census Bosanquet Township, Lambton County, Canada West (Ontario)
John Livingston age 63
Joan Livingston age 52
Jennette Livingston age 25
Miles Livingston age 23
Elizabeth Livingston age 20
Nancy Livingston age 18
Catharine Livingston age 16
Hugh Livingston age 11

John Livingston son of Miles Livingston and Janet Livingston died July 28, 1895 in Bosanquet Township, Lambton County, Ontario. Joan and her son Hugh continued to own the farm property until 1899. Joan eventually ended up in Michigan with family where she died in Sanlac County, Michigan on Dec. 18, 1901. Both her husband John and Joan were none the less both buried at Arkona Cemetery in neighbouring Warwick County, Ontario near Lambton County.

In terms of descendants Miles Livingston eldest son Donald 1796-1862 of Quebec never married, His son Hugh b. 1814 died at a young age and never married. Miles and Janet's youngest child Daniel Livingston left Halton County, Ontario by the early 1870's and found work as a sawyer in Michigan where a number of descendants still live I have located. My late cousin was researching Miles and janet's son John Livingston b.1818 of Bosanquet Township, Lambton County and his descendants but apparently was unable to find many Livingston descendants of John living today. There are clearly however a number of related families who have researched John Livingston with some connection to John Livingston I would presume. Whether or not there are any Livingston descendants of Miles Livingston's son John is another question but I can't rule out the possibility.


regards,

Donald
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