Capt. John Livingston - Kings American Regiment

[Livingstone_PEI]

Hi All

Here is an article of interest.

http://www.royalprovincial.com/military ... r4hist.htm

Now further down the article a Capt. John Livingston is noted and this regiment was under the command of Col. Edmund Fanning. Now here is where it gets interesting....I just found out that the John Livingston that shows up on a land conveyance document in 1803 in Georgetown, was signed by then lieutenant governor of PEI, Edmund Fanning, who came to PEI as a United Empire Loyalist. It is possible, but not proven, that John William Livingston moved to Georgetown, PEI as a United Empire Loyalist and Edmund Fanning gave him a tract of land in Georgetown. Maybe they both came to PEI as United Empire Loyalists. I do know that Capt. John Livingston of Georgetown, was born in Fort William, Scotland. Is there anywhere we can test this theory out and put the two people together? Does anyone have any info that might help with this theory?

Barry

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry,

There were to be be certain several Livingston families that were United Empire Loyalist, some former officers and enlisted men from loyalist regiment serving with the British in their American campaign during the Revolutionary War that left America in the 1780's. Some of them including Daniel Livingston and his sons settled in Upper Canada around 1789. Also there were many civilians of loyalist origin who were forced to leave behind their property behind in America and made their new home in Upper Canada and Nova Scotia etc. I not familiar with Captain John Livingstons history but I would be not be surprised if he served during the American Revolution. We know that there were a number of highlanders in the British Army during the American Revolution so he could be of highland origin although I would suprised to see a a highland Livingston with the rank of a Captain in those times. All the Livingstons in the British Army at the time of the Revolution and before were to my knowledge all enlisted men. Very difficult for the son of a tenant farmer in those times to work his way up the ranks to that of a Captain. Was he a Captain in a loyalist regiment then Would love to know more about history. O r was he of the other New York State Livingston family. They were on the side of the rebels in New York State though or most of them. So his origins are a mystery to me.

regards,

Donald

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry,
In light of what I stated in my earlier posting it does make sense that Capt John Livingston would have been a Captain in a loyalist regiment supporting the British during the Revolutionary War but not in the British Army. Interestingly I recently came across Upper Canada land petitiions with a Capt Duncan Livingston in the early 1800s mentioned but he was a Captain in the Upper Canada militia and not the British Army. I did not find Captain Duncan Livingston in the book I have on Upper Canada Militia officers and enlisted men who served in Upper Canada during the War of 1812 but the petition info indicates he was a Captain around this time in the Leeds County, Upper Canada militia.I appreciate any info you can find on Captain John Livingston. Not certain whether he was a highland Livingston or of the lowland Livingston family that settled in New York State in the late 1600s. Most of that family however supported George Washington in the Revolution so I would not think many of them joined the loyalist regiments that originated with the loyalists from what became New York State after the Revolution. We know on the other hand that many of the highland families that settled in America just before the Revolution oddly enough supported King George against the rebels and most of them supported the loyalist side in North Carolina for example where there was a large highland population at the time of the Revolution invluding FLora macDonald and her husband Allan McDonald who served as an officer in a loyalist regiment. Anyways John might be a lowland livngston of colonial american origin or possiblity of more recent highland origin that arrived shortly before the Revolution. I dont know which.

regards,

Donald

regards

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry,
Thank you for this. You have made this Edmund Fanning - John Livingston early PEI connection clear to me. Most interesting it is quite clear that John served in Edmund Fanning`s loyalist regiment which Fanning created early in New York City in the Revolution. Secondly the information also states that John William Livingston a Captain in Fannings regiment during the Revolution was the son of a prominent New York CIty merchant. So with your help we now know a bit more about about both Fanning and Livingston and their connection to one another.
I agree with your notion that Captain John Livingston who settled at Georgetown,PEI was the Captain John William Livingston who during the American Revolution served under Col. Edmund Fanning who raised a loyalist American regiment the Kings American Regiment in New York City during the American Revolution. I did not see any information from original documentation that Captain Livingston was born in the highlands just information from British records that he was the son of John William Livingston a wealthy New York City Loyalist. Interestingly his brother Henry was an ensign in a South Carolina loyalist regiment but as far as I can tell neither these Livingstons nor Edmund Fanning have any familyconnection with highland Scots that settled in the Carolinas just before the Revolution. Wikipedia has a detailed history of Edmund Fanning. Fanning eventually fled to Nova Scotia with other loyalists in 1783 and in 1786 he was appointed Governor of St. Johns Island later known as PEI. I suspect as you that Captain John Livingston who received land grant from Fanning was this officer from the Kings American Regiment and as a former loyalist officer as you know was eligible for a large land grant from the Crown. Having served under Colonel Fanning would put him definitely on the list of former loyalist officers you would suspect would receive land from Fanning in PEI. It all makes alot of sense this is your mysterious John Livingston of Georgetown, PEI. I do not think however he has any family connection with your highland Mull Livingstone family that later settled in Cape Breton and subsequently PEI I am sorry to say. I am not sure but I would suspect that this Captain John Livingston son of colonial new yorker JOhn Livingston was likely born in Colonial America rather than Scotland but I could be wrong. My sense is that he was an Àmerican`` loyalist like many of the others that boarded ships from New York City in 1783 and took refuge in Nova Scotia that year as the Revolutionary War officially ended. Fanning himself was an AMerican born Loyalist born in New York and not British or at least not born in Britain.

regards,

Donald

[Livingstone_PEI]

I have some more information on this and just have to find the time to compile it. I think some of out assumptions are incorrect, remembering that the John Livingston on Lot 53 was born in Fort William Scotland, means we have to try to join up the two stories, or this may just be a coincidence.

Barry

[Livingstone_PEI]

Hi All

I know that the John Livingstone in lot 53 was born in Fort William Scotland, so maybe there were two John Livingston's in the area, or John William Livingston settled somewhere else. Since he is listed as a loyalist it stands to reason he moved his family to Canada.

Here is a link for John William Livingston.

http://www.lib.unb.ca/collections/loyal ... 35&string=

[Greg Livingston]

Barry,

Do we know anything about William's children other than the daughter married to John Jay? I've wondered for years if this was where the alledged connection to the Livingson's of New York was for my family. I doubt it and think there probably isn't one now but would like to prove that this is not the connection.

Thank you,
Greg

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry,

The latest info you have located on line on John William Livingston's family is very helpful as it verifies his ancestral roots with the lowland Livingston family that settled in Albany and Dutchess County colonial NY in the late 1600's descended from Robert Livingston Lord of Livingston manor,NY. Most of this family I understand sided with George Washington but obviously there were some who sided with the British and fought on the loyalist side In NY. The British occupied New York CIty during the Revolution so loyalists in colonial New York found New York City to be a place of refuge during the war to escape persecution by their rebel neighbours and to join loyalist regiments based in New York City with the British. There could be more than one John Livingston that had land in PEI in the early 1800's but in any event I am familiar with this family from Albany and neighbhouring Dutchess County and they have no connection to any Livingstones that would have been have either Fort William, Invernessshire or neighbouring highland Argyllshire where the highland Livingstones originated. This family group of lowland Livingston origin from Stirlingshire produces distinct DNA results from those of the highland Livingstone groups in keeping with the notion of their distinct origins. Alot of research has been done on the New York Livingstons and their lowland Stirlingshire aristocratic origins. Although the tests have not been done on any of your Livingtone cousins we do have results from a probable distant cousin connected to ALexander Livingston of Whycocomagh, Inverness County Cape Breton which is in line with the notion that this Cape Breton family originates from a highland Livingstone family from Western Argyllshire which resided at Mull. From all detailed info you have located on John WIlliam Livingston connection with Edward Fanning we are looking a descendant of the ALbany County lowland Livingston family and not your highland Livingston ancestors from Mull in Western Argyllshire. I would wager on that.

regards,

Donald

[Canadian Livingstone]

HI Greg,

Certainly it is possible that some of the Pennslyvania Livingstons are of this old New York State Livingston family connected to old Albany and Dutchess County. There were also Livingstons residing in ALbany County from the 1700's that originated from Germany. At some point they changed the spelling of their name to Livingston. We have also found a Pennsylvania Livingston family of German origin that also changed their name to Livingston. Fortunately we have a number of Livingstons of New York State and PEnnsylvania Livingston origin participating in the DNA Project and there is an effort to understand and intrepret the results. There were apparently a number of families living in Lowland Scotland before the 1800's with the name Livingston who might not be blood relative with the old Lowland Livingston Callendar aristocratic family line but adopted the name long ago. That may explain the large number of varying results amongst families that lived in Lowland Scotland prior to 1800. And that fact I think does present some challenges to researchers in a number of old Scottish families utilizing the science of DNA.

regards,

Donald

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry,
The situation in this particular American Livingston household was not uncommmon during the American Revolution. Father and son sometimes supported opposing sides as in the case of Benjamin Franklin and his son William who was a loyalist. Franklin never forgave his son. Regardless about how William Livingston of NY felt about his son John William Livingston being a Tory sympathiser and loyalist he would have been unable to return to New York State after the war. Nova Scotia or Upper Canada would have been two of the main settlement options for him given that he could not return home. Seeing as his commander Colonel Edward Fanning went to Nova Scotia then PEI after the War and was in the position of Governor of PEI or St. Johns Island was able to grant land to former Loyalist officers, it makes sense that Captain Livingston would end up in Nova Scotia. Its terrific that you found all this detailed information which certainly solves the mystery of the origins of the John LIvingston who received a loyalist land grant in PEI

regards,

Donald