Daniel Livingston and son John Livingston - Loyalists

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry,
I think that Daniel Livingston can be safely considered to be the first documented highland Livingston to settle in Upper Canada by the 1790's or 1780's following the end of the Revolutionary War and Daniels and sons departure from their home beleived to have been formerly in Argyll Township, Charlotte County, New York State.
Daniel Livingston was definitely a highland Livingston recruited firstly in the 1750's for the French and Indian Wars and served with the 78th Regiment of Foot known as the Fraser's Highlanders and the 77th Regiment known as Montgomery's Highlanders according to the May 23, 1798 certificate of military service, and it should be noted that this record mentions Argyll Township and the petition Charlotte County as his former residence in New York State and this is precisely where the 77th regiment officers and enlisted men received a land grant around 1764. The regiment disbanded in 1763 or 1764. In 1763 the King proclaimed that all those officers and soliders who had participated in the French and Indian War could if they wish remain in America and receive a grant of land without any fees. I think the highland settlements of the 77th were in Washington County but this became Charlotte County. His son John Livingston however in a later 1835 land petition includes detailed and documented military information apparently of his father Daniel's pertaining to his father indicating that served in the Frencha and Indian Wars with Frasers Highlanders. So I am in a bit of
quandary. He definitely was living in Charlotte County later known as Washington County, after the Revolution
but it is not clear from Daniels' old province of New York military land grant info that his son John Livingston included in his 1835 petition that Daniel did in fact receive his grant in the Argyll and Salem Ny area ended up there later.
WIth the outbreak of hostilities with the British Government in the 1770's by he American Colonists, the more recently arrived highland settlers in Charlotte County found themselves harrassed by Ethan Allen and other American settlers who had settlement issues with the highland settlements.



regards,

Donald

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry,

I have sent away for a book which contains an index of early transactions from 1739 to 1775 in what became Washington County. Scottish settlers that had arrived early in the late 1730's early 1740's received a grant of land in 1764 in what is called the Argyll Patent and widow Livingston is listed among them. They apparently had waited a long time to receive their grant. The french and Indian Wars also made it difficult to assign them land grants. Then there were a number of the officers and enlisted men of the 77th Montgomery's Highlanders are known to have been settled in Hebron Township and probably Argyll Township after submitting petitions in 1764. At this time this part of North Eastern New York was still part of old Albany County. In 1772 this part of Albany County became Charlotte County and then later after the Revolution in 1784 it became Washington County after George Washington. I am hoping this index with information on the original grantees that settled in what became Washington County include Daniel Livingston. From his own Upper Canada records, it states he resided at "Argyll" in New York and in another document Charlotte County prior to the American Revolution. So I assume that it is Argyll, Charlotte County is where he lived prior to the Revolution which was settlement so named because the inhabitants originated from Argyll, Scotland. Some of the earliest settlers of the Argyll Patent I think originated from Islay so I think that some have suspected that Daniel Livington originated from Islay but he did not unfortunately actually state in his Upper Canada land records where he lived originally in Scotland. It just states in one record from the 1790's that he was from Scotland.

regards,

Donald

[Livingstone_PEI]

Hi Donald

I think it is amazing how documents like these have gone unnoticed for so long and I just stumbled upon them. It didn't have anything to do with my own family, but if we all keep digging I am sure we will be able to help each other unravel the mysteries of the Livingstone/McLea clan.

Barry

[Livingstone_PEI]

Hi All

The documents I found here, are located here - http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/micr ... 750beosth7

To find the microfilms I needed, I searched for the names here - http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac- ... nguage=eng

With a little bit of digging I am sure there are some real jewels here. The military records likely hold a treasure trove of information, but they are a little harder to navigate.

Barry

[Kyle MacLea]

Great finds! And I agree--down the line these will help someone, I am 100% sure!

Kyle=

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry and Kyle,

Whether it was loyalist soldiers coming up from America in the 1780`s or loyalist civilians many of them submitted petitions for a loyalist land grant to officials in Upper Canada. IN doing so they included often detailed info in these petitions and often a some sort of documented information of military service by themselves or a family member written by some official as legitimate proof of military service with the British or loyalist regiments during the period of 1775 to 1883 of the Revolutionary War in America. From these loyalist land petition and later non loyalist settler land petitions in Upper Canada one can often learn some important detail of ones ancestors who settled in Upper Canada. I have utilized them for my own ancestral search and they have proved useful.

regards,

Donald

[Kyle MacLea]

They seem a treasure trove when you get lucky!

Kyle=

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Barry and Kyle,



.

It is known that many of these former highland soldiers that had fought for British in the French and Indian Wars and had recieced land grants and settled in the Province of New York a decade before the Revolution were encouraged to enlist in British regiments reformed for American Campaign during the begiining of the American revolution. Daniel according to his petition was one of those who favouring the British cause and having been a former soldier and veteran of the French and Indian Wars enlisted again in 1777 with another British regiment that of the 78th regiment of Foot. It may be the reformed Frasers Highland regiment of 78th of Foot. But he definitely was not in Frasers Highlanders in the French and iNdian Wars as I think some have suggested.A military certificate regarding his experience in the French and Indian Wars included with his 1793 Upper Canada Petion issued by a Justice Campbell clearly indicates that hs served with General Montgomery's Highlanders which was the 77th Highland regiment and not Simon Frasers HIghlanders in the 1750's and 1760's. I think0's o this detail may have been missed in the past. But on the other hand this is not an original document from 1760s and it be an error. You would think if it was an error Daniel's son would haves spotted.
regards,

Donald

[Kyle MacLea]

Donald,

Thanks for looking into this! I didn't know too many folks who were Loyalists tried to return to the (now) US and start over. So I can see how he would have had a hard time in that new environment, and to have stuck it out a couple of years and then moved north makes sense--and it's great to have the confirmation.

If, as he said, he was sick, it's possible this may have been really just a period of healing too. Maybe if he were wounded or ill long term his neighbors may have given him some leeway at first, but that may have been short-lived when he recovered.

Kyle=