Islay, Argyllshire Livingstons in Colonial New York

[Canadian Livingstone]

The earliest Livingston family in Colonial New York I am aware of was that of Robert Livingston descended from the Lowland Callendar, Stirlingshire Livingstons who in 1715 was granted a large tract of land and became the First Lord of Livingston Manor in what was then Colonial New York in the vicinity of present day Columbia County, New York State.

The earliest known Argyllshire highland Livingston family that I am aware of whom settled in Colonial New York was that of Donald Livingston and his wife Isabel McQuaig. It is believed with their sons John and Duncan they arrived in 1739 with other Scots from the Island of Islay and settled in the Argyll Township/Greenwich area of what is today located in Washington County, New York State. Captain Laughlin Campbell of Islay brought over 83 highland families to settle a grant of thirty thousand acres in what is now Washington County, New York State. It appears to have been some years later before these settlers actually received their grants promised to them but by the 1760's it appears that this Livingston family was eventually granted 250 acres Lot 66 in Argyll Township in Charlotte County (later Greenwich, Washington County,NY.)

Interestingly another Livingston of probable Islay Argyllshire origin, Daniel Livingston b. abt 1830 an enlisted man serving with Frasers Highlanders in the Colony of New York during the French and Indian Wars was in 1765 given a military land grant in the area or around the Argyll Township Charlotte County, New York area east of the Hudson River Other family accounts have Daniel at nearby Salem, NY adjacent to Argyll township. In any event from his later Upper Canada Land petition and that of his sons it is known that he and his sons in the 1790`s left New York State for Canada and their home at this time according to Daniel was Argyll Township, (in Washington County) NY and petitioned the Government of Upper Canada for a Loyalist Land grant as Daniel had at the time of the Revolution joined up with the 77th Highlanders. (After the American Revolution, Charlotte County, NY was renamed Washington County.) It is also known that former soldiers of the other Highland Regiment in America during the French and Indian Wars the 77th regiment of foot the Montgomery's Highlanders were given military land grant in the mid 1760's as well in the Argyll Township area. One document included in Daniel' son John's Upper Canada land petition suggests his father Daniel also served early on with the 77th the Montgomery Highlanders but his original Military land grant of 1765 states that Daniel (or Donald as was also referred to as according son John), had served during the French and Indian War with the 77th Regiment of Foot known as Frasers Highlanders. This would explain my own confusion as to which Highland regiment Daniel actually served in.

Daniel had several sons but interestingly one son Simeon is known to have remained or returned to the U.S. subsequently as he is recorded in the 1810 U.S. Census residing in Argyll Township, Washington County, New York State. It has been suggested by some that Daniel Livingston was also of Islay origin as apparently the other Livingston family that apparently settled 30 years earlier in the Argyll, New York area but unfortunately there was no mention of this in Daniel`s 18th century records. I am therefore not certain where in Argyllshire he was born though he may have born in the 1730`s in Islay. I just cant say for certain.

There was clearly some dispute with Ethan Allen and his people in the years just prior to the American Revolution a land dispute regarding who had the right to land and whether it rightly should be part of Vermont or the Province of New York. That complicated dispute flared up with some threats and property destruction by Ethan Allen's group hostile to the highland settlers they saw as encroaching on land not rightly theres to settle on.

Some of these Livingstons who settled in Argyll Township I think must of close to present day Vermont border as one settler Archibald Livingston was said to have been harassed by Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys just prior to the American Revolution. I don't whether that is fact or legend regarding Archibald but there were other settlers who were threatened by this group. They were not happy with this largely Scottish settlement encroaching upon what they thought should be their territory. Archibald may be connected to the family of Donald and Isabel. There was no Archibald that I am aware in old Daniel Livingston's family at that time. It is entirely likely however that Daniel had the made acquaintence of these other Argyllshire Livingstons who apparently lived in area from what I can tell. More on these Argyll Township, Washington COunty, NY families hopefully in the future.

regards,

Donald

[Livingstonbrookfarm]

Hello all from cold, snowy East Greenwich, New York USA. I live on the Livingston Brook Farm here on the border of Salem NY. Our farm dates back to the 1760's when the land was granted to Isabella Livingston and then somehow to Archibald Livingston in 1764. I am interested in finding out more about who Isabella was - all my references point to Archibald Livingston having the farm since 1764. Archibald was born around 1730 in Isle of Islay, Argyleshire. He died in 1792 and is buried in Argyle, NY USA. He sold the farm to his son Honorable Alexander Livingston, Esquire in 1791. We have the deeds and maps from then till now and the farm has gotten smaller over the years from the original grant of 250 acres. We now have 42 acres with horses, chickens, rabbits and assorted cats and dogs. We are very excited to learn of the Livingston Family and their lives here in the early years of our country. Alexander was noted to be a member of the first Continental Congress and a respected attorney. He also raised prized sheep on thIs farm. He lived here until his death in 1863. He was one of seven children and he and his wife Elizabeth (McDougall- also from Isle of Islay) had seven children as well. They are buried in the East Greenwich cemetery at the end of our road (land donated by Alexander Livingston). We believe they have no living descendants near here as only their daughters Sarah (Alexander) and Jane (Shaw) married and may have moved away. I believe Sarah moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Two of his daughters, Eleanor and Margaret are buried here in the East Greenwich Cemetery.
We have only lived on this farm for 4 years and have been working hard to restore the barns and land to a working farm. We have a brook (The Livingston Brook) that runs through our farm to the BattenKill River and a small lake -McDougall Lake. You can see some photos at www.livingstonbrookfarm.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Warmly
Patty Wesner

[Canadian Livingstone]

Hi Patty,
Welcome to the Clan Maclea Livingstone Society Forum.Thank-you for your info on Archibald Livingston of the Argyll settlement. It is quite interesting that you reside on land where Archibald's son Alexander long ago resided. As mentioned in my earlier postings, Archibald Livingston of Islay, Argyllshire appears to be one of the earliest Livingstons in the area but there were a couple of others. I have information that there was a Donald Livingston and his wife Isabel McQuaig from Islay who apparently arrived at the old Argyll Scottish settlement in present day Greenwich, Washington County, Ny as early as 1739 with other Islay, Argyllshire Scots. There were two sons John and Duncan when Donald and Isabella arrived In the then province of New York. and Isabella Livingston listed at Lot 66 was Isabella McQuaig, Donald Livingston's widow. Not certain how Archibald Livingston b. 1730 ended up on Lot 66 and it most interesting that he would end situated on Lot 66 if he was not a son of Isabella Livingston of Lot 66. Was he a relative like Donald and Isabella Livingston his origins were apparently Islay, Argyll. I have unfortunately no information linking Archibald Livingston family linked to Isabella Livingston or her late husband Donald Livingston who died some years before 1764 when as Donald Livingston's widow Isabella Livingston finally received from the Province of New York as promised back in 1739 a land grant in 1764 at Lot 66 in the Argyll Patent East of the Hudson River in what became Greenwich Township neighbouring Argyll township in (Charlotte), Washington County, NY. I am afraid Archibald Livingston ending up with Lot 66 apparently after Isabella Livingston I can't explain or find any known family connection to Isabella and her late husband Donald Livingston though I can't rule a family connection in Islay Argyll.

Also a former soldier of highland regiment involved in the French and Indian Wars of the 1750's in NY, a Daniel Livingston received a military land grant from the British and resided apparently in the Salem and later Argyll area of NY in the 1760's and 1770's with his sons on this colonial military grant. Before settling in Upper Canada in the 1780's he resided at Argyll, NY he stated. Family research has over the years suggested that Daniel Livingston was also a native of Islay, Argyllshire but there is no proof of this in the 18th century records unfortunately nor any proof of a family connection with Donald and Isabella Livingston of 1739 Islay Argyll settlement group or Archibald and son ALexander that you mention. Daniel supported the British side during the Revolutionary War with Daniel and most of his sons receiving generous land grants from the Goverment of Upper Canada (Ontario) in the 1780's. Most of the Livingstons then that remained in the Salem/Greenwich area would then likely have connected to Archibald and his family I would suspect. I was told that one son of Daniel I think it was Simeon however did return to Argyll, New York State after living for a time in Canada after the Revolutionary War. IN any event it seems to be that there was more than one Livingston family group living in Salem/Greenwich area. It it truly appreciated you letting know of your present day connection to the earliest "highland Argyllshire" Livingstone families in that part of Colonial New York. I am not 100 percent certain but it looks to me like Archibald Livingston came to this part of New York as the early as the 1730's but apparently did not receive a grant of land until many years later. I regret that I dont know much more than I have previously mentioned regarding these Livingstons that lived in your general area of New York State but clearly early on in the 1700's there was an effort as I mentioned to settle highland folks such as these Livingstons I have mentioned in your community. There may be some local historians who have much greater insight than I regarding the Livingston families that resided in the old Salem/Greenwich and Argyll area of what is today Washington County, NY with access to old land records etc.

One old book I have found that talks about Capt. Lauchlan Campbell's settlement and 18th century Scottish settlers that settled at Greenwich, old Argyll Township, NY is "An historical Account of the Settlements of Scotch Highlanders in America prior to the Peace of 1783" by J.P. McLean.

I think this list from the book pertains to the families of the original 1764 grants and those families who originally resided on them in the Argyll/ Greenwich area or was from a list created some years thereafter, but I am pretty certain these were individuals residing on the original land grants in the Greenwich area sometime in the 18th century. Apparently some of them are family or perhaps widows of the original grantees. I am not quite certain. This list is included in the above mentioned book. Perhaps this will be of some help to your research. I assume that this Isabella Livingston listed below at Lot 66 was Isabella McQuaig the wife of 18th century Islay Argyllshire settler Donald Livingston but i cant be 100 per cent certain. As stated I am not certain what if any connection this Livingston family had to old Archibald Livingston because one account states he arrived in the Province of New York from Islay, Argyll decades after Donald Livingston and Isabella McQuaig. No proof of a Livingston family connection exists unfortunately though it is curious from the later information that Archibald Livingston ends up at Lot 66 which Donald LIvingtons widow Isabella received as a grant back in 1764.

"The lots originally issued in 1764 by the Governor of the Province of New York in the Argyle Patent including that of Donald Livingston's widow Isabella Livington.
Daniel Clark Lot 29 250 acres
Angus McDougall Lot 30 300 acres
Donald McIntyre Lot 31 350 acres
Alexander McNachten Lot 32 600 acres
John McCore Lot 33 300 acres
William Fraser Lot 34 350 acres
Mary Campbell Lot 35 250acres
Duncan Campbell Sr. Lot 36 450 acres
Neil McFadden Lot 37 300acres
Mary Torry Lot 38 250 acres
Margaret McAllister Lot 39 250 acres
Robert Campbell Jr. Lot 40 450 acres
Catharine Shaw Lot 41 250 acre
John McGuire Lot 42 400 acres
Elizabeth McNeil Lot 43 200 acres
Duncan McArthur Lot 44 450 acres
Charles McArthur Lot 51 350 acres
Duncan McFadden Lot 52 300 acres
Roger Reed Lot 53 300 acres
John McCarter Lot 54 300 acres
Ann Campbell Lot 55 300 acres
Archibald McCollum Lot 56 350 acres
Alexander McArthur Lot 57 250 acres
Alexander McDonald Lot 58 250 acres
John McEwen Lot 59 500 acres
Mary Baine Lot 62 300 acres
Margaret Cargyle Lot 63 300 acres
Neil McEachern Lot 64 450 acres
Hugh Montgomery Lot 65 300 acres
[b]Isabella Livingston Lot 66 250 acres
Catharine McCarter Lot 67 250 acres
Margaret Gilchrist Lot 68 250 acres
Hannah McEwen Lot 69 400 acres
John Reid Lot 70 450 acres
Archibald Nevin Lot 71 350 acres

.


regards,

Donald (Livingstone) Clink
Historian
Clan Maclea Livingstone Society