The Livingston Manor , but in the Majority of Cases

Home , Livingston Manor, Schuyler family

T H E L I V ING STON MANO R

ADDRESS & RITTE N FOR TH E NE& & O R K BRANC H

TH E QRDE R OF COLONI AL LORD S OF MANORS I N AM E RI CA m

J OHN H E NR& EI VI NGSTON

P r sident New & o rk B r a n ch e ,

I S T 1654 1 728 ROBERT LIVINGSTON , LORD OF THE MANOR , BORN , DIED

al o rtrait th e o sses n rigin p in sio H erm an Livin sto n E s . o Oa k Hill lum bia O p of g , q , f , Co

Co u n t N . & . y ,

“ P ub lish ed b m o f th e Au t h o f Th e Li L y p er ission or vingstons o f ivings t on Ma n or . THE LORD SHIP AND MANOR O F L IVINGSTON

B efore beginning my address let me explain that I have done t o o ld everything possible obtain access to papers , letters ,

owned by members Of the family , which might throw new

light upon the Livingston Manor , but in the majority Of cases

such papers were not available . Hence I am compelled t o s t n fall back almo t en irely upon material already well know , and shall merely sketch to yo u a concise account Of the creation

and duration Of the Manor Of Livingston , introducing such items Of interest as I could Obtain t o enlighten us somewhat o f o n e o f as to the lives the owners of those vast estates , which o were decreed by Royal authority t be Lordships and Manors . I t is well known that the men Of greatest inﬂuence in the early days Of o ur Colonial history were from the aristocratic

class , numbered among which were the Livingstons . Their names constantly occurred in the early historical records Of

Scotland .

Their ﬁrst ancestor , as far as has yet been traced was a Saxon o r n Le vin o r wh o t o Thane Noble , amed g Living , seemed have settled in Scotlan d in the latter part Of the r 1 th o r the early o f t h e 1 2 th o f part century , as is shown by his donation the “ ” “ ” Church Of his Villa o r Manor to the Abbey Of Ho le Od 1 2 founded in 1 8 . — 1 1 6 1 2 1 From 5 4 we ﬁnd his grandsons , Alexander , William

and Henry , all witnesses to further charters . ’ t o Were we able trace beyond Leving s time , we should “ ” “ probably find that his ancestor was named Liv o r Lif ” “ fo r the termination ing means family Of and when , in ’ u e about a cent ry after Leving s tim , surnames came into use , “ ” h is descendants naturally adop ted that Of de Livin gst o u n “ ” “ o r wh ich would mean the E state Of the family Of L iv Lif . Passing over a century or two we find that Sir Will iam Livingston married th e h eiress o f the House Of Callendar 1 th e abou t 34 5 , whence the Callendar Arms entered into n w 2 d r Livingston shield and o form its n and g d quarter ings . /7 From this tim e onwards th e Livingstons are continually appearing in S cottish h istory as holders of Office of r e spo n sib ility including the high Office Of Custodian o f the Royal Palace

y o f . Of Linlithgow , where was born Mar Queen Scots Among her Maids o f Honour was - not only Mary Livingston (o n e Of “ in t h e Four but a lso her younger sister M agdale e . They were the daughters o f William sixth Lord Livingston o f

I st . Callendar , cousin Of the Rev Alexander Livingston , great grand father Of Robert ﬁrst Lord o f the Manor Of Livingston . 1 8 I t was in 4 5 that the Estates Of S ir James Livingston , the Of then representative the family , were formed into the free B arony o f Callendar and shortly thereafter he was created a ” Lord Of Parliament . 1 600 In Alexander , seventh Lord Livingston Of Callendar was f K a m s I created Earl o Linlithgow by ing J e V . o f In regard to the Arms the Livingstons Of Callendar ,

which are those borne by the Livingstons Of America , we ﬁnd “ ” the rather u n usual charge Of a double tressure in the Liv in st o n o r o f g quarterings , indicative either Of royal descent

some distinguished service . It is as yet unknown when this o r fo r o f was granted , which reason , therefore we the present day have the alternative Of believing ourselves descended either from some o n e Of the Kings Of Scotland o r from some lo u ro us va o u r . very ancestor , according as tastes incline 1 00 o f Abou t 5 William , fourth Lord Livingston Callendar mar ried Agnes Hepburn o f that family which alas &was t o become t o o celebrated in later years by its representative James , Earl

Of B othwell . e They had three sons , Alexander , ﬁfth Lord Livingston , Jam s 1 who was killed at Pinkie Field in 54 7 and William . James was the great great grandfather Of Robert ﬁrst Lord “

Of . B l Vo . the Manor Of Livingston (See Select iographies ,

1 2 . I , pp . 7 , etc ) 1 8 so o f This Robert , the 4 th child and th n the Rev . John 1 6 o f and Janet (Fleming) Livingston , in 73 after the death

his father set out to make his fortune in the New World . He n landed at Charlestow , near B oston , bu t very soon decided 1 6 not to remain there , for in 74 he came over t o New & ork

and proceeded up the Hudson to Albany . There he soon Ob t a in e d many public appointments including the Secretaryship f o . O o f 1 6 Indian Affairs n the 9th July , 79 , in the Presby h e d terian Church at Albany was married to Ali a , daughter o f Pe t e rse Sch lec n h o s Philip and Margareta (Van t e r t ) Schuyler . The latter was the only daughter Of Brand t Van Sch le c t en h o rs t Ren ss l rw the celebrated D irector Of e ae vck . Thus Robert Liv 6

I ‘ 7 n . “ - ‘ 3 3 M m rt u auﬁ Ge t t : m m o ul iﬂw ah u m &o ut . r

’ C I L ( DUC & ) V D ONGAN S C FA SIM E RE ED SI E OF GO ERNOR HARTER OF THE MANOR OF LIVIN GS TON . in gst o n becam e united w ith one of the largest a n d m ost power Th ful land holding families of th e Colony . e estates o f the Schuyler family like those Of the Van Rensselaers were meas

u re d by square miles rather than by acres . It has been authoritatively stated t o me by o n e of his descendants that the head Of the Schuyler family refused knighthood and de “ ” clin e d t o accept a grant of Lordship and Manor for his vast

estate . Robert soon saw that the power Ofthe Colony lay with the great o n 2 2 n d 1 686 GOV land owners and July , , he Obtained from e rn o r D ongan a Manor grant Of the lands lying fo r 1 0 miles o n 0 o f th e east bank Of the Hudson River , about 3 miles south y d Alban and extending to the New England boun ary line , f 1 6 a total o abou t acres . On this estate in 99 he o f built his Manor house , the site which was on the Hudson

River near to what is now the railway station Of Linlithgow . fo r 1 800 I t remained standing over a century , but about i t o f was taken down by the great great grandson the founder . While credulous natives will still point o u t various Old “ ” Livingston houses as Manor Houses and one may eve n o n l V see such designations picture postal cards so d in the icinity , this information is absolutely erroneous and withou t any a u

th o rit . n o w y whatsoever The Livingston Manor House is not ,

1 00 . nor has been in existence , for over years Owing to the uncertainty of the original boundaries Of the f a Manor and the di ﬁculty in identifying the Indian landm rks , 1 1 Robert in 7 3 petitioned the Government for a new patent .

- O 1 2 th 1 1 This was granted and on ctober , 7 5 , a confirmatory n Manor gra t was executed by Governor Hunter , whereby the Manor o f Livingston was given a representative in the General 1 68 Assembly , an honour which had been conferred in 5 upon the Manor Of Re n sse la e rwyck and in 1 69 7 upon the Manor l F 1 1 6 t Of C o r t a n d t . rom 7 un il his retiremen t from active 1 2 life in 7 5 , Robert represented his Manor in the General n Assembly and for seve years was its Speaker . o l f When C . Robert Hunter resigned his O fice as Governor Of o f the Colony New York , his successor , William B urnet , son o f the celebrated B ishop B urnet found in Robert Livingston “ a capable and willing adviser . Owing however to his a d va n cin g age , the latter was compelled to discontinue the numerous duties attached to his various Offices and he thereupon Of f S . . placed his resignation as ecretary Indian A fairs , etc , etc , in the hands Of Governor B urnet with the request that the

1 1 offices held by him S hould be given to his eldest surviving so n & Philip , who had been his deputy for many years . This ish on the part o f the first Lord Of the Manor was warmly approved B Of by Governor urnet , who wrote to the Lords _ Trade urging Of that this request be granted . This the Lords Trade fully endorsed and laid stress upon the fact the father had been “ very serviceable S ince the year 1 67 5 in all transactions and treaties with the Five Nations Of Indians at New York . The King duly granted the request and Philip was appointed ’ his father s successor in office . O O I s t 1 2 8 o f n ctober , 7 , Robert first Lord Of the Manor

Livingston died bequeathing the bulk Of his estate , including the Manor House to his son Philip . The southwesterly por t o tion Of the Manor however he left his son Robert , Of whom a brief accoun t will be given later . B efore concluding this abbreviated account o f the eventful career Of the ﬁrst Lord of the Livingston Manor , his great f interest in the Colony O New York S hould be noted . This is shown by his long letter to the Lords Of Trade , dated at Ne w 1 th 1 0 1 York , May 3 , 7 , in which he recommends the appointment o f a soldier as Governor and the repairing and Of preservation the forts about New York and Albany , as well “ ”

& c . S as the storing of supplies , , in hort , general preparedness in which the B ritish Government seemed t o have been very lacking .

Also by his letter to the Lords of Trad e dated at Whitehall , 1 8 1 0 t o f December th , 7 3 , he seemed have been solicitous o r Of the spiritual welfare the Indians . In this letter he asked “ b le that missionaries be sent ou t to him by the Right H o n the “ ” Go s e ll Society for propagating the p in foreign parts . This

. o u t request was granted in part Two missionaries were sent , “ Ch a m b e rla n bu t John y , S ecretary to the Society fo r the ” Propagation o f the Gospel in Foreign Parts in his letter “ ” “ 1 e b r 1 0 dated at Westminster F 7 3 writes that Mr . o f f Livingston , Secretary the Indian a faires Of the above mentioned Govern t (New York) acquaints us that four more

missionaries are still wanting , that is to say three more fo r ” o n e the Five Nations and for the River Indians . In this “ same letter Ch am b e rlayn states that the Society (not without “ a great deal Of pains a n d t im e spent to that purpose) have t wo found out Reverend D ivines , Mr . Smith and Mr . Moor O whom they think well qualiﬁed for that Errand . ne Of

, r Th o ro o o d E these the Rev g Moor , an nglishman , was pre 1 2 P P I 2 ND D OF THE 1 686 1 749 HILI L VINGSTON , LOR MANOR , BORN , DIED

M n al t a t the aw d L E s . S t . P a ul Origin por r i in possession q , , of Cr for ivingston , of in

P u b lish ed b y p erm ission o f th e Au t h or o f Th e Livingstons o f Livingston Ma nor . vented by a great fall o f snow and later by Opposition o n the part o f the fur traders from doing any mission ary work among the Indians . Subsequently he was invited to take o f charge a church at Hopewell , New Jersey , but having f . o f o fended Lieut Governor Ingoldsby that Colony he ,was cast into jail . From this he escaped and attempted to return to England . He was lost at sea together with the ship in “ which he sailed . (See D ocuments relative t o the Colonial f f ” l — o o & Vo . . 8 0 8 History the S tate New ork , IV , pp 7 79 , and RR I 0 7 7 Upon retirement from public life by the ﬁrst Lord Of the

Manor , as mentioned above , Philip his eldest surviving son succeeded him in his various ofﬁces and soon became o n e of w o f the well kno n and distinguished men the Colony , much ’ appreciated by Governor B urnet . At his father s death (his elder brother Col . John Livingston having died before his f father , without issue) Philip became the second Lord o the Manor o f Livingston and continued to take a prominent part in the political affairs of the Colony . “ “p

I o f . 1 n her History of the City New York , Vol I , . 3 9 , f . o Mrs Martha J . Lamb gives a description the second Lord f “ o . the Manor He was unlike his father in many respects , “ o f was less subtile , less persevering , less ﬁnancier and a much

handsomer man . In his youthful days he was dashing and

gay ; he had a winning way with women , and went about ” “ ” breaking hearts promiscuously . This dashing and gay o f period of his life must have been short duration , for very 1 1 0 soon after becoming of age , on the 9th of September , 7 7 , he married Catharine , the only daughter of Peter and Sarah f (Cuyler) Van B rugh . Peter Van B rugh was o r many years

Mayor of Albany and a member of the Assembly . He was “

o f . a near relation Sir John Van B rugh , and of Capts Charles

and Philip Van B rugh , commanders of men of war in the ” ’ “ ” H l a t s . o e English Navy (See g American Genealogy , p . Mrs . Lamb also states that Philip supported three o n e o n e princely establishments , in New York , in Albany and his Manor House , and that he lived in a style of courtly mag “

iﬁ n o l . . 8 n ce ce . V (See I , p 59 , of her History of the City of

New York . As the ﬁrst Lord o f the Manor was much interested in th e t h e religious welfare of Indians , so was the second evidently likewise interested in regard to the tenants of his Manor , for his great grandson has related that he was continually building

1 5 P P G O F C D P C HILI LIVINGSTON , SI NER THE DE LARATION OF IN E ENDEN E , 1 7 1 6 1 778 BORN , DIED

O al t a t th e J h H - rigin por r i in possession L E s . t l m . of o n enry ivingston , q , of C er on C C K & P P G G E HRISTINA TEN BROE , IFE OF HILI LIVIN STON , THE SI N R , 1 7 1 8 1 801 BORN , DIED

n t a t th e J h H L t Es . Cler ino nt . Origi al por r i in possession of o n enry ivings on , q , of churches in his Manor , all of which he painted red . It was probably due to his example that a very old D utch Reformed y Church in D utchess Count , very near to the Manor line was painted red , and its successor , now standing , but become a ” “ ” Monument Historique , is still known as The Red Church . Philip continued to retain his seat in the Council P o ard and to take a leading part in public affairs until his death on the th 4 of February , b y o f He was survived nine of his eleven children , whom the

iv best known were Robert the eldest , who succeeded his father as third Lord of the Manor , Peter Van B rugh , the second , a distinguished member of the Committee of One Hundred ” n and of the Provincial Co gress , of which he was the first Presi o f dent , Philip the fifth , a member also of the Committee One Hundred ” and of the first and second Continental Con

& c . & c . gress , Signer of the Declaration of Independence , , , and William the eighth , who became the celebrated War ’ Governor of New Jersey . It was William s daughter , the

V B . beautiful Sarah an rugh , who married Chief Justice Jay

I t is related that , when in Paris she and her husband entered O the Royal box at the pera , the whole house rose , supposing S h e An t o in n e t t e so that was the Queen Marie , great was the ’ resemblance . Philip s funeral was conducted with great “

. n pomp Sedgwick , in his Life of William Livingsto , page “ 1 6 : 4 , in speaking of Philip states as follows He died as has “ so been said in New York , but his obsequies (for they may be called) were performed both at that place and at his residence

in the Manor of Livingston . In the City the lower rooms of o f most the houses on B road street , where he resided , were

thrown open to receive the assemblage . A pipe of wine was t h e spiced for occasion and to each of the eight bearers ,

with a pair of gloves , mourning scarf and handkerchief , a m onkey Spoon was given . At the Manor the whole ceremony

was repeated , another pipe of wine was spiced and besides

the same presents to the bearers , a pair of black gloves and I I handkerchief were given to each of the tenants . I a note in regard to the “ Monkey Spoon ” Sedgwick adds “ It would “ be desirable to know the origin of this custom now entirely

obsolete . This spoon differed from th e common S poon in C having a ircular and very shallow bowl , and took its name

from the ﬁgure of an ape or monkey , which was carved ” in so lido t at the extremity of h e handle .

1 8

& NE & & N 1 723 D 1 790 ILLIAM LIVINGSTON , GOVERNOR OF JERSE , BOR , IED

O al a th e M a ha Me Viekef Bu al o N & . rigin portr it in possession of iss C t rine of ﬂ ,

Pub li h d b m i i o o f t h e Au h o f Th e Li t n f L s e y p er ss n t or vings o s o ivingston M a no r . t Robert the hird Lo rd of the Manor of Livingston , was born 1 6t h 1 08 m Ma y 2 o th 1 1 December , 7 , and arried , 73 , Mary daughter of Walter and Sara (Van Dam) Tong . Her name is also written Maria Thong , evidently the Dutch way of writing

. t o it Her father Walter , according one of the family charts, o f u was the grandson S ir Nicholas Tong of Tong Castle , T nstall , K ent , England . In 1 73 7 Robert took his seat in the General Assembly as representative of the Manor of Livingston , succeeding his uncle Gilbert and retaining it for 2 1 years through seven “ General Assemblies , when he retired in favour of his talented “ younger brother William , then recognised as the leader of

the Presbyterian or opposition party in the province , of which

the Livingstons had become the champions , and which at this period had become S O identiﬁed with this family that ‘ ’ it was generally known as the Livingston party ; while the ‘ Episcopalian , the party in power , took the name of the — D e Lancey party from their leader , the lieutenant governor ” “ the Honourable James D e Lancey . (See The Livingstons “ ” of Livingston Manor , p . Though represented as of a very quiet peaceable disposition the third Lord of the Manor seemed quite capable of taking care of the interests Of his Manor which was much troubled by squatte rs from Massachusetts . I II 1 6 1 a letter dated January th , 7 55 , he writes to the Governor of Massachusetts complaining of the attempts of a man named Ingersol and his adherents “ who are endeavouring with my “ e wick d tenants to get my lands claimed by your Government , 81 0 , then to get grants of it from them , that they may have

Estates at my expense defended by your Government , and

thus embroil our two Governments in a land quarrel , it seems some folks delight to ﬁsh in troubled waters they can not

live at rest and therefore will not that any others should , f unhappy mortals , but I trust Providence will not su fer them to depart this life unpunished “ Collo Hofman told me some time ago that Ingersol offered him £ 1 000 if he would join him I n petitioning your Province

for Lands lying in this , this restless monster cannot nay will v not be easy , till he be se erely punished in an exemplary manner which (I) hope may soon happen to deter others from the like carryings on that have a tendency of in b ro ilin g two neighb o uring Governments who want each others assist e n o t ance , for should he succeed in his devilish schem must

2 1 the consequence be very great disturbance and perhaps bloodshed for I am ﬁrmly resolved never to give up a foot o f my just possessio ns acquired b y my ancestors at their V ery great expense nor suffer any body to settle within my manor bounds but under me withou t sending them to Goal and deal ” ing with them according to law . (Extract from a letter

' belonging to Miss Laura Livingston M cKin st ry o i San

Francisco . ) His fears of disturbance and bloodshed in connection with the settling of the boundaries of Ne w York and Massachusetts 2 rd 1 6 were well founded . B y letter dated February 3 , 7 5 , t o o f GOV . Sir Charles Hardy writes the Lords Trade With “ regard to the dispute between this and the Massachusetts

Government it is and may be , attended with Great evils , the Inhabitants of that Province indiscriminately dispossess th e Tenants of the Proprietors of the Manors o f Livingston R a n sale e r & ' and , and have violently and by Force sei ed and ” committed all who opposed them in their outrages . O 2 2 md 1 6 n D ecember , 7 5 the Governor again writes to the

Lords of Trade as follows , After the many conferences and letters t hat have passed between me and Govr Shirly o n

this subject and the assurances he gave me , I had con c e iv ed o n hopes , that care should be taken the side of the Massachusetts Government to prevent their People commit ting any further outrages a nd V iolences upon the Lands and

o f . Tennants Mr Robert Livingston and Mr . John Van Ra n sale e r o f , Proprietors those two Mannors within this Province and which estates has been handed down to them ” by their ancestors from old Times .

o th 1 - Furthermore on July 3 , 7 5 7 , Lieutenant Governor D e o f Lancey wrote to the Lords Trade as follows , It is a melan ch o ly consideration as your Lordships Observe that in such

times as these , the D ispute between this Province and Massa ch u se t t s B ay should have been the occasion o f Riot and B loodshed : I hope your Lordships taking it into considera

tion , will ﬁnd a speedy remedy , which is so greatly wanted for it gives me great concern to be obliged to acquaint your Lordships that blood has been again S hed in this unhappy 011 th B u r t On dispute the 7 of May last , wherein James on the part of Massachusetts B ay and Casper Ham o n the part ” “ Of Mr . Livingston lost their lives . (See D ocuments ” o f o f relative to the Colonial History the S tate New York , 8 2 . . 06 Vol VII , pp 3 , and

22 3 RD 1 708 1 790 ROBERT LIVINGSTON , LORD OF THE MANOR , BORN , DIED

N c Fra nce t E s . M . . th e R . L i e , , Origin al portra it in possession of C ivings on , q , of As early as 1 753 the life of the Lord of the Manor was endangered . In fact he then escaped only through the timely o f warning from his neighbour H . Van Rensselaer Claverack , “ wh o begged him to be on his guard as he had been credibly “ informed that the New England people intended t o carry ff ‘ ’ him o either dead or alive . Again three years later the threats o f murder and arson were so serious that the New York government sent a military force t o guard the Manor “ o f and the iron mines . (See The Livingstons Livingston “ ” Manor , p . The third Lord o f the Manor personally held no position t h e under the Government of revolting Colonies , bu t he o f showed his loyalty to it by, placing at the disposal the o f Committee Safety his iron mines and foundry . Also he was well represented by his sons . Peter R . in addition t o being o f o f a member the Provincial Congress and the Assembly , was Colonel of the Manor Regiment during the Revolutionary

War . Walter , also a member of the Provincial Congress and

Speaker of the Assembly , was D eputy Commissary General o f — - the Northern D epartment , John was Aid de Camp to Gov e rn o r - Clinton , and Henry the youngest was Lieutenant Colonel o f and Commander of the Manor Regiment at the battle o f

Saratoga . . His eldest son Philip seems to have been a popular , attractive man . He died many years before his father o n t h e f 1 2 rd o 6 rd . 3 April , 7 5 , in his 3 year o f The third Lord the Manor lived through the Revolution , which broke the entail of the Manor Estate . He died Novem h 1 0 2 t . ber 7 , 79 A letter (in the collection of the late Mrs . Wil mo t H o n . so n Townsend Cox , ) written by the James D uane , a — — in in - law , to Major Valentine Gardiner , another son law , gives the summary of his Will , by which he bequeathed that part “ of the Manor which lies on the West S ide o f the great highway “ ' ” t o Alb an leading y to his son Peter R . for his life with “ ” remainder to his children and all OII the East side t o his four younger sons , Walter , Robert Cambridge , John and Henry , who inherited also his houses in New York . To his daughters he gave property in Saratoga .

O R . f these ﬁve sons , four , Peter , Walter , John and Henry ’ built residences upon the Manor . All however , excep t John s ’ have passed out of the family . John Livingston s residence , O 1 t o ak Hill , built in 795 , has descended and is now owned by his great grandson Herman . Here may be seen the original portraits of the ﬁrst Lord and Lady of the Manor together

24 with v e rv many pieces of old family furniture and family relics . With the death o f the third Lord ends the manorial life o f this portion of the Manor .

We must now turn back to the ﬁrst Lord , who bequeathed to his second surviving son Robert all the Manor lands on the Ro liff K Hudson River south of the e Jansens ill . D l ﬁ ld “ O . e a e f him , M rs Jul ia , in her B iography of Francis

. 1 2 2 and Morgan Lewis , Vol I , p . , after mentioning that his father had sent him to Scotland to be educated , states as “ follows , The ﬁrst summer that young Robert passed with “ his father at the Manor , his attention was attracted o n e afternoon by what seemed to him an unusual number of Indians skulking around and keeping within the shadow of

the woods . That night , after he was in bed , he heard a

noise in the chimney . He lay quite still and watched ; pres o f ently a pair legs descended upon the hearth , Robert sprang & from his bed , sei ed the fellow before he could extricate ‘ &’ himself , exclaiming at the same time ; Villain confess o n The man , utterly confounded , confessed that he was e of a gang wh o had ﬁ xed upon that nigh t to rob and murder the

whites . His father was so pleased with his intrepidity that he gave him the lower end of the Manor— a tract consisting of ” about thirteen thousand acres . ’ U 1 2 8 o f pon his father s death in 7 , Robert took possession this estate and built abou t 1 73 0 011 a cliff close to the Hudson

a large brick and stone mansion , which he called Clermont . S e t o n 1 ﬁre by the B ritish in 7 7 7 , all bu t the north and south

walls , was destroyed , bu t it was rebuilt on the exact plan of

the original house in 1 7 78 .

After the destruction of the Manor House , Clermont became the oldest Livingston res idence o n the Manor and still stands o f today an interes ting example Colonial architecture , with

hall and s taircas e very s imilar to those at M t . Vernon and with

much of the beau tiful woodwork for which that period is noted . Robert of Clermont (as he was called to distinguish him from his nephew the third Lord) represented the Man or in 1 8th 1 the and 9th General Assemblies , retiring in favour of m his younger brother Gilbert . O therwise he see s to have w as taken no active part in the politics of the Colonies , bu t a o f most strenuous advocate their independence , as is evidenced D l ﬁ l by the conversation related by Mrs . e a e d in the above

1 . named biographes , Vol . I , p . 34

2 5

(B e dlo w) H o wa rden whose maternal grandfather Captain B e dlo w , a wealthy Englishman , became involved pecuniarily o f with Lord Cornbury , Governor the Colony with the result usual to all those who lent any mon ey to that Governor .

o n e o r . They had but child , Robert Robert R as he is called , afterwards to become the well known Judge Livingston o f the

Admiralty Court and o f the S upreme Court o f New York . O 2 r s t f him Governor Moore writes from New York January , 1 769 to the Earl o f Hillsborough urging his appointment to a “ vacancy in the Council of the Province , saying , He is a branch “ of the most considerable family in the P r o v ce ; his father (who is very far advanced in years) possessed o f a very great landed

Estate , which will come to him undivided , as he is an only th e in son . He is married to richest Heiress the Countr y whose Father is likewise very o ld and inﬁrm ; so that in all probability he must very shortly be the greatest Landholder

withou t any exception , in this province , the very large Estate s ic which must center ( ) in him , can not fail of giving him great

weight here , and puts it very much in his power to support ‘ ’ h is M a t s Govern , which all my letters to j y Ministers have showed to be very weak and to stand much in need of every

assistance which can be obtained . Mr . Livingston is a Member of the Church of England as by Law established ’ ‘ and very well affected to his Maj ty s person and Govern He is at this time o n e of the Judges o f the Supreme Court an d has there given frequent proofs o f his abilities to serve n his Cou try . He has likewise been several years a member

of the House of Assembl y , where I must acknowledge myself

indebted to him , for his readiness and assistance in some difﬁculties I laboured under during the troubles I was engaged — & c . & c . in , on my ﬁrst arrival here , (See above mentioned

Documents , Vol . VIII , p . Though , through the adverse “ ﬂ - . fo r in uence of Lieut Governor Colden , whose cherished schem e “ strengthening the prerogative of the Crown Judge Livingston had strenuously opposed , the latter did not obtain this appoint S ment , this letter hows the high esteem in which he was held by the Governor Sir Henry Moore , notwithstanding the liberal I II principles which he had already frequently exhibited . 1 7 65 he had been chosen a member of the S tamp Act Congress in the deliberations of which he had taken an active part . An “ address to the King praying for the invaluable rights o f taxing “

ourselves and trial by our peers , drawn up by Judge Living ston had been adopted by the Congress .

C 1 7 1 8 1 7 75 JUDGE ROBER T R . LIVINGSTON OF LERMONT , BORN , DIED h E s . o t b t R . L to f N t t th e la t R , Original portra it in th e possession of th e Es a e of e o er ivings n q , or & wood Colu m b ia Cou nty N . , ,

t n o f iv n to Ma o . P ub lish e d b y p ermission o f t h e Au t h or o f Th e Livings o s L i gs n n r G G K & I UD E . C MAR ARET BEE MAN , FE OF j ROBERT R LIVINGSTON OF LERMONT 1 724 1 800 BORN , DIED

t Es o thw d O al t a t the th e E ta t th e la t R b t R . L . N rigin por r i in possession of s e of e o er ivings on , q , f or oo ,

l b . um a u t N . & Co i Co n y ,

Pu b lish ed b y p erm ission o f t h e Au t h or of Th e Livings t ons o f Livings t on Ma nor .

Time and space forbid enlarging further u pon the career of this eminent Christian , Statesman and Patriot of whom one o f his most intimate friends , William Smith , the historian and

Chief Justice of Canada , was accustomed to say , If I were to o n be placed a desert island , with one book and one friend ,

that book should be the B ible and that friend Robert R . Li i ” ’ “ ” v r st o n . g (See Hunt s Life of Edward Livingston , 2 p . 7 . g O 8th 1 2 n D ecember , 74 , in New York Robert R . Livingston had married Margaret the only surviving child and the heiress of Colonel Henry and Janet (Livingston) B eekman of Rhine “ ” beck and granddaughter of Robert Livingston The Nephew , so called from his being the nephew of Robert ﬁrst Lord of the

Manor . Their married life was a very happy one and lasted

o n e - nearly third o f a century . The Judge died on December th 1 e C o , 7 7 5 , l aving surviving him , his widow and ten hildren . The Judge ’s widow Margaret (B eekman) Livingston sur v ive d 2 1 800 her husband 5 years and died in , while Sitting at the head of her dinner table at Clermont . Previous to her o f death , with the consent and approval her eldest son , Robert

. sh e R divided the large B eekman Estate of acres , which she received from her father , among her ten children . Clermont had passed to her eldest son upon his father ’ s death . His career is so well known that I shall only mention its main incidents . Entering politics at an early age , he was one o f the Committee of ﬁve appointed to prepare the D ec la ra t io o i f n Independence , was Secretary of Foreign A fairs ' o f at the time the Revolution , Chancellor of the S tate of New o n e ﬂ York , of the most in uential and able advocates of the U adoption of the nited S tates Constitution by his S tate ,

Minister to France , Negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase ,

& c . & c . , He had made experiments with boats propelled by steam and one day when in Paris , returning to his apartment , he remarked to his family that he thought he had found a man who could aid him . This proved indeed to be true , for the man was no other than Robert Fulton and the little boat which at last f crowned their united e forts with success , was called The ’ y Clermont , after Chancellor Livingston s beloved countr d t seat . After retiring from public life , he lived until his ea h 1 8 1 s in 3 upon t his e tate , which is now in the possession of his grea t grandson .

’ S The Chancellor s brothers and isters were , with scarcely an f exception , either prominent themselves in the a fairs of their

o r . country , married to men who were so They were Janet ,

wh o . m r married Gen R ichard M o ntgomery , Margaret who a m ried Surgeon General Thomas Tillotson , Catharine who a r ried the Rev . Freeborn Garretson , Henry B eekman , a Colonel

R . ( in the Revolutionary Army , John , who lid good service o f to his country in the supplying gunpowder , Gertrude , who o f married Gen . Morgan Lewis , Governor the S tate of New

& . . ork , Joanna , who married Hon Peter R Livingston , Speaker o f & c . the New York Assembly , President of the Senate , ,

. F ran Ce Alida , who married Gen John Armstrong , Minister to ,

& c . , and Edward , Secretary of S tate , Minister to France ,

& c . author of the Penal Code of Louisiana , Though the Revolution ended the entail in this the younger line as it had in the elder , Manorial customs long survived and we read o f Chancellor Livingston still paying his visits in a grand gilded coach drawn by four horses . From this we may surmise that , while politically the strictest of democrats , the style o f living congenial to him continued to be that of the d f Lor s o the Manor .

N O TE .

The Author is under great obligations t o those from whose works quotations in this address are taken and especially to

B ro ckh o lst . Edwin Livingston , Esq , for permission to draw “ o f largely from his exhaustive work , The Livingstons Living ston Manor .