|
|
This page was set up show the descent of Bruce Sewell's
Family from the Livingstons of Callendar. We became aware of our
descent from the Livingstons from a letter
written in 1858 by our great great grandfather, {Rev.} Henry Doyle Sewell,
in which a reference was made to "the Earl of Livingston". Research
by Sewell descendants including W. Darcy McKeough,
Sewell
Vincent Sample, Carma Kathleen Wallace and Robert
James Sewell have led to the compilation on this page.
The early Livingston Genealogy from the 11th to 13th century represents
a compilation of information kindly provided by Livingston descendants
including Nell Livingston Blay, Steven R. Edington,
Helen
Hanson, Don C. Livingston, Robert Livingston, Joe Slavin, and John
P. Stewart of Livingston, Scotland.
Please see Favourite Links as well as links throughout the page for further information
Visit our Family Photograph Page by clicking on the camera:
Please visit the Sewell
Genealogy Site Map for other pages.
Livingston
Genealogy
Generations
1 to 6
A
Troubled Time in Scotland
Generations
7 to 9
The
Descent of Christian de Callendar
Generations
10 to 15
Generations
16 to 20
Generations
21 to 25
Generations
26 to present
The
Arms of Sewell
Favourite
Links
Edward the Atheling or “Royal Prince” (1016 – 1057) was the eldest son of King Edmund (II) Ironside of England. He fled to Hungary during the reign of Canute (1016 – 1035) where he married Agatha, daughter of King Stephen. Their daughter, St. Margaret the Exile, was born in Hungary in 1045. After the death of her father in 1057, St. Margaret arrived at the English court of Edward the Confessor. With her came the forebearer of the Livingstons, a Saxon nobleman named Baron de Leving. Ten years later following the defeat of Harold Godwinson at Hastings in 1066, St. Margaret was in exile again. This time, she fled to Scotland, and apparently, Baron de Leving accompanied her. St. Margaret married King Malcolm (III) Cænmore of Scotland in 1068, and was canonised in 1250. Her feast day in Scotland is November 16.
Perhaps Baron de Leving (or more likely his forebearer) accompanied Edward the Atheling into exile in the early 11th century; for as Mr. E.B. Livingston argues so convincingly in The Livingstons of Callendar, Baron de Leving was doubtless of Saxon lineage. Mr. Livingston states:
“...
in England, long before the Norman Conquest, the patronymic Leving, Living
or Lyfing, derived from Leofing, which in modern English means ‘the son
of Leof’ – namely ‘son of the Beloved’ – was borne by numerous persons
of rank and positon as their family or tribal name. It occurs as
early as the middle of the ninth century as the name of one of the witnesses
to a charter of Berthwulf of Mercia; and the Archbishop of Canterbury who
crowned Edmund Ironside in 1016, and who likewise crowned his rival and
successor Canute a few months later, also bore that name. So did
another famous Saxon churchman, the Bishop of Crediton and Worster, and
the friend of Earl Godwine, who has come to us in the words of the old
Saxon chronicler as ‘Lyfing se wordsnotera biscop,’ namely ‘Living the
eloquesnt bishop’.
Besides
these two great churchmen, there are many other persons bearing this name
mentioned in, or witness to, Anglo-Saxon charters; one of these Levings
or Livings being the Staller or Master of the Horse to Edward the Confessor.”
Regardless of his origins, our lineage begins with Baron de Leving:
Generation
One
Baron
de Leving
circa 1057
Baron
de Leving, a Saxon nobleman, accompanied St. Margaret the Exile when she
arrived at the Court of King Edward the Confessor in 1057.
Child 1:
Leving
Generation Two
Leving
Little
is known of Leving, except that his father was Baron de Leving and his
son was Leving of Levingstoun.
Child 1:
Leving of Levingstoun
Generation Three
Leving
of Levingstoun
circa 1100
Leving
of Levingstoun settled in West Lothian, southwest of Edinburgh during the
reign of King Edgar (1097 – 1107) and is also known to have been there
during the reign of King Alexander I (1107 – 1124) and King David I (1124
– 1153). His name was recorded in the latinized form “Levingus” when
he presented the church of his manor to the newly founded Abbey of Holyrood
in 1128.
Child 1:
Thurston of Levingstoun
Child 2:
Hugh of Balbard in Fife
Child 3:
German, Burgess of St. Andrews in Fife
Generation Four
Thurston
of Levingstoun
circa 1150
In
1187, two of Thurston’s sons, Alexander and William, witnessed a charter
in which Thurston was involved.
Child 1:
Alexander of Livingston
Child 2:
William the Lion of Livingston
Child 3:
Henry, married Maria de Scalebroc
Generation Five
Alexander
of Livingston
Alexander was known
to have been living during the reign of King David I (1124 – 1153)
Child 1: Sir
William Livingston
Generation Six
Sir
William Livingston
Sir William is known
to have been living during the reign of King William I the Lion (1165 –
1214)
Child 1:
Sir Andrew de Livingston
Child 2: Sir Archibald de Livingston
Saxon and then Norman monarchs in England constantly put pressure on Scottish kings. In 1068, King Malcolm (III) Cænmore of Scotland (reigned 1058 – 1093) married St. Margaret the Exile, a member of the West Saxon dynasty, and their sons ruled Scotland until 1153. The Scottish kings who followed established ever stronger feudal ties to the English Crown. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 made a deep and lasting impression on Scottish history. The Kings of Scotland looked with favour on Norman settlers who came north to live in Scotland, since these Norman newcomers strengthened the Scottish monarchy. The Scottish kings gave the Norman settlers land and titles in return for which the settlers became loyal followers who helped the Crown quell uprisings and control rebellious Scottish lords.
Relations between Scotland and England became critical following the death in 1290 of Queen Margaret, the Maid of Norway who was the last of the direct descendants of Malcolm Cænmore and St. Margaret the Exile. In 1286, the three-year-old Maid of Norway had become Queen of Scotland under a regency. In 1290, Margaret, then seven years old, set sail from Norway to Scotland to assume her crown and marry Edward, the eldest son of King Edward (I) of England. En route, however, she fell ill and died in Orkney, never having reached Scotland.
A struggle for the succession ensued, and thirteen Scottish nobles claimed the throne. King Edward (I) of England interceded and chose John Balliol as king. To be fair, John Balliol's claim to the throne was as legitimate as that of any of the thirteen claimants; but there is little doubt that he was chosen because his support for King Edward’s policies was certain. Scottish resistance to King Edward’s plan to bring Scotland into the English fold found its first leader in Sir William Wallace, a poor knight who enjoyed the support of the growing middle class of small landowners, merchants and townspeople; especially after King Edward deposed John Balliol and declared himself King of Scotland in 1296.
In 1297, Sir William Wallace led a small force of about 30 men that burned Lanark and killed the Sheriff, who was our forebearer Sir Andrew de Livingston. Wallace then mobilized a much larger force that routed the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on September 11, 1297. However, King Edward (I) defeated Wallace’s forces at the Battle of Falkirk on July 22, 1298. The leadership of the resistance then passed to Robert the Bruce, grandson of Robert de Bruce, Lord Annadale; who had been the most elderly of the thirteen claimants to the throne in 1290.
King Robert the Bruce’s great X4 granddaughter, Beatrice Fleming, daughter of Robert Fleming, 1st Lord Fleming, was to marry James Livingston, 3rd Lord Livingston of Callendar in the 15th century.
| Sir
Andrew de Livingston
Died: 1297,
Sir Andrew was one of the Scottish knights summoned by King Edward I on May 24th 1297 to attend his expedition to Flanders. He was killed the same year in the revolt led by the great Scottish hero Sir William Wallace. Sir Andrew was the Sheriff of Lanark, and it appears that Sir William Wallace emerged as the leader of the Scottish forces after Sir Andrew was killed. It is on official record that the Sheriff of Lanark was killed when Scottish rebels burned Lanark in 1297. Blind Harry, the Minstrel, asserts that this sheriff was an Englishman by the name of Hesilrig; but there is no record of such a man having held this office. Sir Andrew de Livingston is known to have been Sheriff of Lanark during the year preceeding Wallace’s Revolt; and it is also evident that he must have been deceased about this time due to the fact that after Wallace’s Revolt there is no further reference to him in the public records. Mr. E.B. Livingston writes in The Livingstons of Callendar: “The earliest Livingston documentary seal, so far as known, is that of Sir Andrew de Livingston, Sheriff of Lanark, which is appended to his homage roll, dated 28 August 1296. This, however, is evidently not heraldic. It is described by the late Mr. Joseph Bain in his list of Homage Seals as: ‘Lozenge shape, a wolf (?) passant to sinister, a tree behind; S’Andree D’Levingistun Mil.’” Married: Lady Elene de Quarantley
or de Carantelegh
|
Sir
Archibald de Livingston
Died: 1313 Sir Archibald de Livingston, brother of Sir Andrew, was the founder of the Livingstons of Linlithgow and Stirling, but the main line became extinct in 1512. He was Sheriff of Linlithgow in 1302 and Sheriff of Linlithgow and Stirling in 1303.
|
Generation Eight
Sir
William de Livingston
Died: 1339
Sir
William Livingston of Gorgyn, Crainmillar and Drumry, was a firm adherent
of the House of Bruce, and fought against the English at Halidon Hill,
July 19th, 1333
Married: Margaret Comyn; daughter
of Sir Fergus Comyn, Lord of Gorgyn
Child 1: John Livingston, died
1366
John
Livingston married a daughter of Wemyss of Wemyss and was the founder of
the Livingstons of Drumry and East Wemyss, but the line became extinct
when Sir Robert Livingston was slain at Flodden Field in 1513.
Child 2:
Sir William Livingston of Callendar
Generation Nine
Sir
William Livingston of Callendar
Died: November 30, 1364
Married: Christian de Callendar,
daughter of Sir Patrick de Callendar
Child 1: Patrick Livingston (died
while a hostage in England)
Child 2: Sir
John Livingston of Callendar
Child 3: William Livingston
Child 4: (son) Livingston
Sir
William supported the House of Bruce, and he accompanied King David II
on his ill-fated invasion of England in 1346. Following the Scottish
defeat at the battle of Neville’s Cross on October 17, 1346, King David
along with many of his followers, including Sir William Livingston, were
taken prisoner. King David was not released until the Treaty of Berwick
in October 1357, but Sir William was back in Scotland in 1350 or earlier.
About that time, the lands of Sir Patrick de Callendar were taken
from him for his adherence to the English, and given to Sir William Livingston
who then married Sir Patrick’s only daughter. It was uncertain who would
gain the upper hand in Scotland, and it appears that Sir William made sure
his situation was covered. In the event of a Scottish victory, he was a
supporter of the House of Bruce. In the event of an English victory, his
wife was from a family of English supporters; and he was doing his best
to safeguard the lands of Sir Patrick de Callendar. Sir William’s Coat
of Arms was the Livingston Arms (Argent, three cinquefoils Gules; i.e.,
a silver or white background with three red five circle shapes) quartered
with the Callendar Arms (Sable, a bend between six billets, Or; i.e., a
black background with a diagonal between six gold bars.) As one of
the Scottish magnates who negotiated the treaty of peace with England,
Sir William’s seal of arms is attached to that document which is still
preserved and bears the date 5th October, 1357.
The
Descent of Christian de Callendar
from Mr. E.B. Livingston: The
Livingstons of Callendar
|
died circa 1199 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
died circa 1217 |
|
Earl of Menteith |
|
|
||
|
|
|
Thane of Callendar |
|
|
||
|
circa 1240 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
performed homage to Edward I, 1296 died February 22, 1303/04 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
28 years of age in February 1303/04 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
only daughter |
|
|
Generation
Ten
Sir
John Livingston of Callendar
Born: circa 1356
Died: 1402; slain at the Battle
of Homildon Hill on September 14, 1402; as was his cousin Sir Robert Livingston
of Drumry and Wemyss.
Married: (first name unknown) Menteith,
daughter of John Menteith of Kerse.
Child 1: Sir
Alexander Livingston of Callendar
Child 2: John Livingston, Burgess
of Stirling
Child 3: Robert Livingston
Married: Agnes Douglas of Dalkeith
Child 4: William Livingston; became
1st Viscount of Kilsyth; his great X3 grand daughter Barbara Livingston
married the Reverend Alexander Livingston circa 1570.
Generation Eleven
Sir
Alexander Livingston of Callendar
Died: 1451
Married: (first name unknown) Dundas;
daughter of James Dundas of Dundas
Child 1: Sir
James Livingston, 1st Lord Livingston of Callendar
Child 2: Alexander Livingston
of Phildes, executed by hanging and/or beheading on Castle
Hill in Edinburgh on January 21, 1449/50 for high treason. Robert
Livingston of Linlithgow, Comptoller, was executed for high treason as
well.
The following account is from Sir Hector Livingston Duff, The Sewells of the New World, William Pollard and Co., 1924, and is quoted by W. Darcy McKeough in: The McKeough Family Tree, Section #44, Livingston. The material originated with: Mr. E. B. Livingston, The Livingstons of Callendar.
"Sir
Alexander Livingston of Callendar, a man of transcendent ability and far-reaching
ambition, left his mark deeply on the Scottish history of his time. He
was the favourite counsellor of James I (of Scotland), after whose death
he acted as guardian to the young King James II during his minority, and,
in that capacity was for some time the virtual ruler of Scotland.
"Even
in the turbulent age in which he lived, Sir Alexander Livingston was distinguished
by his uncommon boldness and decision. These qualities are apparent in
everything he did, but are nowhere more strikingly shown than in his high-handed
interference with the re-marriage of the Queen Mother, Joan Beaufort grand-daughter
of John of Gaunt and widow of James I. This singular affair and other violent
passages in the life of Sir Alexander are very well described by Mr. E.
B. Livingston in his Livingstons of Callendar, pp. 38-49.
"During
his eventual career Sir Alexander Livingston filled various offices of
the highest dignity and importance, including those of Justiciary of Scotland
and Ambassador to England. He died in 1451. By his wife, a daughter of
James Dundas of Dundas he had, among other children, two sons, of whom
the younger, Alexander Livingston of Feldes, Constable of Stirling Castle,
was the ancestor of the Livingstons of Dunipace (extinct 1678)."
Generation Twelve
Sir
James Livingston, 1st Lord Livingston of Callendar
Died: 1467
Married: de Berwick, Marion; daughter
of Thomas de Berwick
Child 1: James Livingston, 2nd
Lord Livingston of Callendar; died without issue.
Child 2: Alexander
Livingston
Child 3: (son) Livingston
The following account is also from Sir Hector Livingston Duff, The Sewells of the New World:
"James
Livingston succeeded his father as guardian to James II and became Great
Chamberlain and Master of the Household to that monarch, who always held
him in high esteem, and, in 1454, raised him to the peerage of Scotland
as the first Lord Livingston of Callendar. By his wife, Marion, a daughter
of Thomas de Berwick, he had three sons, of whom he was succeeded by the
eldest, namely, James, second Lord. This peer dying without issue, the
line of the House was carried on by his younger brother."
Generation Thirteen
Alexander
Livingston
Died: 1472
Alexander is known to have married, but
the name of his wife has been lost.
Child 1: Sir
James Livingston, 3rd Lord Livingston of Callendar
Generation
Fourteen
Sir
James Livingston, 3rd Lord Livingston of Callendar
Died: 1503
Sir James Livingston succeeded his childless uncle as 3rd Lord Livingston of Callendar in 1497. His wife, Beatrice Fleming, was the daughter of Robert Fleming, 1st Lord Fleming, who was a grandson of Robert Stuart, Duke of Albany and a great X 3 grandson of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. Through this line, our forebearers can be traced back to the ancient Kings of Scotland, Wessex, Gwynedd in North Wales, and Leinster in Ireland. Through Beatrice Fleming, the Sewells are also descended from Charlemagne the Great and the Dukes of Normandy; including such notables as Rolf the Viking Pirate Chief, Conan the Crooked and Sigurd “Snake Eye” Ragnarson, just to mention a few.
The Livingston of Callendar Coat of Arms are from Edwin Brockholst Livingston: The Livingstons of Callendar, and Their Principal Cadets, Edinburgh University Press, 1920, page 26
Married: Beatrice Fleming, daughter
of the 1st Lord Fleming
For Beatrice Fleming's descent, click
on The
Kings of Scotland.
Child 1: Sir
William Livingston, 4th Lord Livingston of Callendar
Married Second: Agnes Houston
Child 2: Alexander Livingston
of Terrintiran
Generation
Fifteen
Sir
William Livingston, 4th Lord Livingston of Callendar
Died: before April 25, 1518
Married before April 5, 1501 to Agnes
Hepburn, daughter of Alexander Hepburn, the Younger, of Whitsome, who was
son of Sir Patrick Hepburn, Lord Hailes.
Child 1: Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston of Callendar. Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston of Callendar was the guardian of the young Mary Queen of Scots. He married first to Janet Stewart and they had no issue. He married second to Agnes Douglas, daughter of John, 2nd Earl of Morton. Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston of Callendar died in 1553.
His eldest son, John Livingston, the Master of Livingston, married Janet, eldest daughter of Malcolm, 3rd Lord Fleming. They had no issue. John was slain at the Battle of Pinkie, September 10th, 1547.
His second son, William Livingston, became the 6th Lord Livingston. He married Agnes, youngest daughter of Malcolm, 3rd Lord Fleming. Their eldest son, Alexander Livingston, 7th Lord Livingston of Callendar, married Helenor Hay, elder daughter of Andrew, 8th Earl of Errol.
His youngest son, Thomas Livingston, married Agnes Crawford of Haining. Their 11X great granddaughter Helen Hanson (born 1947, living in Australia as of 2001) supplied much of the previously missing Livingston genealogy from the 12th and 13th centuries.
Child 2: James Livingston
Generation
Sixteen
James
Livingston
Died: September 10, 1547, slain
at the Battle of Pinkie, near Edinburgh.
James
Livingston was second son of the fourth Lord. This James Livingston fought
at the Battle of Pinkie (September 10, 1547) under the command of his relative,
James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, and was there killed, as was also the Master
of Livingston, his nephew.
Married circa 1544
Child 1: {Reverend}
Alexander Livingston, M.A.
Generation Seventeen
Reverend
Alexander Livingston, M.A.
Died: circa 1598
The
Reverend Alexander Livingston was the first Protestant Rector of Monyabroch.
He was known as Master Alexander Livingston, a reference to his degree
of Master of Arts.
Married: circa 1570 to Barbara
Livingston, daughter of Alexander Livingston of Over & Nether
Inches, and grand daughter of William Livingston, 4th Viscount of Kilsyth.
Child 1: Katherine Livingston
Child 2: {Reverend}
William Livingston, M.A.
Generation Eighteen
{Reverend}
William Livingston, M.A.
Born: Kilsyth Castle, circa 1576
Died: 1641, Lanark
When
only twenty years old William Livingston was presented by his kinsman,
Alexander, 7th Lord Livingston, afterwards first Earl of Linlithgow, to
the family living of Callendar in Perthshire, but, finding that his ignorance
of the Gaelic language stood in the way of his properly discharging the
duties of this Highland parish, he was eventually transferred, by the same
patron, to the rectory of Monyabroch in succession to his father.
Married: January 6, 1601
at Falkirk to Agnes Livingston, daughter. of Alexander Livingston of Falkirk,
by Marlan Bryson of Falkirk.
Child 1: {Reverend}
John Livingston, M.A.
Child 2: Samuel Livingston
Child 3: Barbara Livingston
Child 4: Lillias Livingston
Child 5: Anna Livingston (married
May 5, 1627, to Thomas Vassie, minister of Torphichen; son
of William Vassie, burgess of Lanark)
Child 6: Margaret Livingston (married
January 4, 1632 to Matthew Young, schoolmaster in Lanark; died November
1632)
Child 7: William Livingston
(apprenticed to James Nairn, merchant, Edinburgh on July 21, 1630)
William
Livingston married Mary Lindsay. Their great X 7 granddaughter Margaret
Nell Livingston Blay kindly provided many leads and much information
on Livingston genealogy.
Married second: to Nicolas Somervell.
Child 8: Jean Livingston (married
September 1651, to Gideon Penman, minister of Crichton)
Child 9: Martha Livingston
Child 10: Janet Livingston,
(died April 3, 1690)
Child 11: Henry Livingston
Married third: to Marion Weir
(died January 7, 1632)
Generation Nineteen
{Reverend}
John Livingston, M.A.
Born: Monyabroch, June 21,
1603
Died: Rotterdam, Holland, August
1672
Married: June 13, 1635 at Edinburgh
to Janet Fleming who was born in 1613, died Rotterdam, Feb. 1690/1 and
was a daughter of Bartholomew Fleming by Marian Hamilton.
{Reverend} John Livingston and Janet Fleming had fifteen children, eight of whom died before reaching the ten years of age, many of them as infants:
Child 1: John Livingston, born
at Iron Furnace of Milton, Co. Down, Ireland on June 30, 1636 and died
at Stranraer, Wigtown, Scotland on January 8, 1639. John was buried
in Inch Churchyard.
Child 2: William Livingston, born
at Lanark, January 7, 1638. William married Ann Veitch on December
23, 1663, and he left surviving issue. He was buried in Greyfriars'
Burial Ground on June 12, 1700
Child 3: Bartholomew Livingston,
born
September 3, 1639 and died September 24, 1641
Child 4: Agnes Livingston, born
September 20, 1640 and died October 17, 1641
Child 5: Marion Livingston, born
October 10, 1642, married {Rev.} John Scott September 28, 1658 and died
July 1661 or 1662.
Child 6: Janet Livingston, born
September 28, 1643, married Andrew Russell; but had no issue. Janet
died August 1696.
Child 7: John Livingston, born
August 20, 1644 and died October 1645.
Child 8: Agnes Livingston, born
August 18, 1645 and married David Cleland June 6, 1676.
Child 9: James
Livingston
Child 10:
Joanna Livingston, born September 1647 and died October 1648.
Child 11:
Barbara Livingston, born June 21, 1648 and married James
Millar or Miller.
Child 12:
John Livingston, born June 24, 1652 and died October 12,
1652.
Child 13:
Andrew Livingston, born August 1653 and died February 7,
1655.
Child 14: Robert Livingston, "Robert
the Grantee", also know as "Robert the First Lord of the Manor" landed
at Charlestown, Massachusetts in December 1673. Among his grand children
were:
Mr.
John P. Stewart of Livingston, Scotland has chronicled The
Life and Times of Master John Livingston.
Please
visit this site for further details of the Reverend John Livingston and
his family.
The following account is from Sir Hector Livingston Duff, The Sewells of the New World, William Pollard and Co., 1924, and is quoted by W. Darcy McKeough in The McKeough Family Tree, Section #44, Livingston. This material originated with: Mr. E. B. Livingston, The Livingstons of Callendar and The Livingstons of the Manor.
"John,
like his father, entered the Church, and held various livings, of which
the last was Ancrum in the county of Roxburgh, whence it happens that he
is usually referred to in the family annals as Master John Livingston of
Ancrum in Teviotdale. This celebrated man was one of the most eminent divines
in the history of the Church of Scotland, and, after the lapse of more
than two hundred years, his name is still well remembered in that country.
He was nearly always in trouble of one kind or another, being of an uncompromising
character and essentially a fighter, as anyone could tell from his original
portrait now in possession of the Earl of Wemyss, which shows a face singularly
massive, rugged and sombre. At the very outset of his career he became
involved in a bitter dispute with the Bishop of Glasgow, and from then
onward he was constantly being censured for insubordination, and was more
than once suspended from his holy office. Yet, in spite of all this, 'Worthy,
famous Mr. John Livingston,' as he is affectionately called by contemporary
chroniclers, carried more weight with the Scottish people than any churchman
of his time.
"On
the account, and partly, too, perhaps by reason of his aristocratic connections,
he was chosen as one of the Commissioners who, in 1650, proceeded to Holland
to negotiate with the then Prince of Wales, afterwards Charles II, the
terms on which the Scottish nation was prepared to support the restoration
of the Stuart dynasty, and it was Livingston himself who administered to
the young prince the oath by which he swore to observe the Solemn League
and Covenant. When, after his recall to the throne, Charles broke this
promise, Livingston refused to recognise him as head of the Scottish Church,
in consequence of which this brave and honest man was banished to Rotterdam
(in 1664), where, in August, 1672, he died.
"John
Livingston married, on the 23rd June, 1635, Janet, daughter of Bartholomew
Fleming. She was a kinswoman of the Earl of Wigton who, with his
eldest son, Lord Fleming, attended the wedding. His own account of
his courtship reads very quaintly. He says that he spent 'nine months seeking
a direction form God' before he could make up his mind to propose to the
lady, and admits that it was not until some time after the wedding that
he succeeded in developing the 'proper marriage affection' towards her.
However, in spite of this rather unpromising start, the pair lived very
devotedly together for many years, and had fifteen children, so everything
seems to have come right in the end.
"Of
John Livingston’s eight sons but three survived him, and only two have
male posterity living at this day, namely James and Robert. The latter,
born at Ancrum, on the 13th December, 1654, and destined to become the
most celebrated of his family, emigrated in 1673 to America, where he acquired
extensive lands on the Upper Hudson river, in what is now the State of
New York. So greatly did Robert prosper in the New World, and such were
his influence and importance there, that in 1686, when he was only thirty-two
years old, his estates on the Hudson were erected by a grant from Governor
Dongan, afterwards confirmed by George I, into the 'Lordship and Manor
of Livingston with rights of Court Leet and Court Baron, and all other
manorial and feudal privileges,' to which favours was added in 1715 the
further right of nominating a special representative for the Manor of Livingston
to sit and vote in the Colonial House of Assembly.
"Thus,
within the marvellously short space of twelve years, and at a distance
of three thousand miles from the home of his ancestors, did this younger
son of a poor Scottish clergyman lay anew the foundations of his nobly
descended line. From the circumstances of his having been thus the originator
of the since famous family of the Livingstons of the Manor, and the first
to receive a grant of the honours and privileges above mentioned, Robert
Livingston is generally referred to in the annals of his House as 'Robert
the Grantee'. He died at Boston, Massachusetts, 1st October, 1728, and
was succeeded in the lordship of the manor of Livingston by his son Philip,
whose descendants own a large part of the original manorial estates to
this day. So vast were the landed possessions of the American Livingstons
at the time of the War of Independence that they are said to have staked
more on the issue of that struggle than any other family in the American
colonies.
"Mr.
E. B. Livingston’s book The Livingstons of the Manor, gives a full
and most absorbing account of the succession of celebrated men whom this
branch of the Livingstons have produced- of Philip Livingston, commonly
called 'Philip the Signer'; of Robert Livingston, the Chancellor; of Edward
Livingston, the Secretary of State and Minister to France; of General Henry
Livingston, of William Livingston first Governor of the State of New Jersey,
and many others, and of the great part played by them in the history of
the United States. But though the line of the Manor had thus covered itself
with honour, it is not the senior surviving branch of the old House of
Callendar. That distinction belongs to the descendants of Robert the Grantee’s
elder brother James, our own ancestor."
Generation Twenty
James
Livingston
Born: Stranraer, Scotland, September
22, 1646
Died: 1700
James
was apprenticed on September 24, 1662 to Edward Stevenson, a merchant in
Edinburgh. He subsequently became a merchant in that city himself,
where he died in 1700; and was interred in the Greyfriars' Burial Ground
on June 4, 1700. He married twice, but the name of his first wife,
the mother of Robert who joined his uncle in America, is unknown.
James married second to Christian Fish on August 15, 1683. (This
information is from Mr. E. B. Livingston, The Livingstons of Callendar,
page 448)
Child 1: Robert Livingston
Generation
Twenty-one
Robert
Livingston
Born: Rotterdam, Holland, 1663
Died: New York, April 21, 1725
This Robert, our ancestor who came to America in 1687 or 1696, is known
as “Robert the Nephew” to distinguish him from his Uncle “Robert the Grantee”
referred to previously, who landed at Charlestown, Massachusetts in December
1673 and moved on to New York in 1674 and then to Albany.
Married: 1697 to Margaretta Schuyler,
who was a daughter of Colonel Peter Schuyler and Engeltie Van Shaik.
Child 1: James
Livingston
The following account of the background and relatives of Robert "The Nephew" Livingston's wife, Margaretta Schuyler, is quoted from W. Darcy McKeough in The McKeough Family Tree, Section #44, Livingston.
"Margaretta
Schuyler was the daughter of Col. Peter Schuyler (1657 -1724) and Engeltie
Van Shaik. Col. Peter was a Lieut. of Cavalry in the Albany Militia, became
the first Mayor of Albany in 1686 and head of the Board of Indian Commissioners.
In 1690 and 1691 he led expeditions to Canada; and was the acting Governor
of the State of New York in 1719-1720. They had four children - three
dying the fourth being Margaretta Schuyler.
"His
second marriage in 1691 was to Maria Van Rensselaer - three sons
- one of whom was Phillip who married Margaretta Schuyler, daughter of
Johannes (a brother of Col. Peter) Schuyler (1688 - 1747) and Elizabeth
Statts.
"Col.
Peter Schuyler was the second son of Phillip Pieterse Van Schuyler (d.
1683) who came to Albany between 1629 & 1639 from Amsterdam, held the
offices of Magistrate and of Captain under both Dutch and English governors.
Phillip Pieterse Van Schuyler married Dec. 12, 1650 to Margarita Van Slicktenhorst
(1628 - 1711). They had ten children, seven living children when she died.
"Margarita
Van Slicktenthorst was the daughter of Brant Arentse Van Slicktenhorst
(d. 1660 in Holland) who came to New Nederland in 1648 from Nykerk in Gelderland
as Resident-Director of the Patroonship, or colony, of Rensselaerwek. His
wife had died and he came with two children - Margarita above and Genitt.
"A
sister of Col. Peter Schuyler, Alvida, married first to Nicholas
Van Rensselaer, and married second to Robert Livingston “the Grantee”
(1654 - 1728) the first Lord of the Manor."
Generation Twenty-two
James
Livingston
Born: Albany New York before December
21, 1701
Died: New York, September
7, 1763
Married: May 18, 1723 to Maria
Kierstede (born: April 2, 1704, died: November 1, 1762)
Child 1: Robert James Livingston
Child 2: Janet
Livingston
Child 3: Elizabeth Livingston
Child 4: Margaret Livingston
Child 5: Mary Livingston
Generation
Twenty-three
Janet
Livingston
Born: New York, November
1, 1730
Died: Quebec City, November 1,
1819
Married: New York, November 3,
1752 to William Smith, Chief Justice of the Province of New York and Chief
Justice of Canada (born: June 18, 1728, died: December 6, 1793, son
of William Smith & Mary Hett)
Child 1: Jennet Smith
Child 2: Mary Smith
Child 3: Elizabeth Smith
Child 4: Mary Smith
Child 5: Margaret Susanna Smith
Child 6: William Livingston Smith
Child 7: Margaret Smith
Child 8: {Hon.} William Smith
(only son who survived infancy)
Child 9: Livingston Smith
Child 10: Henrietta
Smith
Generation Twenty-four
Henrietta
Smith
Born: New York February 6, 1776
Died: Quebec May 26, 1849
Married: September 24, 1796 at
Quebec City to {Hon.} Jonathan Sewell, Chief Justice of Lower Canada (born
Boston 1766, died Quebec November 12, 1839 and was a son of Attorney General
Jonathan Sewall and Esther
Quincy)
For Sewell forebears from Coventry, Warwickshire circa 1500, see The Robert Sewell Page
Child 1: Henrietta Maria Sewell
(died an infant)
Child 2: {Sheriff} William Smith
Sewell (1798-1866)
{Sheriff} William Smith Sewell's great X2 grandson is Sewell
Vincent Sample and his great X 3 granddaughter is Carma
Kathleen Wallace. Sewell and Carma have kindly supplied much
genealogical data for these pages.
Child 3: {Reverend} Edmund Willoughby
Sewell (1800-1890)
{Reverend} Edmund Willoughby Sewell's son was Charles
Randolph Montgomery Sewell
who recorded a great deal of family history
in his Journal circa 1850. Charles Randolph Montgomery Sewell's gravestone
can be seen at Genealogy.com's Virtual Cemetery. Edmund Willoughby
Sewell's great X2 grandson is W. Darcy McKeough
who kindly supplied much genealogical data for these pages.
Child 4: Robert Shore Milnes Sewell
(1802-1881)
Child 5: Maria May Livingston
Sewell (1808-1881)
Child 6: {Reverend}
Henry Doyle Sewell (1806-1886)
Child 7: Henrietta Elizabeth Sewell
(1808-1847)
See
Genealogy.com's Virtual Cemetery for Henrietta Elizabeth Sewell's gravestone
and memorial
plaque
Child 8: {Doctor} James Arthur
Sewell (1810-1883)
Child 9: Montague Charles Sewell
(1812-1859)
Child 10: Charlotte Mary DeQuincy
Sewell (1814-1826)
Child 11: Frances Georgina Sewell
(1816-1885)
Child 12: Algernon Robinson Sewell
(1817-1875)
Child 13: Elizabeth Janet Sewell
(1819-1875)
Child 14: A Girl (still born)
Children 15 & 16: Twin Boy
and Girl (died infants)
Generation Twenty-five
{Reverend}
Henry Doyle Sewell, M.A.
Born: October 21, 1806
Died: March 19, 1886
Married: October 25, 1844 to Elizabeth
Charlotte Moneypenny
Child 1: Henry DeQuincy Sewell
(I) (born in 1845 and died 9 months later)
Child 2: Henry
DeQuincy Sewell (II) (1848 - 1927)
Child 3: Charlotte Mary Sewell
(born 1851)
Child 4: Sewallis Arthur Sewell
(1854 - 1890)
Generation
Twenty-six
Henry
DeQuincy Sewell (II), B.A.Sc.
Born: April 18, 1848
Died: circa 1927
Married: December 29, 1886 to
Caroline Alberta Pense
Child 1: Henry
Charles DeQuincy Sewell (1888 - 1959)
Child 2: Alberta Lillian Pariton
Sewell (born 1890)
Child 3: Eric Dearden Sewell
(born 1900)
Child 4: Marie Dolphin Sewell
(born 1902)
Generation Twenty-seven
Henry
Charles DeQuincy Sewell
Born: September 17, 1888
Died: 1959
Child 1: Henry DeQuincy Sewell
(III)
Child 2: Robert
George Sewell
Child 3: Carolyn Jane Sewell
Generation Twenty-eight
Robert
George Sewell
Child 1: Robert
James Sewell
Child 2: Stephen John Sewell
Child 3: Bruce
David Sewell
Child 4: Donald Henry Sewell
Generation
Twenty-nine
Bruce
David Sewell
Married:
Virginia Sweeney and they lived happily ever after.
 |
|
|
Please visit the Sewell Genealogy Site Map for other pages in this series.
The Arms of Sewell are described as “Sable, a Chevron between three Bees
volant, Argent” which means “a black shield with a silver chevron and three
silver flying bees”. I drew the the Arms of Sewell here using a graphics
programme, but I left the background white for the sake of clarity.
These Arms were carried by our fore bearer John de Sewelle who accompanied
the Black Prince into Aquitaine in 1366; and were brought to New England
by {Rev} Henry Sewall in 1634.
There are other Sewell families and other Coats of Arms. The Sewells of the southern United States have for Arms a Leopard’s head on a shield, and a John Sewell in the 14th century had for Arms a “Sea-Whale” or whale on a shield. Yet another Sewell family from Essex (traced from 1583 to 1727 and apparently extinct after 1727) had for Arms a silver shield with a red diagonal and three silver birds on the diagonal.
Try Heraldry on the Internet for more information. This site states: “... if your name is Smith, and a guy in a mall shows you a coat of arms with the name Smith under it, that proves nothing at all. You are just as likely to be related to the founder of the Virginia colony, or the Scottish economist, or the nephew of Senator Kennedy, or none of the above. The guy in the mall with the database is fudging these issues and trying to sell you a pig in a poke. His database is certainly incomplete and probably very inaccurate, and he doesn't care about pedigrees. He is just out to exploit the similarity between your name and some name in his database.”
If purchasing a coat of arms, remember “Caveat Emptor!”; “Let the Buyer Beware!”
