Gilbert Livingston (1690–1746)

Lt.-Col. Hubertus "Gilbert" Livingston (April 3, 1690 – April 25, 1746) was a younger son of Robert Livingston the Elder who was a lawyer and politician in colonial New York.

This article is about the member of the colonial New York assemblyman. For other uses, see Gilbert Livingston (disambiguation).
Gilbert Livingston
Member of the New York General Assembly
In office
1728–1738
Preceded byRobert Livingston
Succeeded byRobert Livingston
Personal details
Born
Hubertus Livingston

(1690-04-03)April 3, 1690
Albany, Province of New York, British America
DiedApril 25, 1746(1746-04-25) (aged 56)
Kingston, Province of New York, British America
Spouse
Cornelia Beekman
​
​
(m. 1711; died 1742)​
RelationsPhilip Livingston (brother)
Robert Livingston (brother)
Gilbert Livingston (grandson)
John Henry Livingston (grandson)
Henry Livingston Jr. (grandson)
Philip Van Cortlandt (grandson)
Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr. (grandson)
Nicholas Stuyvesant (grandson)
Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (grandson)
Children13
Parent(s)Robert Livingston the Elder
Alida Schuyler van Rensselaer Livingston

Early life

Livingston was born on April 3, 1690, in Albany in the Province of New York, a part of British America. He was a younger son of Alida (née Schuyler) Van Rensselaer Livingston and Robert Livingston the Elder, the first Lord of Livingston Manor who amassed one of the largest fortunes in 17th-century New York.[1] Among his large immediate family were Johannes Livingston (who predeceased their father),[2] Margaret (née Livingston) Vetch (wife of Samuel Vetch, the Royal Governor of Nova Scotia[3]); Philip Livingston, 2nd Lord of Livingston Manor, Robert Livingston of Clermont, and Joanna Livingston (wife of Cornelius Gerrit Van Horne).[4]

His father was born in Scotland before the family was exiled to Rotterdam, in the Dutch Republic; later sailing for North America where he became a prominent colonial official, fur trader, and businessman who was granted a patent to 160,000 acres (650 km2/ 250 sq mi) along the Hudson River that was confirmed by royal charter of George I in 1715.[5] His mother, the widow of Nicholas Van Rensselaer, was the daughter of Philip Pieterse Schuyler, vice-director of Fort Orange and sister of Pieter Schuyler, the mayor of Albany and acting Governor of the Province of New York. Pieter's daughter, his maternal cousin Margarita Schuyler, married his paternal cousin, Robert Livingston the Younger.[5]

Career

Livingston's parents sent him to study with the Rev. Solomon Stoddard, the pastor of the Congregationalist Church in Northampton, Massachusetts Bay Colony. However, Gilbert chose a career in trade, becoming a surveyor and then a merchant. His father helped him by employing him as his surveyor and then as his commercial agent.[6]

In 1717, his father helped him and his business partner, Francis Harison (later Recorder of New York City), to purchase "the farm of the New York City liquor excise." In 1720, his father convinced Governor William Burnet to appoint Gilbert to the positions of registrar of the Court of Chancery, the highest court in New York, and county clerk of Ulster, where they lived off his wife's inheritance. By 1721, however, Livingston and Harison were was not able to pay the British government the what they owed from the customs farm, so he was forced to sell some of his wife's inherited property and seek his father's help. The elder Livingston paid his debts and successfully sought the assistance of Governor Burnet to extricate Gilbert from his financial issues.[6]

When his brother inherited the Manor in 1728, Gilbert gave up trade and took over Robert's seat representing the Manor in the New York General Assembly, serving until 1738,[7] when he was succeeded by his nephew, Robert Livingston, later the 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor.[8][9]

Inheritance

His elder brother Philip inherited six slaves, the lot and family house in Albany and the bulk of Livingston Manor becoming 2nd Lord of the Manor, and another elder brother, Robert, inherited three slaves and about 13,000 acres which became known as Clermont.[5]

His father intended Gilbert to inherit his Saratoga property and a house in Albany, however due to his "arrogance" and irresponsibility, his father sold half the Saratoga holdings to cover Gilbert's losses as a merchant and added a codicil to his will in 1722 which divided the remainder of the Saratoga property, and the income from the house in Albany, in fifths to all of his children with Gilbert's share in trusteeship under his brother Philip. Gilbert did inherit his father's Canastoga farm and a "slave boy" named Jupiter.[6]

Personal life

In 1711, Livingston was married to Cornelia Beekman (1693–1742), a daughter of Joanna (née Lopers) Beekman and Hendrick Beekman, a large landowner, Colonel of Militia, and member of the New York General Assembly for over 40 years. She was a granddaughter of Wilhelmus Beekman, the former Mayor of New York, and a niece of Gerardus Beekman.[10] Cornelia's niece, Margaret Beekman (the only child of her brother Henry Beekman), married Gilbert's nephew Robert Livingston (the only child of Robert Livingston of Clermont).[11] Together, Cornelia and Gilbert were the parents of fourteen children, including:[6]

  • Robert Gilbert Livingston (1712–1789), a successful merchant and Maj. with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War who married Catharina McPheadres (1722–1792), a daughter of John McPheadris, in 1740.[6]
  • Henry Gilbert Livingston (1714–1799), a member of the New York General Assembly from Dutchess County who married Susannah Storm Conklin (1724–1793), a daughter of Capt. John Conklin, in 1741. He became the protégé of his sonless uncle Henry Beekman.[6]
  • Alida Livingston (1716–1798),[12] who married Jacob Rutsen (1716–1753) in 1737 (grandparents of Jacob R. Van Rensselaer);[6] after his death she married Hendrick Van Rensselaer (1712–1793), the widower of Elizabeth Van Brugh and a younger son of Hendrick van Rensselaer (director of the Eastern patent of the Rensselaerswyck), in 1762.[5][13]
  • Gilbert Livingston Jr. (1718–1789), a shipmaster who fled New York in 1743 to escape debtors' prison; he married Joy Darrell in 1748,[14] and served with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.[5]
  • Johannes "John" Livingston (1720–c. 1739), a soldier who died unmarried.[5]
  • Joanna Livingston (1722–1808), who married her second cousin Pierre Van Cortlandt (1721–1814), the first Lieutenant Governor of the New York, in 1748.[15]
  • William Livingston (1724–1730), who died in childhood.[5]
  • Philip Livingston (1726–1751), who moved to Curaçao where he died unmarried.[6]
  • James Livingston (1728–1790), who had a 115-acre farm in Dutchess County and married Judith Newcomb (1733–1808), a daughter of Thomas Newcomb,[5] in 1751.[6]
  • Samuel Livingston (1730–c. 1756), a shipmaster who died at sea near Sulawesi Tengah in Indonesia.[5]
  • Cornelius Livingston (1732–1748), a shipmaster who died unmarried.[5]
  • Catherine Livingston (1734–1769), who married Jonathan Thorne (1724–1777),[6] a son of Samuel Thorne, in 1751.[5]
  • Margaret "Peggy" Livingston (1738–1818), who married Peter Stuyvesant, a great-grandson of Petrus Stuyvesant, the last Dutch Director-General of New Amsterdam, in 1764.[5]

His wife died in 1742.[16] Livingston died on April 25, 1746, in Kingston and was buried at what is known as the Old Dutch Churchyard there.[5]

Descendants
Further information: Livingston family

Through his son Henry, he was a grandfather of prominent legislator Gilbert Livingston, the Rev. John Henry Livingston (who served as 4th President of Rutgers University and was father of New York State Senator Henry A. Livingston), and the soldier and poet Henry Livingston Jr. (the uncredited author of the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas).[5]

Through his daughter Joanna, he was a grandfather of Brig.-Gen. and U.S. Representative Philip Van Cortlandt (1749–1831); Catherine Van Cortlandt (1751–1829) (wife of Abraham Van Wyck);[17] Cornelia Van Cortlandt (1753–1847) (wife of Gerard G. Beekman, Jr.); Gilbert Livingston Van Cortlandt (1757–1786); Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr. (1762–1848), and Anne de Peyster Van Cortlandt (wife of Albany mayor Philip S. Van Rensselaer).[5]

Through his youngest daughter Peggy, he was a grandfather of Judith Stuyvesant (1765–1844) (wife of Benjamin Winthrop; grandparents of U.S. Representative John Winthrop Chanler);[18] Cornelia Stuyvesant (1768–1825) (wife of Speaker of the New York State Assembly Dirck Ten Broeck);[19] Nicholas William Stuyvesant (1769–1833); Elizabeth Stuyvesant (1775–1854) (wife of Adjutant General of New York Nicholas Fish);[20] and Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (1778–1847).[21][22][23][24][25][26]

References
  1. Bielinski, Stefan. "Robert Livingston - the founder". exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  2. "From the Harvard Art Museums' collections Mary Winthrop Livingston (Mrs. John Livingston) (c. 1683-1713)". www.harvardartmuseums.org. Harvard Art Museums. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  3. Vetch, Robert Hamilton (1885–1900). "Vetch, Samuel" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  4. Collections of The New-York Historical Society For The Year 1898. New York: The New-York Historical Society. 1899. p. 415. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. Livingston, Edwin Brockholst (1910). The Livingstons of Livingston Manor: Being the History of that Branch of the Scottish House of Callendar which Settled in the English Province of New York During the Reign of Charles the Second; and Also Including an Account of Robert Livingston of Albany, "The Nephew," a Settler in the Same Province and His Principal Descendants. Knickerbocker Press. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  6. Kierner, Cynthia A. (2018). Traders and Gentlefolk: The Livingstons of New York, 1675-1790. Cornell University Press. p. 258. ISBN 978-1-5017-3153-2. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  7. Hess, Stephen (2017). America's Political Dynasties. Routledge. p. 633. ISBN 978-1-351-53215-0. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  8. Hough, A.M., M.D., Franklin B. (1858). The New York Civil List: Containing The Names And Origin Of The Civil Divisions, And The Names And Dates Of Election Or Appointment Of The Principal State And County Officers From The Revolution To The Present Time. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co. Retrieved 19 September 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. Murlin, Edgar L. (1908). The New York Red Book. J. B. Lyon Company. pp. 356–365. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  10. Lamb, Martha J. (1896) [1877]. History of the City of New York: Its Origin, Rise and Progress. Volume 1. A. S. Barnes and Company. p. 301.
  11. Bonomi, Patricia U. (2014). A Factious People: Politics and Society in Colonial New York. Cornell University Press. p. 72. ISBN 9780801455346. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  12. "Gilbert Livingston and Cornelia Beekman". www.iment.com. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  13. Bielinski, Stefan. "Hendrick Van Rensselaer". exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov. New York State Museum. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  14. Smith, Edward M. (1881). Documentary History of Rhinebeck, in Dutchess County, N.Y.: Embracing Biographical Sketches and Genealogical Records of Our First Families and First Settlers. Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, N.Y. p. 77. Retrieved 29 September 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. Judd, Jacob (1977). Van Cortlandt Family Papers Vol II. Tarrytown: Sleepy Hollow Restorations. pp. xxxviii, liv. ISBN 0-912882-29-8.
  16. Rev. George B. Kinkead, comp., Gilbert Livingston and Some of His Descendants, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 84:8, 102–103, Jan. and April 1953.
  17. Van Wyck, Peter (1979). The Story of a Dutch Colonial Family.
  18. The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York: History, Customs, Record of Events, Constitution, Certain Genealogies, and Other Matters of Interest. V. 1-. Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. 1905. p. 32. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  19. Reynolds, Cuyler (1911). Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs: A Record of Achievements of the People of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys in New York State, Included Within the Present Counties of Albany, Rensselaer, Washington, Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton, Schenectady, Columbia and Greene. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 32. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  20. Barrett, Walter (1865). The Old Merchants of New York City Volume 3. Books on Demand. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-598-37947-4. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  21. Tulloch, Judith (1987). "Barclay, Thomas Henry". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. VI (1821–1835) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  22. Moffat, R. Burnham (1904). The Barclays of New York: Who They Are And Who They Are Not,--And Some Other Barclays. R. G. Cooke. p. 116. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  23. "Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (1778-1847)". www.nyhistory.org. New-York Historical Society. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  24. "Funeral of Mrs. Stuyvesant" (PDF). The New York Times. 21 August 1873. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  25. Rutherfurd, Livingston (1894). Family Records and Events: Compiled Principally from the Original Manuscripts in the Rutherfurd Collection. De Vinne Press. p. 252. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  26. Dunning, Jennifer (March 12, 1982). "Metropolitan Baedeker; EXPLORING THE HISTORIC STUYVESANT SQUARE AREA". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
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