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Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the
Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Unit ...
granted to
Robert Livingston the Elder The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...
during the reign of
George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first ...
.


History

Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the colonial
Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Unit ...
granted to
Robert Livingston the Elder The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...
through the influence of 5th Governor
Thomas Dongan Thomas Dongan, (pronounced "Dungan") 2nd Earl of Limerick (1634 – 14 December 1715), was a member of the Irish Parliament, Royalist military officer during the English Civil War, and Governor of the Province of New York. He is noted for hav ...
, and confirmed by
royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...
of
George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first ...
in 1715, creating the manor and lordship of Livingston. The original patent was obtained in July 1686. This tract embraced a large portion of what is now Columbia County. The lords of the manor were: *
Robert Livingston the Elder The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...
(1654–1728), served from 1715 to 1728. *
Philip Livingston Philip Livingston (January 15, 1716 – June 12, 1778) was an American merchant and statesman from New York City. He represented New York at the October 1774 First Continental Congress, where he favored imposing economic sanctions upon Great Bri ...
(1686–1749), served from 1728 to 1749. * Robert Livingston (1708–1790), served from 1749 to 1790. Although an English-deeded tract, some sources list Livingston Manor with the
patroon In the United States, a patroon (; from Dutch ''patroon'' ) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland on the east coast of North America. Through the Charter of Freedoms ...
ships of
New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...
.


Division of land

The first division of the estate occurred in 1728 upon the death of Robert Livingston the Elder, who stipulated that his third son, Robert Livingston (1718–1775), be granted from Livingston Manor's southwest corner, a tract which Robert christened
Clermont Manor The Clermont State Historic Site, also known as the Clermont estate, the Clermont Manor or just Clermont, is a New York (state), New York State Historic Site in southwestern Columbia County, New York, United States. It protects the former estate ...
. In 1790, upon the death of the last lord of the manor, Robert Livingston (1708–1790), the remainder of Livingston Manor was divided among his heirs, rather than continue to pass down through
primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...
, as Robert disapproved of his eldest son, who had made many unwise financial decisions and was perennially in debt. The inheritors of the estate were all men who had distinguished themselves considerably during and after the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
: *
Philip Livingston Philip Livingston (January 15, 1716 – June 12, 1778) was an American merchant and statesman from New York City. He represented New York at the October 1774 First Continental Congress, where he favored imposing economic sanctions upon Great Bri ...
(1716–1778), delegate to the Continental Congress and signatory of the
United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...
*
William Livingston William Livingston (November 30, 1723July 25, 1790) was an American politician who served as the first governor of New Jersey (1776–1790) during the American Revolutionary War. As a New Jersey representative in the Continental Congress, he sig ...
(1723–1790),
1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
and signatory of the
United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...
* William Alexander (1726–1783), a brother-in-law who had married Sarah Livingston (1725–1805), the daughter of Philip Livingston, 2nd Lord of Livingston Manor, and Robert’s sister. Alexander had been a major general in the
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
*
James Duane James Duane (February 6, 1733 – February 1, 1797) was an American Founding Father, attorney, jurist, and American Revolutionary leader from New York. He served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, Second Continental Congress and t ...
(1733–1797), a son-in-law and Robert’s former ward, who had married his daughter Mary (1738–1821). Duane had been a delegate to the Continental Congress, 44th
Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
, and signatory of the
Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...
These four heirs subsequently divided the land among their own families, and the power of the Livingston family was slowly diminished. A portion of the estate is still held by the family. The town of
Livingston, New York Livingston is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 census, Livingston town, Columbia County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&c ...
occupies part of the original tract.


Present day

The original Livingston Manor encompasses the present day towns of Livingston, Germantown, Clermont, Taghkanic, Gallatin, Copake, and Ancram, located in Columbia County
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
.


Others


Livingston Manor, New York

Livingston Manor Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the Province of New York granted to Robert Livingston the Elder during the reign of George I of Great Britain. History Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the colonial Province of New York grante ...
, in present-day Sullivan County in New York State, capitalizes on the Livingston Manor name because Manor family members and descendants had a house there however it was not part of the original manor The Sullivan County community, which is about west of the original manor, was part of the Hardenbergh patent in 1716 which included much of the
Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...
. In 1750, Robert Livingston, the third lord, bought in the area shortly after becoming the third (and final) Lord of the Manor of Livingston Manor in Columbia County. Most of the land would be sold or leased by 1780. Robert's third son John Robert Livingston (1775–1851) deeded to his nephew Dr. Edward R. Livingston in 1822 around area then called Purvis, New York. In 1882, Purvis was renamed Livingston Manor. Edward's manor, which was actually just a house, was on the site of the present village firehouse, according to a modern sign in the village, however other speculation says the house was on the location of the village Town Hall.


Livingston Manor, New Jersey

The Reverend
John Henry Livingston John Henry Livingston (May 30, 1746January 25, 1825) was an American Dutch Reformed minister and member of the Livingston family, who served as the fourth President of Queen's College (now Rutgers University), from 1810 until his death in 182 ...
, a member of the
Livingston family The Livingston family of New York is a prominent family that migrated from Scotland to the Dutch Republic, and then to the Province of New York in the 17th century. Descended from the 4th Lord Livingston, its members included signers of the Unit ...
, was chosen head of Queen's College (now
Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
) and in 1809 purchased a plot of land nearby Raritan Landing, which would thereafter be known as the Livingston Manor. A
Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...
mansion built by descendants Robert and Louisa Livingston around 1843 stands on the property and is now known as Livingston Homestead. At the turn of the 20th century, the property was developed as a streetcar suburb, and in 2004 became part of the Livingston Manor Historic District. The house and the district are listed on the
New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office within ...
and the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.


See also

* John Livingstone


References


Raken.com
Manor Lords

Dutch Patroons


External links

*{{commons category-inline History of Columbia County, New York Dutchess County, New York Pre-statehood history of New York (state) New Netherland History of the Thirteen Colonies Livingston family residences