Livingston family letters
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Abstract
This collection contains correspondence between members of the Livingston family in Brooklyn and Nova Scotia, Canada, from 1876 to 1893. The bulk of the collection consists of letters to Andrew F. Livingston, a sewing machine dealer living in Brooklyn Heights, from his uncle, Alexander Livingston, and cousins Lauchlin and John Livingston, in Nova Scotia. The correspondence is arranged by author and then in chronological order.
Biographical note
Andrew F. Livingston's father grew up in Nova Scotia on a farm that also included Victoria Mines, a coal mine. He left Nova Scotia c.1845 and ended up in Brooklyn c.1870. Andrew's father had at least two brothers, Alexander and Daniel, and two sisters, Mary and Kate. Daniel had eight children, four daughters and four sons, including Lauchlin and John. (Lauchlin is spelled various ways in the letters, including Louchlin, Louchlan, and Lochland.) It is not clear from the letters how or when the Livingstons came to Nova Scotia, but there is no evidence of any relationship to the well-known Livingston family of Livingston Manor in the Hudson Valley and Brooklyn. This collection evidences the economic difficulties encountered by people living in Nova Scotia in the late 1800's as well as the social conditions of women and small businessmen in Brooklyn in the same time period. Following the container list are the processor's notes about the family relationships.
Scope and Contents
Folder 1 contains correspondence between Alexander and his nephew, Andrew, in May and June of 1879. Andrew began the correspondence and Alexander expressed his joy to hear that his brother who he hadn't heard from in over 30 years was alive and well. Alexander also shared news of the family in Nova Scotia and the mine.
Folder 2 contains correspondence from Lauchlin to Andrew, and one letter to his cousin Claude Livingston, also of Brooklyn. The letters date from June 1879 to August 1893. These letters contain news of the family, and of local economics and politics. Lauchlin repeatedly asked Andrew for information about potential employment in New York.
Folder 3 contains correspondence from John to Andrew from July 1879 to June 1882. These letters are similar to those of his brother. He wrote about unemployment and low wages and asked Andrew about possible jobs in New York.
Folder 4 contains miscellaneous correspondence to and from members of the Livingston family from August 1876 to August 1890 and includes some apparently irrelevant items.
Subjects
Families
Genres
People
Conditions Governing Access
Open to users without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Livingston family letters, 1992.015, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Robert L. Schulz, 1992.
