James Livingston

son of James Livingston
and Elizabeth Simpson;
husband of Patty Martha Griffith;
veteran of the War of 1812
James was born in Canada while his farther was there trying to persuade Canadians to support the American colonists in their disagreements with England. On 5 Feb. 1792, James’ sister, Elizabeth, married Peter Smith. They lived at Utica and Peter took in Elizabeth's younger brother, James, as a clerk in his general store. On Oct 24, 1792, James name is found on a petition to the state legislature requesting money to construct a bridge across the Mohawk River. After Peter obtained his lease on lands from the Oneida Indians in 1794, he removed to Peterboro. James probably went along. Smith’s financing allowed James to become the first merchant in Peterboro in the year 1801. The building in which he carried on his businesses, store, tavern, and hotel, was a fine one for those days. It was still standing (1894) at the east end of the public green, near its former location, having only been set back a few yards. It was the first frame house of the village. However, the partnership soon soured and Smith had James jailed for debt. Even Smith’s attorney sympathized in a letter dated 28 Aug 1801 to Peter with the young James, “Your harshness and severity, he insists, from an early period of your copartnership, your unreasonable requisitions of labor, and monopolization of advantages have contributed to render his situation unpleasant and his exertions unprofitable and finally been parent of his ruin.” Smith kept James in prison until $2000 was promised in a letter dated 15 Sep 1801 to cover questionable debts. Smith continued to complain to Elizabeth about her deadbeat relatives and 5 Mar 1807, she wrote Peter and told him she was tired of hearing about it. James fought in the War of 1812. Early in 1818, James chaperoned his niece, Nancy Crapsey, to her Aunt Mary and Uncle Jeremiah Griffith’s in Ellery, Chautauqua Co. After the death of James’ sister, Elizabeth, in Aug 1818, Peter Smith lost his enthusiasm of entrepreneurial spirit and turned his land enterprises over to his son Gerrit. The future prospects of Peterboro began to decline. By the 1820 census, James is living in Chautauqua Co. The 1800 census shows an adult woman and 2 children.

Sources:
“Fluvanna, NY Cemetery records,” paintedhills.org/ CHAUTAUQUA/ FluvannaF-K.html, Jan 24, 2003.
"The pioneers of Utica: being sketches of its inhabitants and its institutions, with the civil history of the place, from the earliest settlement to the year 1825, the era of the opening of the Erie Canal", M.M. Bagg, 1877
"A Foe to Sad Oppression's Rod": The Story of Gerrit Smith”, Kevin P. S. Tanner, Jr., 2008
‘The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American revolution’, Alan Taylor, 2007* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Aug 26 2023, 15:47:33 UTC