December 5, 2003 Profile of a Pioneer Family

There are hundreds of pioneer family stories in our area going back to the late 1800's when the north began to open for business and settlement. Today I want to profile one of the families, my next door neighbours, the Livingstons who live on 500 acres in Chisholm Township.

A couple of weeks ago late in the afternoon when the news was focused on M.P. Bob Wood's retirement and the lunar eclipse I came upon one of my favorite country scenes. Joe Livingston was chaperoning his herd of cows across the 4th concession road (Maple Road) to his barn. In the course of a visit in the sunset on the side of the road Joe told me he was selling his cows on the weekend and retiring.

On Saturday I drove down to take some photos of the end of an era as the cattle were loaded and driven away. A couple of days later I visited with Joe to review his local family history, which I discovered went back to 1895.

Some of the Livingston cattle on the last day of 108 years of farming in south Chisholm.

In the early 1890's the Thompson Lumber Company had a successful operation and depot on Chisholm's 4th line (Lot 12, Con 5). They sold out to 2 shingle makers Arnns and McLean who brought in some new workers including Joe's grandfather, also Joe Livingston. A Chisholm history book describes the depot with its log shanties, small school, warehouse, etc. Joe and his wife Charlotte and their small family found recently abandoned barrels of salt pork, molasses, flour, salt, etc. left in their assigned house. They shared it with the other families.

Joe acquired Lots 10 & 11 concession 5 next to the depot under the Free Land Grant Act (1867) and began to clear the land and build a house as required. By 1902 they received the patent on the land. The Depot closed but there was other work in the bush and Joe farmed and hunted and trapped regularly. The 1901 Census shows Joe (age 36), Charlotte (32), Allan (15), and 4 sisters. There were eventually 9 sisters and no more sons.

When times got tough the family moved to Powassan from 1908 to 1913 where Joe sold farm equipment. In 1913 he moved back to the 4th line (Lot 6, Con 4) on previously owned and partly cleared property and continued to work on the farm and in the bush. The house burned and they built across the road. All of the 9 sisters except Marjorie married and moved away. Allan, the only son, married his neighbour Henrietta Ford and built a house and barn across the road from his parents. The barn was built by George Stockill who had originally come to the depot with Joe, and lived nearbly. The barn burned in 1947 and was immediately rebuilt by Harry Stockill with lots of help from the neighbours. It burned again in the 1980's - the third fire counting the original house on the same spot.

Russel Cameron helps load the last of Joe Livingston's cattle ending an era on Chisholm's 4th line.

Allan and Etta had 4 sons, Bobby, Grant, Maurice and Joe and 2 daughters, Norah and Betty. Allan died on his trap line in 1962 and Etta died in 1984. Bob moved away and married and died in a car accident in 1990. Maurice, who was elected 7 times as a Township councillor, died in his second term as Reeve in 1979. Grant died in 2000. Sister Norah Fox has passed away, and sister Betty (McKever) lives in Callander. The remaining son Joe who lived and worked on the original homestead with his Aunt Marjorie who died in the early 1980's eventually moved back into his parents home where he lives today savoring his new retirement. 

The Livingston history is interwoven with the history of schooling on the 4th line. There was originally a teacher for 7 families at the Depot, and later one on Lot 8 Con 4 until S.S. #5 was built on Lot 7, Con 4. It lasted from 1900 to 1955 and was called the Livingston School because so many Livingstons attended and because it was surrounded by the Livingston farm. Since 1955 it has be a Livingston implement shed.

There were numerous memorable teachers at the school including Lois Durrell who married Tom Anderson the soldier I wrote about recently. Edwin Mick of the well-known Mick family left after teaching there to become a graduate of Queens University Medical School. June McVeety (Hampel) wrote the fine history book Reflections on Restoule. Eleanor Henry (Smith) made a major contribution to Chisholm history as the archivist for the Womens Institute and has received an Ontario Heritage Foundation Award for her work.

Many of Joe Livingston's friends and neighbours gathered to celebrate his retirement recently and talked about his life on the 4th line and gave our best wishes for a long and happy retirement.