Category: Uncategorized
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Livingston: A Revolutionary Story

APRIL FOOLS No, but seriously if you want some more Livingston history, look around the blog. If you hum while you read it’s kind of like a musical.
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Early Motion Picture Days Told By McVitty

Today we present another article written by Reginald Rex McVitty, our correspondent from the past. Unfortunatley, this clipping did not have a date associated with it, so I don’t know the vintage. Nevertheless enjoy Rex and Honoria’s brush with fame. My wife and I went to the movies, one night some time ago, and witnessed…
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It Was Robert R. Livingston Who Masterminded Louisiana Purchase

Its time again for another post from our friend from the past, Rex McVitty. This one comes from July 7, 1964. Please remember that this article was written more than 60 years ago and should be viewed in the context of the world it was written in. The southern tier of states is very much…
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Exploring New York’s Revolutionary War Flags: A Legacy of Liberty

One of the most difficult things about writing about the Revolutionary War is trying to imagine what an American soldier would have seen and felt. Imagine yourself as an Albany County militia man at the Battle of Saratoga. You’ve just emerged from the woods and are forming up into lines for battle. Ahead of you…
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The Saga of Timothy Tickler

In late 18th century America, the most petty, brutal political battles were often duked out on newspaper pages. It was common practice for one to publish their political opinions under a pseudonym. John Dickinson penned his famous series of essays under the simple “A Farmer”, Thomas Paine often wrote as “Vox Populi”, and the writers…
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The Lives of Livingston Ladies: The 20th Century

Tours at Clermont are typically framed around the last generation to live in the house. This means that we frequently discuss the last two girls to grow up here – Honoria Alice Livingston and Janet Cornelia Livingston. However, these two share a half-sister – Katharine – who was a product of their father, John Henry’s…
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Lives of Livingston Ladies: Alice Delafield Clarkson Livingston

Alice D.C. Livingston, third wife of John Henry Livingston and mother to Honoria and Janet Livingston, features heavily in our current interpretation of Clermont and its landscape. As the last “lady” of Clermont, Alice’s personal style and aesthetic has persisted into the present, defining the furnishings and art which decorate the mansion and the careful…
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Lives of Livingston Ladies: Janet Livingston Montgomery

Janet Livingston Montgomery, eldest daughter of Margaret Beekman Livingston and Robert the Judge, is a staple in our Legends by Candlelight tours here at Clermont. Most of that is due to her tragic love story with Richard Montgomery, a soldier in the American Revolution, but there is an element of Janet’s story that reads so…
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Lives of Livingston Ladies: Margaret Beekman Livingston

Margaret Beekman Livingston was born on March 1st, 1724 – meaning Happy Belated 301st, Margaret! After losing her mother at a young age, Margaret’s father, Henry Beekman, sent her to live with an aunt in Brooklyn. The idea of a widower raising a daughter alone was not socially acceptable in the Colonial Era (nor by…
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The Chancellor’s Coffee Urn: Coffee and Consumption in the Colonies

“When I first came to this House it was late in the Afternoon, and I had ridden 35 miles at least. “Madam” I said to Mrs. Huston, “is it lawfull for a weary Traveller to refresh himself with a Dish of Tea provided it has been honestly smuggled or paid no Duties?” / “No sir,…