Written by the author of Mom's Story and Never Alone,
Livingston
Chronicles
takes us to the "other side of town"
and chronicles several well-known Washington, Iowa
families.
Although this contains biographical sketches,
most chapters include vigniettes, where both the
characters and circumstances are brought to life in the
colorful manner of the author.
Unlike Mom's Story, this book is extracted
from old
newspaper articles and letters with a bit of hearsay
thrown in! From historical records about the
Scotch-Irish the author begins by relating experiences
of the Covenanters from Scotland and Ireland.
She includes the fascinating account of Dr. Clark, the
pastor who brought his whole church of 300 people to
America on "The Cahan's Exodus".
She then traces these early Covenanter-Presbyterian
families through the Revolutionary War - with true
stories of their involvements - such as an ancestor
who captured two of General Burgoyne's best horses!
Then there is the tale of "Katarina and the
Bear!"
And, finally, their journey to the mid-west as pio-
neers in early Iowa. Here one of the first Washing-
ton, Iowa lawyers, William John Livingston practiced
law, followed later by his son, the well-known
lawyer, Schyler Livingston. The story closes telling
about Augusta and Dave - "Iowa's Funniest Farmer".
In the stories of these families, many with
back-
grounds in early Iowa will discover similarities to
their own experiences - bringing back nostalgia for
"the good old days"!
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