Livingstone historian, Mr. Donald Livingstone Clink, based over in Canada and I have been emailing a few times back and forth. In the past, I’ve been able to learn several things about David Livingstone from Donald, and in return, been able to send him some contemporary photos and news about the Centre. It was great to hear from him again in March 2016, and with a little further piece of news confirming exactly when the Livingstone family moved from Blantyre to at Hamilton. Donald writes,
“Hi Paul, I found this info below from an old newspaper which I think pretty much gives a precise year of around 1840 when Neil Livingstone Jr. and family left Blantyre and settled in the town of Hamilton.
London Daily News Dec. 23, 1856 pg 4
“the family moved from Blantyre Works to Hamilton about 16 years ago.”
So the letter of Neil Livingstone’s written in Blantyre in 1838 was definitely written before Neil and his family had left for Hamilton as we assumed. By the time of the Scottish Census of 1841 you can see that Neil and family were at their new residence in Hamilton with his wife and 2 daughters and is a tea merchant. The surviving correspondence from David Livingstone to his Parents and sisters also verifies the location written during 1841 all have an address of Almada Street in Hamilton. I don’t know if there are letters written by David to his parents in 1840 as that is the year he left for Africa isn’t it? The earliest letter to family (his sisters Janet and Agnes is dated March 30, 1841 and addressed to Almada Street.
I. Schapera who published two volumes of family letters from Dr. Livingstone from the years 1841 to 1856 states on pg. 29 of his book in a footnote to this first letter to family included in his book that Hamilton “is a town about 11 miles south-east of Glasgow. The Livingston family had moved there in 1840 from Blantyre 3 miles north-west.” regards, Donald (Livingstone) Clink.”
So 1840, appears to be the year the Livingstone family moved to Hamilton, co-inciding with David setting off on his world travels. David would eventually came back to Scotland and when he did, he lived briefly also in Hamilton in 1862 at Peacock Cross. (the white house pictured on the right)
On Social Media:
Janet Cochrane David Livingstones parents are buried close to my grandparents and great grandparents Marshall in the Bent cemetery in Hamilton
Jane Johnstone Is there not a house with a sign across from where the old SMT garage was which is where the Livingstones lived At Peacock Cross?
The Blantyre Project the little white house is that very house Jane, (as pictured)