George Livingston

A social media post this compiler wrote on Aug 14 2025: "Doing some work on the Livingston family of Wicomico (then Worcester) Co., MD and found this article about one of their ancestors in the Maryland Gazette newspaper of Aug 1770. George Livingston was born in 1718 near Fredericksburg, VA but came here to Worcester Co., MD and even, in 1766, and had 462 acres of land surveyed for him in modern Wicomico. However, he never paid tax on the land and it was sold to others. However, while he was here in the area, he married Sarah Horsey, daughter of Stephen Horsey, about 1750 and had several children but then moved back to Virginia sometime in the late 1760s. We don't know why Sarah (Horsey) Livingston left Her husband on the last day of February 1769 as the article states, but she did, and took her children and one slave girl Rachel along with a lot of furniture. The records do not indicate it was because of another man. Perhaps she was simply homesick for the Eastern Shore of Maryland where her parents and ancestors had lived since the earliest settlement of the area in the 1660s? Or maybe, George Livingston was abusing her or otherwise a problem. My own personal "guess" is it was a combination of her being homesick and George being inattentive with the former more of the factor. Or maybe George was attentive and Sarah just wanted to go home - the fact that George died less than a year after the published letter, may be the result of his broken heart and perhaps accelerated death or even suicide?? It is intriguing to contemplate. Who knows for sure but it is apparent that Stephen Horsey, the grandfather and Sarah (Horsey) Livingston took care of the young Livingston children in life and when then wrote their wills. Sarah even wishes that her daughter Mary would "come live in the county".

In the old Virginia Land Records, we find:
George Livingston, Jul 20 1749, Spotsylvania Co., VA, Lots 47 and 48, in town of Fredericksburg. This land record was originally published in "Virginia County Records - Spotsylvania County, 1721-1800, Volume I" (edited by William Armstrong Crozier). John Willis of Culpeper Co., son of Henry and Mildred Willis, Decd., and Nanny, his wife, to Henry Willis of Spts. Co., Gent. 50 curr. Lots 47 and 48, in town of Fredericksburg. 1 Aug 1749. (BookD)

George Livingston shows up in the area of modern Wicomico Co., MD about the time he had the 462a land tract LIVINGSTONS LIBERTY surveyed for him on Jul 1 1766 but he never paid for the rent. Consequently, it appears he never actually lived long in Maryland and returned to Gloucester Co., VA. He did marry Sarah Horsey, d/o Stephen Horsey and was administrator of his estated in 1788.

Instead, his sons George, Todd and Benjamin seem to have settled in the area around at the end of Union Church Road and Coulbourne Mill Road in the modern day.

On July 31 1770, George Livingston wrote a letter to the Maryland Gazette saying that his wife Sarah had "eloped" from him on Feb 28 1769 under pretense of visiting her parents who 'live in Worcester County' and taken the childrten and a mulatto girl Rachel, two bed sets, other furniture.The letter states her father, Stephen Horsey, and other relations, are instigating her not coming home to him. However, he evidently sent a letter and "some" of the children home to him but "no bed for them to lie on" and said he would sell the mulatto girl to cover expenses. The letter asks the public not to engage in any business related to this. This likely explains why most of the Livingston children came to Worcester County - estranged from George the father and came to live with Sarah (Horsey) Livingston and their grandfather Stephen Horsey (the latter mentions the children in his 1788 will).

George married Sarah Horsey, daughter of Stephen Horsey and Unknown. (Sarah Horsey was born about 1730 in Somerset Co., MD and died before 01 Mar 1793 in Worcester Co., MD.)