I leave to my eldest son Robert Livingston, Jr., all my lands and tenements in the manor of Livingston, with the grist mills and saw mills, furnace, forge and all buildings and premises, and improvements I have made on the manor, which are very considerable, Together with all the tools and utensils. I also leave to him the house and lot in the city of Albany, on the north side of Joncker street, and fronting on the west side of Pearl street, as it was bequeathed to me by my father, Robert Livingston, Esq.; Also a lot of ground which I bought and exchanged from the heirs of Isaac Ver Planck, with part of the house built thereon; Also the house and lot on the west side of the house first mentioned; All which lands were devised to me by my father in fee tail. I also leave to him 3 negroes, 12 horses, 6 geldings, 6 mares, 6 cows, 6 sheep, 6 hogs, and my chariot and my gold watch. And if I happen to die between the First of February and the First of September, my wife and children are to have the use of the grist mill and house, to grind, bolt, pack and ship off all their wheat into flour and Cornell and manufacture all their wheat that shall be brought before September 1st. She paying the miller and the baker, and to bake the cornell into bread.

My executors are to make an inventory of all things, except what are left to my son Robert. I leave to my wife, Catharine Livingston, all the rest of my real estate in Albany County and in New York, or elsewhere, during her life, with power to sell personal property for her support, and for educating my two daughters, Alida and Catherine, and they are to have the same portions as I have paid to my sons Robert, Peter, John, Phillip, Henry, and William, and my daughter Sarah, wife of William Alexander, namely œ1,000 when they are of age or married, besides household furniture to make them equal to my other children. After my wife's decease, all my estate is to go to my children, Peter Van Brugh, John, Henry, Philip, William, Sarah, wife of William Alexander, Alida and Catherine. I leave to my wife my houses and lots in New York, during her widowhood.

I leave to my son, Peter Van Brugh Livingston, the house in which he lives, with my part of the lot in New York near the Old Slip. I leave to my son John the house in which he lives in Broad street. To my son Phillip the house in which he lives in New York, on Burnets Key, with the lot and store house.

My daughters are to be maintained out of my estate, and the cost is not to be a part of their portions.

My executors have power to sell real estate. And I make my wife and my sons executors.

Witnesses, Cornelius Clopper, John Richards, John Clopper. Proved, July 5, 1749.

A mansion was erected on his manor in 1692, but he did not reside there until 1711. A monkey spoon differed from the common spoon, in having a circular and very shallow bowl, and took its name from the figure of an ape or monkey, which was carved in solido at the extremity of the handle.

A mansion was erected on his manor in 1692, but he did not reside there until 1711. At the manor the whole ceremony was repeated, another pipe of wine was spiced, and besides the same present to the bearers, a pair of black gloves and a handkerchief were given to each of the tenants. The whole expenses were said to amount to about œ500. These expensive funerals long continued a nuisance in New York, though the custom was a pleasant one, as it made a solemn scene at best, lively, entertaining and desirable. How many more would go to funerals now, if such a jolly good time was to be had. Fancy drinking a pipe of choice old Madeira spiced!

That old Livingston was a quiet old fellow. One of his daughters (Sarah) married William Alexander, afterwards Lord Sterling (by courtesy). One married Martin Hoffman. One married Alderman John L. Lawrence. His son Robert was the third proprietor of the Manor. He died in 1790. Another son--Peter Van Brugh Livingston--was a merchant in this city. He married Mary Alexander, a sister of Lord Sterling. Another son, John, was a merchant in Broad street. He was born in 1714, and died in 1788. Another son was Governor of New Jersey.

He had another son, named Philip, who was born January 15, 1716, --my merchant of Burnet's Key, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. He graduated at Yale College in 1737. Shortly after he went into a counting room in this city to learn business.

He afterwards went into business on his own account. He married Miss Ten Broeck, of Albany. As early as 1754, when he was 28 years of age, he was Alderman of the East Ward, and continued to be so until 1762.

It is funny to read such an advertisement as this as late as April, 1768. He had removed his store:

"TO BE SOLD BY PHILLIP LIVINGSTON, AT his store in the New Dock, near the Ferry stairs, Irish linens, three-quarter Dowlass printed and pencilled calico, newest pattern of purple and other calicoes, ground chintz, black and colored Persians, cambrics and lawns, diaper table-cloths, striped Hollands, double Silesias, silk, and large towels, black and blue peelong, ballandine, sewing silk of all colors, check of all sorts usually imported, fine black and colored worsted patterns for breeches, tommies, durants, and shakoons, fustians, Turkey stripes, burr dots, silk damascus for summer vests, writing paper by the ream, Russia duck, powder blue, best vermillion, fete hats, bound hats for seamen, brushes of all sorts, whitewash brushes, marble chimney-pieces and squares, marble hearths very beautifully variegated with different colors, double and single refined loaf sugar, lump and Muscovado sugar, tea kettles, also with rivetted spouts, brass kettles for the Indian trade with iron ware suitable for the same, new cable ten and a-half inch ninety fathoms, twenty penny, twenty-four d., and thirty d. nails, the very best harbor twine for fishing nets, seven by nine and six by eight crown window glass, Geneva in cases and in cask, brandy, a parcel of choice spermaceti candles, Comeynekars (cheese) or Leyden cheese, a few barrels of choice beef and pork, choice new rice, coffee in barrels, Jamaica nutmegs by the hogshead, sugar bakers twine, quart bottles in hampers, a complete assortment of buttons, shoe and knee buckles of all sorts, Congo and Bohea tea, snuff boxes, ivory and brass combs, needles, knitting pins, split bone knives and forks, sham buck ditto, brass and steel thimbles, ginger and rape oil in jugs, heart or club steel, fine cordials in cases, and a cargo of choice Teneriffe wine just imported."

That is a true merchant who met that advertisement. Fancy a signer of the "Declaration of Independence" selling needles and tea kettles, cheese, and disposing any of the above articles to his customers; and yet I will wager a great deal that he never neglected his business, but was as thorough in it as in everything else that celebrated man undertook. Why have we not full records of the daily life of such a man?

Previous to this time, and when he was Alderman, he with his brother William, afterwards Governor of New Jersey, and his brother-in-law, Mr. Alexander, afterwards Lord Sterling, with a few others, established the well known library in the city known as the Society Library.

There used to be exciting times in an election in those days, such as we can hardly conceive of now.

On the 28th of December, 1768, the General Assembly of the City of New York met. Mr. Livingston was induced to propose a bill in reference to frauds in elections to the General Assembly.

On the 2d of January the House met, and passed some resolutions very unpleasing to His Excellency the Governor. At 3 o'clock Mr. Banvar entered the House, and said: "Mr. Speaker, His Excellency the Governor requires the immediate attendance of this House in the Council Chamber of the City Hall."

The Speaker left the chair, and, with the House, attended accordingly; when His Excellency, in presence of his Council, was pleased to make the following speech, viz:

The closing part of the speech said--

"The extraordinary nature of certain resolutions lately entered on your minutes; some flatly repugnant to the land of Great Britain, and others with an apparent tendency to give offence where common prudence would avoid it, have put it out of my power to continue this Assembly any longer. I still entertain so good an opinion of this House in general that I am willing to impute their proceedings to error; and shall, in my representation of them to His Majesty, place them in the properest light, to prevent, as far as lays in my power, any unfavorable misconceptions of the people committed to my care; and do the justice which is required at my hands to the many who have the real interest of the country at heart, and who have wished to see fairer prospects of advantage devised for the community from your sessions than the conclusion of it seems to promise. I do now, in His Majesty's name, dissolve this Assembly, and this Assembly is dissolved accordingly."

Fancy what a mad lot of fellows those were when they had heard Governor Moore through; how quickly they doffed their chapeaux, and marched out of the building at Wall street for the City Hall, then, when the address was made, stood upon the spot where the marble pillared Court House now does. Of course the Government had its friends as well as foes.

The Members of the Assembly numbered about twenty-three persons.

The Governor cooled off a bit, and four days later the following appeared. It is a curiosity, and shows how they managed matters in the royal times:

of the City and County of New York, to nominate and elect four Representatives to serve in the next General Assembly.

In 1708, he married Catharina Van Brugh - the nineteen-year-old daughter and only heir of a former Albany mayor. The new couple set up housekeeping in Albany at the Elm Tree Corner. Like their father, the twelve Livingston children were born in that landmark home. From there, they would go forth to further elevate the family name and enhance its status across the colony and beyond.

After Robert and Alida Livingston relocated to Livingston Manor, Philip took over his father's Albany enterprises. He also succeeded to the key positions of city and county clerk and Secretary to the Commissioners of Indian Affairs. Early in his career, Philip Livingston surveyed land titles. Although appearing in court for many years before, in 1719 he was licensed to practice law. But it was his long-time hold on the Albany clerk's office that connected him to public activities at several levels and placed him first in line to take advantage of business, real estate, and other opportunities. Clerk in practice under his father for many years, Philip Livingston was officially appointed in 1721 and held that position until his death. Livingston expanded his Albany holdings, held property at Schaghticoke, was a partner in other countryside patents , and concealed still others with deeds in the names of his children.

In 1725, he was appointed to the provincial Council. He served on this influential board until his death. As his older brother had died in 1720, Philip became lord of Livingston Manor on the passing of his father in 1728. However, he was entrenched in business and public office in Albany - preferring to live at the yellow brick house on the Elm Tree Corner while often travelling to New York. Still, he found time to further develop the Livingston estate adding new tenants and establishing the colony's first iron works at Ancrum by the 1740s.

Over a long career, Philip Livingston cemented and even added to the extensive holdings first garnered by his more famous father. Well-schooled in the politics of opportunism, he was able to take advantage of several key positions during a long period of peace to develop the manor and increase the family's real estate holdings. He laid the groundwork for the success of the next generation by sending the sons away for training and his daughters to be married into the best families in the region.

Philip Livingston died in New York on February 11, 1749. His body was transported upriver and buried on Livingston Manor.

Catharina Van Brugh was born in 1689 the only child of Manhattan trader Pieter Van Brugh and Sara Cuyler. Within a few years, Catharina's parents followed the Cuylers to Albany where they too found success in fur trade-related business.

Catharina grew up in the new city of Albany where her father was appointed mayor in 1699. As the only heir of wealthy and advantaged parents, in September 1708 nineteen-year-old Catharina was married to Philip Livingston - eldest son of the most important personage in the entire region. Three months later, the first of her twelve children was baptized in the Albany Dutch church. A year or two younger than most Albany brides, her family was larger than most with the last child born in 1733 when Catharina was forty-three-years-old.

These Livingstons moved into the landmark Livingston home on the Elm Tree Corner. For several decades Catharina and Philip were Albany mainstays with their numerous offspring growing up and succeeding to places of prominence throughout the colonies. As Philip's public and personal business took him more to New York and to the Manor, Catharina managed the Albany home and its business. Their forty-year marriage ended when Philip Livingston died in New York City in February 1749.