1898 Austin Thomas Livingston
Born: June 26, 1898 in Windsor, Broome Co., NY
Died: Feb. 19, 1979 in Sidney, Delaware Co., NY
He is buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Afton, Chenango Co., NY
His father was: 1857 Myron James Livingston.
His mother was: 1866 Caroline Lucretia Burhyte.
He was married June 24 (or 26), 1917 to Norma Rose Pulis
at Afton, Chenango County, NY. They had these children together:
1918 Kenneth Austin Livingston died 1918 (died at birth)
1919 Margaret Caroline Livingston died 1989
1921 Kenneth Austin Livingston died 1970 (same name as his brother above)
1923 Betty Jane Livingston died 1923 (lived one week)
1924 Dorothy Euphemia Livingston died 1926 (died at age 3)
1928 (un-named son) Livingston died 1928 (died at birth)
1929 Irma Dorothy Livingston died 2014
1931 Alta Mae Livingston died 2006
1939 Robert N. Livingston died 2014
He registered for the draft on February 16, 1942. His draft card
says he was 5 feet ten-1/2 inches tall and weighed 170 pounds.
Austin and Norma operated a dairy farm in Afton, New York for many years.
They were neighbors of the Merritt family. They had taken over the farm that
belonged to Oscar Pulis, Norma's father. The farm is on state route 41,
next to Bettsburg Corners, in Vallonia Springs (Afton). It was known
originally as the "Dutton Farm".
The photo above right appears to have been taken about 1937, but
that is only a guess. It was taken on the family farm.
Family history recounts that about 1949, the barn was struck
by lightning and was totally destroyed. It was partly rebuilt
with the help of neighbors, but required a large outlay of money
to be totally rebuilt, money which the family did not have and
could not raise...as a result the family went bankrupt and had 
to start over. Apparently the farm, at only 80 acres, was too
small to support a dairy herd large enough to pay for the barn
to be rebuilt adequately in order to operate the farm. Also in
that same lightning strike, a pet goat was killed in the fire;
young Robert was heartbroken by this and never got over it.
Due to the bankruptcy (about 1954) they held a large auction at
which everything was sold. Austin and Norma moved in with son
Kenneth and his family for a time. Austin later worked at the
Bendix/Scintilla plant in Sidney, NY as a janitor. His son Ken
also worked at the plant, as a lathe operator, during that time.
Also working there was Austin's son-in-law, Homer E. Dutcher.
Here is a 1947 photo showing Austin and Norma with
four of their surviving children: Alta, Margaret, Irma and Robert.
Kenneth is missing from this photo. This appears to have been on
the occasion of their 30th wedding anniversary. 
Of their nine children, one died in less than three years,
another lived less than one week, and two died at birth.
Two more photos show Austin and Norma in the 1970's, standing in
front of their house on West Main Street, Sidney, New York.
This was after their retirement and the sale of the dairy farm.
What I remember about my Grandpa Livingston was that he smelled nicely
of pipe tobacco, and he was a very congenial person who loved kids.
I remember going to visit my grandparents when I was about five or six.
Grandma Norma was impatient and crabby and worried that we would make
a mess or break something. Grandpa sat in his rocker, smiling, and I
remember climbing up on his lap and getting a bear hug from his big
dairy-farmer arms. James Alan Sherman
My cousin Robert N. Livingston (Jr.) writes:
I talked to my Dad (1939 Robert N. Livingston) this eve. He remembered
his Grandpa Pulis's Colt 45. He said that his mother gave the pistol
to a friend of the family when he was about 12 years old. For some
reason, she didn't want Dad to have it. He wasn't able to recall
who she gave the pistol to.
The farm my father grew up on, had been Great-Grandpa Pulis's farm.
My Grandpa Livingston went to work on the Pulis farm when he was
16 years old and ended up falling in love with with my Grandmother.
They never left the farm until late in life when they sold the farm
and moved to Sidney, NY to work at the Scintilla/Bendix factory.
They retired in Sidney, and stayed there until Grandpa passed on.
I consider myself lucky to know my Grandma and Grandpa Livingston
when I was growing up, and have many fond memories of them visiting
us and working with us on our pig farm. I don't remember Grandpa 
doing much hard work due to his age. However, he always had his
harmonica in his pocket and was willing to provide some background
music while Grandma and I would be working together repairing roofs
and doing chores.
They loved to travel around in their 1964 Rambler on the weekends
and go to flea markets and craft fairs to look for items Grandma
collected. I remember she collected the ruby colored glassware,
clocks and music scrolls for her player piano. While Grandma was
walking around rummaging and socializing, Grandpa would whip out
the trusty harmonica and play a few tunes for all to enjoy.
Here are some photos of the Livingston farm, taken in the 1940's.
