Adam Livingston Descendants Join Wizard Clip Book Signings

Jeff Livingston and Stan Williams

Several weeks before I left Michigan for a speaking and book signing tour to Florida and West Virginia, I received an email from Jeffrey Livingston, 8th generation grandson of Adam Livingston, the protagonist in my Wizard Clip Haunting historical novel. This excited me; Jeff was the first descendant of any of the real characters in the Wizard Clip Haunting novel to make a connection.

For years, Jeff and several in his cousins, uncles, and brothers have researched their linage, and discovered their relationship to Adam Livingston of the Wizard Clip events, and in past years have visited Priest Field where there stands a shrine to Adam.  Jeff found my historical novel, Wizard Clip Haunting, on Amazon, bought a copy, and then contacted me. I was thrilled to get his email, and I sent him a signed copy of WCH, which he  told me later he stored away for safe keeping.  Jeff finished the long novel before flying to WV to meet up with me.

The picture at right is the two of us before heading into Martinsburg, WV's FIREBOX BBQ for dinner on Oct 8, 2025. Jeff had decided to fly up from Texas and join me for several events leading up to the annual Middleway Day street fair on Oct 11 where I would be giving away and signing copies of Wizard Clip Haunting as well as Eve's Story, the YA adaptation.

The next day Jeff joined me for one of my radio appearances on WRNR with Rob Mario and company, and then that night his cousin, Joel Livingston joined us for a book signing at the historic Martinsburg train station, which today doubles as the For the Kids by George, Children's Museum, directed by Aubry Ervin, assisted by a board of directors which includes an early fan of WCH who has become a close friend, Donald Patthoff, DDS. We were given a grand tour of the historic train round house and then a few people showed up for a talk in the station and book signing my yours truly and the Livingston cousins.

Today the roundhouse is used as a conference and wedding site and even a play or two. 

The turntable, in the middle still works.

Jeff Livingston takes in the expanse of the historical Martinsburg railroad roundhouse.

The next morning we paid a visit to Priest Field, the Catholic retreat center, where a shrine to Adam Livingston still stands on the acreage he donated to the Catholic Church from his farm holdings. The center's first full-time manager, retired Susan Kersey, and the current manager, John Guiney were very happy to visit with the cousins. Jeff, had visited the center in 2017 and Susan remembered the flat tire their golf cart sustained during the tour she had given him eight years earlier. 

(L) Adam Livingston's Shrine and 8th generation grandsons. (R)  Guiney, Susan Kersey, Joel & Jeff Livingston

On Saturday the weather was perfect fall day on East Street along the Middleway cemetery for the annual Middleway Day Fair. The turn out was huge, and I was out of WCH books (both editions) in just two hours.  Jeff and Joel claim they sustained writers' cramp signing over 150 books. Middleway historian Larry Myers, who lives in Middleway and who I interviewed during my original research years ago, and whose ancestors owned property across the street from the Livingstons, paid our booth a visit and continued to share historical insights. 

Joel, Stan, Jeff - the Middleway cemetery behind our booth - Historian Larry Myers.

THE REAL DESCENDANTS OF ADAM LIVINGSTON differ from my novel. I'm quick to admit.

The Adam Livingston family tree is available on Ancestory.com. It reaches back 15 generations to the Livingstons of Switzerland. 

When I researched and wrote WCH I knew that Adam and his two wives had upwards of eight children. Although the family tree on Ancestory.com claims Adam had only one wife, Mary Ann, I favor the account in the novel (based on additional documentation) that his first wife, Esther, died in PA, which in part triggered his move Virginia where he married Mary Ann.  

(L) Jeffrey Livingston, and (R) Joel Livingston at Priest Field October 10, 2025.

I encountered a typical novelist's problem of accounting for eight children and following up their stories, and escalating their subplots plots without diluting the main trust of the Wizard Clip and the family's encounter with Catholic priests. Early on I decided to create an entertaining story that was close to history, and thus I decided NOT to write a history that might be dull. Thus, I compacted the eight children into four, Eve, Henry, Martha and George.

But for the record, as the accuracy of historical records go to date (October 24, 2025), considering that there are various accounts of the family tree on various ancestry websites, here is my current accounts of names and dates of Adam's children.

1. George (1764–1834)
2. Agnes (1767–?)
3. Henry (1762–?)
4. Eve (1769–?)
5. Sharlotte (1770–1837)
6. Mary Ann (1772–?
7. Jacob (1773–1854)
8. Catron (?–?) 

Catron is mentioned twice in Adam's last will and testament of which I have a PDF copy. By the ordering of his living children at the time the will was dictated to a scribe (December 28, 1819), Catron is the youngest.  Henry and Eve are NOT mentioned in the will and so I assume they may have died before 1820, as I have suggested (purposely and ambiguously) in the novel.

Adam died in March 1820, only three months after the will was attested. He DID NOT SIGN the will, but placed his mark (X) between his first and last name. The will states that he was of sound mind and memory, but "weak in body." I believe he did not sign the will long hand as the witnesses did, due to his physical health.

Please share your insights in the comments.

BTW: I understand there is a brother of Jeff Livingston living near me, whom I have yet to meet, but am anxious to do so.

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