Livingston Manor was approximately 20 miles wide from east to west and was approximately 12 miles long from north to south. It was located between the Hudson River on the west and the Massachusetts border on the east. Livingston Manor encompassed the area that would later become the towns of Livingston, Germantown, Clermont, Taghkanic, Gallatin, Copake, and Ancram, located in Columbia County, New York.[2]
The first division of the estate occurred in 1728 upon the death of Robert Livingston the Elder, who stipulated that his third son, Robert Livingston (1718–1775), be granted 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) from Livingston Manor's southwest corner, a tract which Robert christened Clermont Manor.
In 1790, upon the death of the last lord of the manor, Robert Livingston, the remainder of Livingston Manor was divided among the heirs of his four youngest sons, rather than continuing to pass down through primogeniture. Robert's eldest living son, Peter R. Livingston (1737–1809), had made many unwise financial decisions and was perennially in debt, and it was feared the estate would end up claimed by his creditors were it passed on to him.[2]
The inheritors of the estate were all men who had distinguished themselves considerably during and after the American Revolution:
William Alexander (1726–1783), a brother-in-law who had married Sarah Livingston (1725–1805), the daughter of Philip Livingston, 2nd Lord of Livingston Manor, and Robert’s sister. Alexander had been a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
The land was divided among the families of these four men, and the power of the Livingston family was slowly diminished. A portion of the estate is still held by the family. The town of Livingston, New York occupies part of the original tract.
^ abcLivingston, James D.; Penney, Sherry H. (March 1987). "The Breakup of Livingston Manor"(PDF). The Hudson Valley Regional Review. 4 (1): 56–73. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2016.