Julia Orlean Livingston was born on 9 November 1871 in Hale County, Alabama, to John Thomas Livingston and Elizabeth Singley. Julia married John Silas Wesley Essary on 23 January 1890 in Hale County, Alabama. John Silas and Julia had 12 children, 8 boys and 4 girls. Julia died on 29 October 1937 in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
Table of Contents
Inheritance
Julia Orlean Livingston and her husband, John Silas, were involved in the distribution of property from John Thomas Livingston’s estate. Both had to agree to the distribution of the land, so their names were recorded in the property transfer. For example, a land deed between Elizabeth Livingston, Julia’s mother, and Leah A. Howard, Julia’s sister, required Julia and John Silas to agree to the land transfer. The property was transferred shortly after the death of John Thomas Livingston on 20 April 1892.1
It is not clear if Julia and John Silas inherited or were gifted property from John Thomas Livingston’s estate. They were heirs of the estate and may have been required to agree to any distributions of land or property.
Despite that situation, Julia Orlean Livingston inherited some money from William Calloway Essary, her father-in-law. Julia was a widow when William Calloway passed away in 1930. Julia was to receive a third of William Calloway’s estate minus $200, which John Silas had previously received.2
Full Text Search
A deeper search of Hale County probate records could answer the question of whether or not Julia Orlean Livingston and John Silas inherited some of John Thomas Livingston’s estate. Ideally, there would be a will and/or a probate that would include a listing of individuals with their inheritances from the estate.
The FamilySearch Full Text Search is a powerful AI-powered search tool that can search handwritten documents. The search now includes filters to narrow down on specific collections, locations, and record types. A search of Hale County probate and land records found several interesting documents, but no will or probate for John Thomas Livingston. Most likely, the property distributions to family members made it clear that everyone agreed with the distribution.
John Thomas Livingston
The FamilySearch Full Text search did not return any search results for a probate or will for John Thomas. But the full-text search linked to documents regarding an apprenticeship for two children.
John Thomas signed an apprenticeship agreement with the father of two children, John and Mary O’Donnell. The apprenticeship agreement was set to remain in effect until the children reached the ages of 21 and 18, respectively. H. B. Singley and William T. Singley were bound with John Thomas Livingston. These two men were his wife’s brothers.3
John Thomas Livingston died on 1 February 1892 in Hale County, Alabama, four years after this apprenticeship agreement.4 It’s not clear what happened to the children after John Thomas’ death. Neither child reached the ages set in the agreement before his death. It would be interesting to research these children to learn more about what happened to them.
Elizabeth Singley
Julia Orlean Livingston’s mother was Elizabeth Singley. A search for Elizabeth in the FamilySearch Full Text search found a few interesting documents in addition to the land distribution records for John Thomas Livingston’s estate. This included a probate record for Elizabeth’s brother, John Adam Singley.
John Adam Singley died on 2 December 1897 in Hale County, Alabama.5 His will was recorded on 10 January 1898. Elizabeth was to receive $25 from his estate. Sadly, John’s heirs had passed before he did, so his estate was distributed to his siblings.6 Because John Adams’ immediate family was deceased, there were several court proceedings to determine a fair distribution of his estate among his extended family.
Future Research
- Research John and Mary O’Donnell, apprentices of John Thomas Livingston. The apprenticeship document did not name their father. The 1870 U.S. Census could place them in their family. The 1900 U.S. Census may reveal what happened to them after John Thomas Livingston’s death.
- John Thomas Livingston’s death date is not backed up with a source record. The property distribution to his heirs began in 1892, so he was probably deceased by that first distribution.7
Sources
- “Hale, Alabama, United States records,” entry for Elizabeth Livingston, Deeds, 1892-1900, volume N, page 352, 20 April 1892, Hale County, Alabama; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 12 March 2026), image 772 of 800, film number 008586685; citing Alabama, Probate Court (Hale County). ↩︎
- “Alabama, Wills, and Probate Records, 1753-1999,” entry for W. C. Essary, Will Record, Vol. B, 1923-1938, page 271-273, Hale County, Alabama; digital images, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : accessed 12 January 2026); citing Alabama County, District, and Probate Courts. ↩︎
- “Hale, Alabama, United States records,” entry for John and Mary O’Donnell, Probate Records, 1874-1920, volume C, page 126, 17 October 1888, Hale County, Alabama; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 March 2026), image 580 of 817, film number 007737685; citing Alabama, Probate Court (Hale County). ↩︎
- The death date is not currently backed up with a source record. However, the land distribution to his heirs started in 1892. ↩︎
- Find A Grave, database with images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 March 2026), memorial 25676418, John Adam Singley, (1839-1897), gravestone photographed by davisstokes, member 47137234. ↩︎
- “Hale, Alabama, United States records,” entry for John A Singley, Wills, 1867-1923, volume A, page 336-337, 10 January 1898, Hale County, Alabama; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 March 2026), image 190 of 459, film number 005175957; citing Alabama, Probate Court (Hale County). ↩︎
- “Hale, Alabama, United States records,” entry for J S W Essary, Deeds, 1892-1900, volume N, page 352, 26 April 1892, Hale County, Alabama; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 14 February 2026), image 772 of 800, film number 008586685; citing Alabama, Probate Court (Hale County). ↩︎
