Livingston was born on April 3, 1690, in Albany in the Province of New York, a part of British America.
[4] His father was born in Scotland before the family was exiled to Rotterdam, in the Dutch Republic; later sailing for North America where he became a prominent colonial official, fur trader, and businessman who was granted a patent to 160,000 acres (650 km2/ 250 sq mi) along the Hudson River that was confirmed by royal charter of George I in 1715.
By 1721, however, Livingston and Harison were not able to pay the British government what they owed from the customs farm, so he was forced to sell some of his wife's inherited property and seek his father's help.
The elder Livingston paid his debts and successfully sought the assistance of Governor Burnet to extricate Gilbert from his financial issues.
[8][9] His elder brother Philip inherited six slaves, the lot and family house in Albany and the bulk of Livingston Manor becoming 2nd Lord of the Manor, and another elder brother, Robert, inherited three slaves and about 13,000 acres which became known as Clermont.
[5] His father intended Gilbert to inherit his Saratoga property and a house in Albany, however due to his "arrogance" and irresponsibility, his father sold half the Saratoga holdings to cover Gilbert's losses as a merchant and added a codicil to his will in 1722 which divided the remainder of the Saratoga property, and the income from the house in Albany, in fifths to all of his children with Gilbert's share in trusteeship under his brother Philip.