The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT, Claude, CoPilot, Gemini, Grok, Meta, Grok, and Perplexity) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.
I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with information about a young Shrewsbury, Massachusetts boy's life in 1770. My 4th great-grandfather, Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816) was age 13 in 1770.
1) I chose to use the responses from free Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 (as of 1 November 2025) today.
My Prompt was: "Please describe the life of 13-year-old Benjamin Seaver on the Seaver farm in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts in 1770? Family, work, education, entertainment, fun?"
I uploaded a PDF of my updated Genea-Musings blog post (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 57: #64, Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816)) to provide information about Benjamin and his family to the AI Tool.
(AI NotebookLM image - Benjamin Seaver in 1770)
2) Here is the Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 response:
A Day in the Life: Benjamin Seaver, Age 13
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, 1770
The Seaver Household
In 1770, thirteen-year-old Benjamin Seaver lived in a bustling
household in Shrewsbury, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Seaver
family farm was home to a crowd of children, and young Benjamin was
right in the middle of it all.
His parents, Norman and Sarah, had their hands full with ten
children by this time (two more would be born after the family moved
to Westminster). Benjamin, at thirteen, was the eldest son—a
position of both privilege and responsibility in colonial families.
His older sister Eunice was fifteen, old enough to be a significant
help to their mother with the younger children.
The younger siblings created a constant whirl of activity:
Sally (Sarah) was eleven, two
years younger than Benjamin
Joseph was nine years old
Isaac was seven
Ethan was five
Daniel was three
Heman was just one year old, still in leading strings
The house would have been cramped by modern standards. Most likely
a two-story structure with perhaps four rooms total—a keeping room
(kitchen/main living area), a parlor for special occasions, and two
sleeping chambers upstairs. Benjamin probably shared a bed with at
least two of his brothers in the unheated upstairs, huddling together
for warmth during the brutal New England winters.
Benjamin's Daily Work
At thirteen, Benjamin was no longer a child in the eyes of
colonial society—he was a young worker, essential to the farm's
operation. His father Norman would have expected a full day's labor
from him, training him in all aspects of farming that he would need
as a man.
Dawn to Breakfast (5:00 AM - 7:00 AM)
Benjamin's day started before sunrise, even in winter. His first
task was often helping with the livestock. He would have:
Fed and watered the oxen,
essential for plowing and hauling
Milked the cows alongside his
sisters (yes, boys milked too)
Fed the pigs kitchen scraps and
grain
Checked on the sheep, particularly
in lambing season
Gathered eggs from the chickens
The barn was drafty and cold in winter, warm and buzzing with
flies in summer. The smell of animals, hay, and manure was the
constant backdrop of farm life.
Morning Work (7:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
After a breakfast of cornmeal mush or porridge, bread, and perhaps
some salt pork, Benjamin worked alongside his father at the season's
tasks:
Spring: Plowing fields behind the oxen
(exhausting work for a thirteen-year-old), spreading manure, planting
corn, wheat, rye, and vegetables, repairing fences damaged by winter,
shearing sheep
Summer: Weeding endless rows of crops (tedious,
back-breaking work), haying (cutting grass with a scythe, raking, and
stacking it to dry—one of the hardest jobs of the year), tending
the vegetable garden, beginning harvest of early crops
Fall: Harvesting corn, wheat, and rye, threshing
grain with a flail (rhythmic, repetitive work), digging root
vegetables, helping with butchering, cutting and stacking firewood
for winter
Winter: Threshing grain in the barn, repairing
tools and equipment, cutting firewood (a never-ending task), caring
for livestock, ice harvesting from ponds
Afternoon Work (1:00 PM - Dusk)
After a midday dinner (the main meal), the work continued.
Benjamin might:
Help his father clear new
land—removing stumps was particularly brutal work
Mend fences using split rails
Repair the roof, barn, or
outbuildings
Hunt for game to supplement the
family's food supply
Fish in local streams and ponds
Help his mother with tasks like hauling water from the well
or spring (many trips per day)
Education: Limited but Valued
Benjamin's formal education was minimal by modern standards, but
he wasn't illiterate. Colonial Massachusetts took education
seriously, even for farm children.
Winter School
Shrewsbury likely had a district school that operated primarily in
winter when farm work was lighter. Benjamin probably attended for 6-8
weeks each winter, learning:
Reading from the Bible, psalters,
and perhaps the New England Primer
Writing with a quill pen on
precious paper (or on a slate for practice)
Basic arithmetic—addition,
subtraction, multiplication
Some geography and history, though limited
The schoolmaster ruled with strict discipline, often using the rod
for misbehavior or poor recitation. Students of all ages crowded into
one room, sitting on hard benches, with the younger children often
learning by listening to older students recite.
Home Learning
Much of Benjamin's real education came from his parents:
His father taught him practical
mathematics—measuring land, calculating yields, figuring prices
He learned animal husbandry
through daily practice
His mother or older sister taught
him to read from the family Bible
He memorized psalms and catechism for Sunday services
Skills Training
Benjamin was learning to be a farmer, which meant mastering dozens
of skills:
How to judge good soil
When to plant by the moon and
weather signs
How to sharpen tools on a
whetstone
How to handle oxen and horses
How to slaughter and butcher
animals
How to build and repair fences,
tools, and structures
Which wild plants were edible or medicinal
Entertainment and Fun: Precious Moments
Life wasn't all drudgery, though fun was usually mixed with work
or community obligations.
Sabbath (Sunday)
Sunday was the Lord's Day—no work allowed except essential
animal care. The family would:
Dress in their best clothes
(Benjamin had perhaps two outfits—work clothes and "meeting"
clothes)
Walk or ride to the meetinghouse,
possibly a mile or more away
Sit through two long services,
morning and afternoon, each lasting 2-3 hours
Listen to lengthy sermons
(children who fidgeted risked being struck by the tithing man's rod)
Socialize with neighbors between services—this was vital
community time
Sunday afternoon was for visiting, quiet Bible reading, and rest.
Benjamin might have time to talk with other boys his age, hear news
from other farms, and simply relax.
Seasonal Celebrations
Colonial life had fewer holidays than today, but certain occasions
brought real festivity:
Thanksgiving: A day of feasting after harvest,
with neighbors sharing food and company
Election Day: A spring civic celebration with
games, contests, and drinking (for adults)
Training Day: When the militia drilled, turning
into a social event with competitions—Benjamin was just a few years
from joining
Huskings and Barn Raisings: Work parties that
turned into social events with food, competition, and courting
opportunities
Daily Pleasures
Benjamin's fun came in small moments:
Swimming in local
ponds and streams in summer—one of the few truly carefree
activities
Hunting and fishing
with his father or alone—this combined work (providing food) with
adventure
Playing with
siblings—games like tag, hide-and-seek, hoops, marbles,
or jackstraws (pick-up sticks)
Exploring the
woods—colonial Massachusetts was still heavily forested,
offering endless adventure
Listening to stories
on winter evenings when the family gathered around the fire
Music—if anyone
in the family played an instrument or sang, this was precious
entertainment
Competing with other farm boys—who could
throw farther, run faster, lift more
Winter Evening Activities
After supper, before the expensive candles were lit (or by
firelight alone), the family might:
Sit together working on small
tasks (Benjamin whittling, his mother spinning, sisters sewing)
Tell stories and riddles
Sing hymns or folk songs
His father might read from the
Bible or an almanac
Practice writing letters in the ashes of the hearth
Food: Plain but Plentiful
Benjamin ate simple, hearty food:
Daily fare: Cornmeal mush, brown bread, salt
pork, beans, turnips, cabbage, onions, apples, milk, cider
Occasional treats: Fresh meat (beef, pork,
chicken), maple sugar, berries, pie
Seasonal variations:
Spring: Maple syrup, early greens,
eggs
Summer: Fresh vegetables, berries,
fish
Fall: Game, fresh apples, new
cider
Winter: Stored root vegetables, dried foods, salt meat
Food was filling but monotonous. Most dishes were boiled or baked
in the fireplace. Meals were eaten quickly, often in shifts, with the
men and older boys eating first.
Clothing: Practical and Precious
Benjamin owned very little clothing:
His mother and sisters made most clothing by hand—spinning wool
or flax, weaving cloth, cutting and sewing garments. Nothing was
wasted. Clothes were patched repeatedly and passed down through
siblings. When beyond repair, they became rags or quilting material.
Benjamin likely went barefoot much of the summer to save shoe
leather, and his feet would have been tough and calloused.
The Wider World: Brewing Tensions
Even in rural Shrewsbury, Benjamin would have heard adults
discussing the growing conflict with Britain:
The Boston Massacre had just
occurred in March 1770
Talk of taxation without
representation
Anger at the Townshend Acts
Growing tension between Patriots and Loyalists
At thirteen, Benjamin might not have fully understood the
political complexities, but he would have absorbed the atmosphere of
resentment and resistance. His father and neighbors discussed these
matters at meeting, at the tavern, and around farm tables. Seeds were
being planted that would lead Benjamin to enlist in the Continental
Army just five years later.
A Hard but Normal Life
For young Benjamin Seaver in 1770, this was simply life—the only
life he knew. He worked hard, played when he could, learned
constantly, and grew strong in body and character. The farm taught
him discipline, persistence, and resourcefulness. His family taught
him values and faith. His community taught him civic responsibility.
He didn't know that within five years he'd be a soldier, within
thirteen years a married man, and that he'd spend his entire life in
Worcester County, eventually owning substantial property and raising
ten children of his own. But the thirteen-year-old boy working
alongside his father in Shrewsbury was already becoming the man he
would be—steady, hardworking, and reliable, a true son of colonial
New England.
3) The Google NotebookLM Audio Overview (essentially a podcast) about this post is here.
The Google NotebookLM Video Overview of this post is below.
4) I have no easy way to double check on these responses from Claude. I don't have many book resources for the subjects and the locality, but there are published books available for this time period and general location. The families mentioned are my ancestral families and I have significant information about their lives from the available records, but know nothing about their daily lives.
5) As genealogists, we can usually find the 17th to 19th century town records, and the later census and vital records, for Massachusetts families, and we may find occupation, immigration, land and probate records. However, there are books and websites about the daily lives of people in those times. The AI tools have been pre-trained on historical events, social history, geography, literature and other disciplines so they can provide information for questions like this one, and in recent months have the ability to search the Internet.
6) After I read these types of social history summaries, I wish that I could be a time traveler for one day to visit the Seaver family in Massachusetts and witness their daily lives. I'm glad that the general lifestyles and occupations are known from historical records and witness accounts.
==============================================
Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.
Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.
