1) I have written genealogical sketches for almost every known ancestor back 9 generations in blog posts based on 35 years of genealogical research in my 52 Ancestors/Relatives Biographies series. The genealogical sketch for my 2nd great-grandfather, Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901), #25 on my Ahnentafel List), including record abstracts and sources, is https://www.geneamusings.com/2014/05/52-ancestors-week-18-25-rebecca.html.
2) For the Claude AI biography, I attached the PDF of the genealogical sketch for the specific ancestor using the plus (+) sign, and then prompted the AI tool with: "You are an expert genealogist. Please create a draft biography from the attached file, including parents, siblings, spouses and children (with birth and death dates and places), summarize life events, and add historical facts as appropriate, but do not add or embellish any extra genealogical details. Use section headings. Expand the information in each section to add more details. The tone should be engaging and suitable for family members."
3) The expanded biography of Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901) created by the free AI tool Claude Sonnet 4, lightly edited, is:
Rebecca Spangler Carringer (1832-1901)
A Life Across Three States and Five Decades of American History
Early Life and Family Origins
Rebecca Spangler was born on April 2, 1832, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, the seventh daughter and eighth of ten children born to Daniel and Elizabeth (King) Spangler. She entered the world during an era of westward expansion and industrial growth in America, just as Andrew Jackson was serving his first term as President.
Her father Daniel was a prosperous farmer who owned real property worth $1,500—a considerable sum for the time. The Spangler family had deep Pennsylvania roots, with both Daniel and Elizabeth born in the state. Rebecca grew up in a large, bustling household in Sandy Creek Township, where education was valued; the 1850 census shows that she and her younger sisters attended school regularly.
The family's comfortable life was shattered when Daniel Spangler died intestate on July 19, 1851, leaving behind his wife and eight daughters, three of whom were still minors. The probate proceedings required selling a portion of the family land to pay debts and provide support for the widow and minor children. This sudden loss thrust 19-year-old Rebecca into a world where she would need to make her own way.
Marriage and New Beginnings
Just three months after her father's death, Rebecca married David Jackson "D.J." Carringer on October 16, 1851. The ceremony was performed by Reverend McAdams in Mercer County, uniting the 19-year-old Rebecca with 23-year-old D.J., son of Henry and Sarah (Feather) Carringer. Remarkably, the Spangler and Carringer families had been neighbors—in the 1850 census, they were enumerated one after the other, suggesting this was likely a courtship that had developed between neighboring farm families.
D.J. was a skilled carpenter and joiner, trades that would serve the family well as they moved westward with the great migration of Americans seeking new opportunities in the expanding nation.
Building a Family and Moving West
Rebecca and D.J. welcomed their first child, Harvey Edgar Carringer, on May 6, 1852, in Mercer Co unty, Pennsylvania. Their second son, Henry Austin Carringer, was born on November 28, 1853, also in Pennsylvania.
By 1858, the young family had joined the westward migration that characterized mid-19th century America. They relocated to Louisa County, Iowa, accompanying D.J.'s widowed father and several siblings. It was there that their daughter Effie Eva Carringer was born on November 24, 1858. The move reflected the broader pattern of American families seeking better farmland and opportunities in the territories west of the Mississippi River.
The 1860 census found the family settled in Columbus City, Louisa County, Iowa, where D.J. worked as a carpenter. Despite owning only modest property ($200 in real estate and $100 in personal property), they prioritized their children's education—both Harvey and Henry were attending school.
The Iowa Years: Trials and Resilience
The family moved again within Iowa, settling in Jackson Township, Washington County, where D.J. tried his hand at farming. These were challenging years during and after the Civil War, when many families struggled with economic hardship. Unfortunately, their farming venture failed, and in October 1872, they were forced to sell their farm and its contents at public auction.
The year 1873 brought both terror and testimony to Rebecca's remarkable resilience. On May 23, while visiting a friend in Washington County, a tornado struck the house where she was staying. Rebecca, her friend, and the friend's two children sought shelter in the cellar, but when the house was blown away, they were lifted from their underground refuge and carried some distance before being thrown to the ground. Though knocked unconscious, Rebecca survived without serious injury—a testament to both her physical strength and what her family surely saw as divine protection.
Colorado Territory: New Horizons and Heartbreak
Following the tornado, the Carringer family joined the thousands of Americans heading to Colorado Territory, settling in Caribou in Boulder County. Colorado was experiencing a mining boom, and many families sought new starts in the mountain west. However, their hopes for a fresh beginning were soon overshadowed by tragedy.
On June 8, 1874, their beloved daughter Effie died at just 15 years, 6 months, and 12 days old. The local obituary captured the family's profound grief and the community's sympathy: "The deeply afflicted family have the sincerest sympathy of all the community. The form of their loved one fades from earth 'but a fair maiden in the Father's mansion, clothed with celestial grace, and beautiful will all the soul's expansion, shall they behold her face.'" Effie was buried in Columbia Cemetery in Boulder, far from the Iowa soil where she was born.
Establishing Roots in Boulder
Despite their loss, the Carringers persevered in Colorado. By 1880, they had settled in Boulder, where D.J. returned to his carpentry trade. The 1885 Colorado State Census shows the family had achieved some stability—D.J. was working as a fruit grower, suggesting they had acquired property suitable for agriculture in the fertile Boulder Valley.
Their son Henry Austin Carringer married Abbey Ardelle Smith in September 1887 in Wano, Kansas, and the young couple soon relocated to San Diego, California. Henry and Abbey had two children: Devier David Carringer (1889-1890), who tragically died in infancy, and Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976), who would live to see the dawn of the atomic age.
The California Years: Final Chapter
By 1898, Rebecca and D.J., now in their sixties, made one final move to join their son Henry in San Diego. The San Diego Union reported in November 1898 that D.J. had received a permit to build a cottage in Choate & Seaman's addition for $800—a substantial investment that showed the family had achieved some prosperity.
They settled in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, building their home at what is now the northwest corner of 30th Street and Ivy Street, near Henry and Abbey's residence. This area was experiencing rapid growth as San Diego transformed from a small frontier town into a modern California city.
The 1900 census captured the family in their twilight years: D.J., age 71, and Rebecca, age 67, had been married for 49 years. They owned their home free of mortgage—a significant achievement for a couple who had weathered farm failures, natural disasters, and the loss of a child. Their son Harvey Edgar, now 47, remained with them.
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(D.J. Carringer and Henry Austin Carringer family in front of house in 1900, from family scrapbook)
Golden Anniversary and Final Days
On October 16, 1901, Rebecca and D.J. celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a party at their Brooklyn Heights home. The San Diego Evening Tribune reported that friends gathered to honor the couple, presenting them with gold coins and other valuable gifts. The newspaper noted that both were invalids, but the celebration was "an especially enjoyable affair for the aged couple."
Just two months later, on December 13, 1901, Rebecca died of cancer at age 69 years, 8 months, and 11 days. Her grieving husband survived her by only one month, dying of kidney and bladder trouble on January 20, 1902. Their profound bond, forged in the aftermath of her father's death and sustained through five decades of American transformation, ended as they were laid to rest together in La Vista Memorial Park in National City, California.
Legacy
Rebecca Spangler Carringer's life spanned one of the most dynamic periods in American history. Born during Andrew Jackson's presidency, she witnessed the Civil War, the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the settlement of the American West, and the dawn of the 20th century. Her journey from Pennsylvania farm girl to Iowa to Colorado to California matriarch reflects the experiences of countless American families who built their lives through perseverance, faith, and the courage to start over when circumstances demanded it.
Her descendants, including grandson Lyle Lawrence Carringer, would continue the family tradition of resilience and adaptation, carrying forward the values Rebecca and D.J. demonstrated through their remarkable 50-year partnership. Today, her remains rest in La Vista Memorial Park next to her husband and grandsson Devier, where her simple gravestone—"Rebecca S. Carringer 1832-1901"—marks the final resting place of a woman whose life embodied the American spirit of endurance and hope.
4) A poem and song lyrics to commemorate the life of Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901) can be found in "Rebecca, Pioneer Woman" -- A Family History Poem and Song Created by Artificial Intelligence. The song created from the song lyrics can be heard in that blog post, here on Suno.com, and below:
An audio overview (essentially a podcast created by the Google ContentLM AI tool) discussing the life of Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901) can be heard at https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/0d3b2dcf-797d-48ae-a507-7ee0a83ae2ab/audio.
5) I wrote a historical fiction AI-asisted dialogue between Rebecca and her family after the 1873 tornado in Ask Claude AI: "Please Create a Dialogue Between Rebecca Carringer and Her Family About Surviving the Tornado".
6) The ABC Biography for David Jackson Carringer (1828-1902) is in ABC Biography of #24 David Jackson "D.J." Carringer (1828-1902) of Pennsylvania, Iowa, Colorado and California.
7) I lightly edited the Claude biography text to add more family detail and correct minor errors. Every large language model (LLM) AI tool writes descriptive text much better than I can write. I was an aerospace engineer in my former life, and my research reports and genealogical sketches reflect "just the facts gleaned from my research." The AI tools are very perceptive, insightful and create readable text in seconds, including local and national historical events and social history detail.
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