I am impressed by the family stories generated and published by other genealogists and family historians, and I wish that I was a more creative writer. I want to be able to write interesting, meaningful and good stories about my own ancestors to help me and my relatives (brothers, children, grandchildren, cousins) understand their ancestors lives and times. At my age, I'm not going to significantly improve my writing, so I've relied on Artificial Intelligence to help me.
Like me, several genealogists and family historians are using Artificial Intelligence to generate story ideas and to write the stories, which are then edited for accuracy and content, and then published on websites and/or blogs.
Every ancestor has a unique life, and has their own stories based on their life experiences from birth to death. I want to hear about Della's unique stories.
1) Here is the AI prompt that I'm using for the free AI tool Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 for story ideas, and a one-paragraph summary of the answers: "Please provide ten unique interview questions to ask Abbey Ardelle "Della" (Smith) Carringer about her life experiences in 1944 based on the attached report. Provide one-paragraph answers to each question."
I attached my genealogical sketch (52 Ancestors Friday: Abbey Ardelle "Della" (Smith) Carringer (1862-1944)) for the AI tool to use to provide the questions or ideas, and then asked the AI tool to provide the answers to the questions based on the information in my genealogical sketch, historical events, cultural background, etc.
2) The Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 response to my prompt for my great-grandmother Abbey Ardelle "Della" (Smith) Carringer was:
Interview Questions for Abbey Ardelle "Della" Smith Carringer (1862-1944)
1. What was it like growing up in a family that moved so frequently across the frontier?
Moving every few years was simply the way of life for frontier families like ours. We lived in Wisconsin when I was born, then moved to Iowa when I was about six, then to Kansas when I was thirteen, and then to Nebraska when I was twenty-three. Each move meant leaving friends behind and starting over, but it also brought new opportunities. Papa was always looking for better prospects - first farming, then running a livery stable, then speculating in land. Mama adapted to each new place, even taking up millinery work in Kansas to help support the family. These moves taught me to be adaptable and resourceful, skills that served me well throughout my life. The constant change also made me appreciate stability once Austin and I settled in San Diego.
2. How did you develop your talents as a music teacher and performer in Kansas?
Music was my passion from a young age, and I was fortunate that my sister Matie shared this love - we both taught music in Kansas and Nebraska. The frontier communities were hungry for culture and entertainment, so there were opportunities for those with musical abilities. When I met Austin in Wano, we discovered our shared love of theater and began performing together in the local playhouse. We starred in plays like "Lady Audley's Secret" and "The Dairyman's Daughter." These performances brought the community together and provided much-needed entertainment. The skills I developed in music and performance later served me well in San Diego, where I continued teaching and even worked as an art teacher.
3. Can you tell me about your courtship with Henry Austin Carringer and your decision to marry?
Austin and I courted for three years while we were both involved in the theater productions in Wano. He was a carpenter and performer, and I was drawn to his creativity and gentle nature. We were both homesteaders - I had received two land grants totaling 240 acres in Cheyenne County, Kansas, which was quite unusual for a single woman in those days. Our relationship grew through our shared performances and community involvement. When we decided to marry in September 1887, we knew we wanted to start fresh somewhere new. We sold our Kansas land and planned to use the proceeds for a new life together, though we ended up arriving in San Diego with only $20 in our pockets after our train journey west.
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4. What led you and Austin to choose San Diego for your new life together?
Our decision to go to San Diego was somewhat spontaneous - we had planned it as our honeymoon destination, but we fell in love with the place and decided to stay. California represented opportunity and a fresh start, far from the harsh winters and uncertain crops of Kansas. The climate was perfect for someone like me who loved gardening and flowers, and there were opportunities for Austin's carpentry skills as the city was growing rapidly. We arrived with very little money, but we were young, hardworking, and optimistic. The decision proved wise - we spent over 55 years there, raised our family, built our home and business, and became part of the community. San Diego gave us the stability and prosperity that had eluded our families on the frontier.
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5. How did the loss of your first child, Devier, affect you and your family?
Losing little Devier when he was only nine months old was the most devastating experience of our lives. He was such a beautiful, healthy baby - nine pounds when he was born in August 1889. When he suddenly died in May 1890, it felt like our world collapsed. The remembrance card we kept spoke of "one less at home" and "one more in heaven," but those words provided little comfort at the time. The extended family wrote letters trying to console us, saying it was God's will, but Austin was so grief-stricken that he renounced his Christian faith entirely. I held onto my faith, but it was tested severely. When Lyle was born the following year, we were simultaneously overjoyed and terrified. The loss of Devier made us treasure every moment with Lyle even more.
6. What was it like being a businesswoman in early San Diego?
I discovered early on that I had a good head for business, which was somewhat unusual for women in that era. I managed our household finances, bought and sold property, and started various in-home businesses to supplement Austin's carpentry income. In 1894, I purchased several lots in what would become the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood for $450 - quite a substantial investment for us at the time. I also worked as an art teacher, and had a studio at 29th and Logan, near our home at the time. I designed some of our furniture and was involved in all the real estate transactions as we expanded our property holdings. Austin was the craftsman who built our homes and furniture, but I was the one who managed the business side of our lives. This partnership worked well for us and allowed us to prosper in San Diego.
7. How did you manage to maintain your home and property through various economic changes?
We learned early that property ownership was key to security, so we worked hard to acquire and improve our holdings. We started with the lots on 30th and Hawthorn Streets, where Austin built our family home. Over the years, we strategically bought additional lots and built rental properties, including a two-story apartment building on Fern Street. During difficult economic times, we sometimes had to take out mortgages or trust deeds, but we always found ways to meet our obligations. I was careful with money and kept detailed records of all our transactions. When the Depression came, we had the security of our property and rental income. We even helped our son Lyle by deeding him property while reserving the right to live there and collect income during our lifetimes.
8. What role did your mother, Abigail Smith, play in your San Diego household?
Mama was an integral part of our San Diego household for many years. She came to live with us after Papa died in 1894, and she remained with us until her death in 1931. She helped raise Lyle and was a wonderful grandmother to him. Having her there was both a blessing and a responsibility - she contributed to the household and provided wisdom from her frontier experiences, but she also needed care as she aged. She lived with us consistently from 1900 through 1930, and she even had her own home and income at times. She was independent-minded, like many frontier women, and I think she enjoyed the stability of our San Diego home after all those years of moving around the frontier. Her presence enriched our family life considerably.
9. How did you and Austin celebrate your golden wedding anniversary in 1937?
Our golden wedding anniversary in 1937 was a wonderful celebration of our 50 years together. The San Diego Union even wrote an article about us with the headline "Honeymoon Trip to S.D. Extends Half a Century." We reminisced about arriving in San Diego with only $20 in our pockets and how we had built our life together. I told the reporter that we had lived at the same corner for 39 years, had grown every kind of fruit and vegetable that thrives in California, and that flowers had always been my hobby. We reflected on our philosophy of life - that we had worked hard as partners and tried always to be kind and helpful to others. I said that we believed this was the best religion for a happy and successful life. It was gratifying to look back on all we had accomplished together.
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10. What legacy do you hope to leave for your family and community?
I hope to be remembered as someone who made the most of every opportunity and who contributed positively to her community. Austin and I came to San Diego with nothing but determination and love for each other, and we built a good life through hard work and partnership. We provided stability for our son Lyle that neither of us had experienced in our own childhoods, moving from place to place. I hope my business acumen and independence showed other women that they could take active roles in managing their families' financial affairs. Through my teaching, performing, and community involvement, I tried to bring beauty and culture to our neighborhood. Most importantly, I hope our example of a loving, supportive marriage that lasted over 50 years will inspire future generations. The photographs, scrapbooks, and letters I've saved will help our descendants understand where they came from and the values that sustained us through good times and bad.
3) All of this AI material is historical fiction since I don't have details of every day or every year in the lives of my ancestors. Each ancestor has a unique life, and has unique family, economic and social experiences. I don't know about the education, thoughts, wisdom, decision-making skills, temperaments, emotions, figures of speech, or sound of the voice of any of my ancestors older than my parents and maternal grandparents.
My ancestors, and everyone else's, were human, imperfect, had to support themselves and their family, had health, social and economic challenges, and almost all of them did the best they could with their life situations.
4) Does it matter if I am presenting these as seemingly real answers or conversations? I don't think so - because my purpose is to enable my relatives to know who their ancestors were and to help them understand the lives of their ancestors. The AI-generated responses are much better than any response I have in my memory bank or thast I can dream up.
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