ABC Biography of #57 Anna (Row) Auble (1787-1860) of New Jersey

Using the ABC method described in Using Artificial Intelligence In the Ancestor Biography Creation (ABC) Process, here is another ancestor biography using the Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 AI tool.

1) I wrote genealogical sketches for almost every known ancestor back through 9 generations in blog posts based on 38 years of genealogical research in my 52 Ancestors/Relatives Biographies series. The genealogical sketch for my 3rd great-grandmother, Anna (Row) Auble (1787-1860), #57 on my Ahnentafel List, including family members, record abstracts and sources, is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 50: #57, Anna (Row) Auble (1787-1860).

(AI ChatGPT5 image of Auble family in New Jersey in 1830)

2) For the Claude AI biography, I attached the PDF of the genealogical sketch for the specific ancestor using the plus (+) icon, and then prompted the AI tool with:  "You are an expert genealogist. Please create a biography based on information in the attached file for Anna (Row)  Auble (1787-1860). Include 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 Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 biography is:

Anna (Row) Auble (1787-1860): 

A Life in New Jersey

Early Life and Family Origins

Anna Row was born around 1787 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, into a large German-American family that had established itself in the fertile farmlands of central New Jersey. She was the third daughter and sixth child in a family of eight children born to Philip and Maria (Smith) Row, who had married in 1772 during the early years of American colonial settlement.

Anna grew up in a bustling household alongside her seven siblings: her older sisters Mary Row (1773-1862) and Elisabeth Row (1776-1857), her brothers John Jacob Row (1779-1837), Peter Row (1782-1816), and William Row (1785-????), and her younger brothers Phillip Johannes Row (1791-1874) and Johannes Row (1795-????). The Row family was part of the German immigrant community that had settled in Hunterdon County, bringing their Lutheran faith and farming traditions to the New World.

The exact date of Anna's birth remains somewhat uncertain, as was common for children born in the late 18th century when record-keeping was less systematic. Census records from her later life suggest she was born between 1783 and 1788, with 1787 being the most likely year based on the convergence of various records.

Marriage and New Beginnings

At the age of seventeen, Anna married John Abel on July 15, 1804, at the Zion Lutheran Church in New Germantown (now Oldwick), Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The church records carefully note the union as "John Abel and Anna Rouw, July 15 [1804]," preserving the Germanic spelling of her surname. This marriage marked the beginning of a new chapter in Anna's life as she took on the responsibilities of wife and, soon after, mother.

The marriage took place during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, in an era when New Jersey was still largely rural and agricultural. Young couples like John and Anna typically established themselves in farming communities, relying on extended family networks and close-knit religious congregations for support.

Motherhood and Family Life

Anna proved to be a devoted mother, bearing at least nine children between 1804 and 1830. Her children were:

• Sophia Auble (born c. 1805) became the first of Anna's children to marry, wedding Alley H. Foster before 1827 and having one child. After being widowed, Sophia married Seth W. Hulse before 1850. She lived until May 1, 1887, dying in Blairstown, Warren County, New Jersey.

• William Auble (born c. 1808) moved to Philadelphia where he married Tamsen Kemball on February 25, 1836. After having one child with Tamsen, William later married Harriet F. and spent his later years in the Philadelphia area, dying on February 13, 1875, in Camden, New Jersey. 

• Sarah Auble (born c. 1811) married Elijah E. Schoonover and became the mother of six children. She remained in Sussex County, New Jersey, throughout her life, passing away on February 27, 1889, in Newton.

• Elizabeth Auble (born 1814) never married but became quite successful in her own right. She died of pneumonia on January 13, 1899, at age 85 in Philadelphia, leaving behind a significant estate that benefited her siblings and their children.

• David Auble (born 1817 in Stillwater) married Sarah G. Knapp in 1844 in Newton, Sussex County. The couple had six children before David ventured west, eventually dying on March 22, 1894, in Terre Haute, Indiana. 

• Nathan S. Auble (born c. 1820) married Julia R. Kimball and fathered eight children. He settled in Philadelphia, where he died on October 14, 1886.

• Samuel H. Auble (born c. 1823) tragically died young at age 21 on September 12, 1844, in Philadelphia. He was buried at Monument Cemetery in Philadelphia on September 21, 1844.

• Hampton Auble (born September 1827) married Louisa F. Bonsall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and had three children. He lived until June 20, 1901, dying in Philadelphia.

• Robert Auble (born June 20, 1830) was Anna's youngest child. He married Ellen E. Hartman on December 6, 1855, in Hardwick, Warren County, and had six children. After Ellen's death, he married Amanda Savercool around 1900. Robert lived until February 4, 1920, dying in Blairstown, Warren County, New Jersey.

Connection to Her Birth Family

Anna maintained connections with her birth family throughout her life. When her father Philip Row died on June 9, 1817, in Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, his will specifically named Anna Auble as his daughter, leaving her a modest bequest of $5. While small by today's standards, this inheritance represented a token of paternal affection and family recognition during an era when money was scarce. 

Life in Sussex County

The Auble family eventually settled in Green Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, where they built their life together. Sussex County in the early 19th century was characterized by rolling hills, forests, and small farming communities. The 1830 census provides a snapshot of the family at that time, showing John as a man in his fifties, Anna in her forties, and their children ranging from infants to teenagers, all living under one roof in typical fashion for families of that era.

Widowhood and Later Years

Anna's life took a dramatic turn when her husband John died intestate on January 16, 1831, in Byram, Sussex County, leaving her a widow with several children still at home. An inventory of John's estate taken on March 1, 1831, revealed modest personal property totaling $307, including some doubtful debts. With no real property listed and no formal distribution recorded, it appears Anna received the balance of the estate to support herself and her remaining minor children.

The challenges of widowhood in the 1830s were considerable, especially for a woman with young children. Anna demonstrated remarkable resilience, keeping her family together and ensuring her children's welfare during these difficult years.

Final Years

In her later years, Anna lived with her daughter Sophia and Sophia's second husband, Seth W. Hulse, in Stillwater, Sussex County. The 1850 census shows Anna, then about 66 years old, living in the Hulse household alongside her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter Euphemia Foster (Sophia's child from her first marriage). By 1860, she was still with Sophia's family, now listed as 73 years old.

Anna (Row) Auble died on June 12, 1860, in Stillwater, Sussex County, New Jersey, at the age of 72. She was buried in Harmony Hill Methodist Churchyard in Stillwater, where her gravestone bears the inscription:

Anna

Wife of

John Auble

Died Jun. 3, 1863

Age 72 yrs

Interestingly, there is a discrepancy between the official death record (June 12, 1860) and the gravestone date (June 3, 1863), likely due to the gravestone being installed some years after her death with an incorrect date.

Historical Context

Anna's life spanned a remarkable period in American history. Born during the early years of the United States under the Articles of Confederation, she lived through the ratification of the Constitution, the presidencies of George Washington through James Buchanan, the War of 1812, and the early stages of westward expansion. Her children's generation would experience the Civil War, with some family members settling as far west as Indiana, reflecting the great American migration of the 19th century.

Anna Row Auble's story represents that of countless pioneer women who helped build American communities through their dedication to family, their resilience in the face of hardship, and their quiet strength in raising the next generation. Though she lived a life that might seem ordinary by today's standards, her legacy lived on through her nine children, numerous grandchildren, and the family lines that continue to this day.

4) A poem and song lyrics to commemorate and celebrate the life of Anna (Row) Auble can be found in "Anna's Song" -- A Family History Poem, Song, Audio Overview and Video Overview Created by Artificial Intelligence. The song created from the song lyrics can be played in that blog post, and on Suno.com, and below:

5) An Audio Overview (essentially a podcast created by the Google NotebookLM AI tool) discussing the life of Anna (Row) Auble can be heard here. 

6)  The Video Overview discussing Anna (Row) Auble's life created by Google NotebookLM is:

7)  An AI-assisted memoir about Anna (Row) Auble's life is at Anna (Row) Auble's Life Memories - An AI-Assisted Memoir.

8) I edited the Claude biography text to correct minor inconsistencies and 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 when requested.

==============================================

Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page. Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/09/abc-biography-of-57-anna-row-auble-1787.html

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. Please note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.