Several genealogists and family historians, including me, 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. Today, I want to hear about my third great-grandfather Samuel Vaux's unique stories. I wrote an AI-assisted biography of Samuel in ABC Biography of #54 Samuel Vaux (1816-1880) of Somerset, New York, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas.
I attached my genealogical sketch ( 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 47: #54, Samuel Vaux (1816-1880)) 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, social and cultural background, etc.
1) Here is the AI prompt that I'm using for the free AI tool Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 for story ideas, and a two-paragraph summary of the answers: Please provide ten unique interview questions to ask Samuel Vaux (1816-1880) about his life experiences in early 1880 based on the attached report. Provide two-paragraph answers to each question.
Here is the Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 response:
Interview with Samuel Vaux - Early 1880
Ten Questions for the Pioneer Patriarch
1. Mr. Vaux, you've lived through tremendous changes, from your birth in Somerset, England in 1816 to now residing in Kansas. What motivated your family to leave England for America back in the 1830s?
Well, you must understand that England in the 1830s was a place of great uncertainty for working families like ours. My father James was trying to support ten children, and opportunities seemed limited in Somerset, no matter how beautiful the countryside. We heard tales from neighbors and friends who had already made the crossing about the abundance of good farmland available in America, particularly in New York State. The promise of owning our own land - something that would have been nearly impossible for a family like ours in England - was too compelling to ignore.
The decision wasn't made lightly, mind you. Leaving behind everything familiar, the church where we were baptized, the graves of our ancestors, and our family friends, was heartbreaking. But America represented hope - hope for a better future for all of us children. When we heard about the opportunities in Erie County, New York, and the success that other English families were having there, it seemed like Providence was calling us westward. I was about twenty-one then, old enough to understand that this was likely our one chance to build something lasting for future generations.
2. Tell us about meeting and marrying Mary Ann Underhill in Aurora, New York. How did an English immigrant and a local New York girl come together?
Mary Ann was unlike anyone I'd ever met - she had that American spirit of independence, but also the warmth and strength that made her the perfect partner for frontier life. I met her through the community in Aurora, where her family, the Underhills, were well-established. Her father Amos and mother Mary had deep roots there, and they welcomed me despite my being a newcomer from across the ocean. Mary Ann saw something in this young Englishman, I suppose, and wasn't concerned about my foreign birth or different accent.
We married around 1837 when she was twenty-two and I was twenty-one. She taught me so much about American ways, about the land, about the community we were joining. In many ways, Mary Ann was my bridge to truly becoming an American. She had faith in our future together and supported every move we made, from New York to Wisconsin to Missouri and now here to Kansas. Through forty-three years of marriage, she's been my anchor, my advisor, and my dearest friend. Without her steady presence and wise counsel, I doubt I could have achieved half of what we've built together.
3. You've been quite successful as a farmer and landowner, buying the Sprague farm in Aurora for $795 and selling it for $1,500 just eight years later. What was your approach to farming and land investment?
Success in farming requires more than just working hard - though Lord knows that's essential. You must read the land, understand the soil, watch the weather patterns, and most importantly, know when opportunity presents itself. When I bought the Sprague farm in 1845, I could see it had good drainage, fertile soil, and was well-positioned near the highways. Those fifty-three acres taught me everything about American agriculture, and I reinvested every penny of profit back into improving the land and our farming methods.
The decision to sell in 1853 wasn't easy, but I could see that the real opportunities were moving westward. Wisconsin was opening up with even richer prairie soil, and land prices in New York were rising to the point where selling made financial sense. Over the years, whether in Wisconsin or later in Missouri, I've always looked for land that could support not just crops, but a family's future. You have to think beyond the immediate harvest to the long-term value. Each move we've made has been calculated to position our family better, to accumulate the resources needed to give our children opportunities I never had in England.
4. Your family has moved several times - from New York to Wisconsin to Missouri, and now you're in Kansas. What drove these westward migrations?
Each move represented a step toward better opportunities, richer soil, and more space for our growing family. The move from New York to Wisconsin before 1854 was driven by the incredible fertility of the prairie lands and the reasonable prices for good acreage. Wisconsin offered us the chance to expand our farming operation significantly, and it's where our daughters met their husbands. The community in Burnett township was welcoming to families like ours, and we prospered there for many years.
The move to Missouri in 1869 was perhaps our most ambitious. We bought that forty-acre plot in Andrew County for two thousand dollars - a substantial investment that showed our confidence in the region's future. Missouri's soil was rich, the growing season favorable, and we were able to achieve our greatest financial success there. Now, in our later years, being here in Kansas with our daughter Abigail allows us to be close to family while still experiencing the frontier spirit that has defined our American journey. Each move has been about following opportunity while staying true to our values of hard work and family unity.
5. You and Mary Ann raised six children who have spread across the country. What values did you try to instill in them as they grew up on the frontier?
The most important thing Mary Ann and I tried to teach our children was the value of honest work and perseverance. Growing up on the frontier requires resilience - you face crop failures, harsh winters, illness, and countless other challenges. We wanted our children to understand that success comes from getting back up every time life knocks you down. We also emphasized education whenever possible; we always ensured our girls attended school when it was available.
Family loyalty has been paramount in our household. When times were tough, we supported each other. When opportunities arose, we celebrated together. Our daughters Mary Almeda, Celia Ann, Abigail, and Elizabeth have all married good men and established their own families, but they've never forgotten where they came from. Our son James has made us proud with his own family, and we try to honor the memory of our dear Amos, taken too soon by that terrible typhoid fever. We taught them that being American means embracing opportunity but never forgetting your responsibilities to family and community.
6. The loss of your youngest son Amos to typhoid fever in 1876 must have been devastating. How did your family cope with such a tragedy?
Losing Amos at just twenty-two years old nearly broke our hearts. He was our youngest boy, full of life and promise, working alongside us on the Missouri farm. When that typhoid fever took hold, we did everything we could - called in doctors, tried every remedy, prayed without ceasing - but sometimes the Lord calls our loved ones home before we're ready to let them go. Mary Ann and I held each other through those dark months, and our faith was severely tested.
What carried us through was the support of our other children and the knowledge that Amos had lived a good, honest life in his brief time with us. He worked hard, respected his parents, and was beloved by his sisters and brother. We found comfort in knowing that he's at peace now, free from the struggles of this world. The frontier teaches you that life is precious and uncertain - we've seen too many families lose children to disease, accidents, and the harsh realities of building a life in unsettled lands. Amos's memory motivates us to cherish every day with our remaining children and to live in a way that would make him proud.
7. You've witnessed tremendous changes in America during your lifetime - from the 1830s through now in 1880. What changes have impressed you most?
The transformation has been nothing short of miraculous. When we first arrived in New York in the 1830s, much of what is now settled farmland was still wilderness. I've seen the railroad lines spread across the continent, connecting communities that once took weeks to reach. The telegraph has made communication nearly instantaneous across vast distances. When I was young in England, news traveled at the speed of a horse; now information crosses the entire country in hours.
The growth of cities and industry has been remarkable, though I admit I'm glad to have remained connected to the land. But what impresses me most is how America has absorbed so many different peoples - English like ourselves, Germans, Irish, and others - and welded them into communities working toward common goals. I've seen territories become states, witnessed the great conflict of the Civil War, and watched as inventions like the steel plow revolutionized farming. The America my grandchildren will inherit bears little resemblance to the country we entered forty-three years ago, and I believe it's mostly changed for the better.
8. Looking back on your business dealings and land transactions, what advice would you give to young men starting out in farming today?
First and foremost, never buy land you haven't walked yourself. Study the soil, understand the drainage, check the boundaries, and know your neighbors. I learned early that good land is the foundation of everything else - it doesn't matter how hard you work if you're working poor soil. Always be conservative with debt, but don't be afraid to invest in quality land when the opportunity presents itself. The appreciation in land values has been the key to our family's financial security.
Second, diversify your efforts and always be looking ahead. Don't put all your hopes in one crop or one season. Build relationships in the community - your neighbors will be your lifeline during difficult times and your partners during prosperous ones. Keep meticulous records of your transactions and always honor your agreements. Reputation is everything in farming communities. Finally, remember that the ultimate measure of success isn't just the money you accumulate, but the legacy you leave for your children. Every decision should be made with the next generation in mind.
9. Your daughters have married and established families across several states. How do you maintain family connections across such distances?
Distance is one of the great challenges of American life - our children's opportunities have scattered them from Wisconsin to Iowa to Missouri and Kansas. We maintain connections primarily through letters, though the postal service has improved tremendously over the years. When possible, we arrange visits, particularly during important family events like weddings or when new grandchildren are born. Having our daughter Abigail here in Kansas allows us to stay close to at least part of our family in our later years.
We've also tried to establish traditions that keep the family together in spirit even when we're apart. We share news of each other's lives, celebrate successes together through correspondence, and support each other during difficult times. Mary Ann and I have always emphasized to our children that no matter how far they travel or how successful they become, they're part of the Vaux family legacy. We encourage them to tell their children stories about our journey from England, about their grandparents' courage in crossing the ocean, and about the values that have sustained us through four decades in America.
10. As you reflect on your life's journey from a young man in Somerset to an established American patriarch, what do you consider your greatest accomplishments?
My greatest accomplishment isn't measured in acres owned or dollars earned, though I'm proud of the financial security we've built. Rather, it's the family Mary Ann and I have raised and the legacy we're leaving. Six children who have grown into responsible, productive members of their communities - that's a blessing beyond measure. Each of our children has carried forward the values we tried to instill, and they're raising their own children with the same emphasis on hard work, integrity, and family loyalty.
I'm also proud that we've proven an immigrant family could not only survive in America but truly prosper. When we left Somerset in the 1830s, we had little more than hope and determination. Now, as I approach my final years, our children and grandchildren are spread across this great nation, contributing to their communities and building their own versions of the American dream. If my life has shown anything, it's that America truly is a land where ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things through hard work, faith, and perseverance. That's a legacy worth leaving for future generations of the Vaux name.
3) Here is the Audio Overview created by Google NotebookLM to describe this interview of Samuel Vaux.
The Video Overview created by Google NotebookLM to explain this blog post:
4) 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, historical and social experiences. I don't know about the thoughts, education, wisdom, decisions, 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 -- happy, sad, loving, imperfect, innocent at times, craven at times, saintly at times, perhaps evil at times. They survived childhood, and had to support themselves and their family. They had health, social and economic challenges. I think that almost all of them did the best they could with their life situations.
5) 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 that I can dream up. They are typical of what I expect an experienced author and social historian would write given the know facts.
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