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 New Jersey girl's life in Woodbridge, New Jersey. My third great-grandmother, Sarah (Cutter) Knapp (1785-1878) was age 13 in 1798.
1) I chose to use the responses from free Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 (as of 8 October 2025) today.
My Prompt was: "Please describe an autumn day in the life of Sarah Cutter Knapp (1785-1878) at age 13 in Woodbridge, New Jersey in 1798. What household duties did she have? Did she go to school, and what did she learn at school? What games, entertainment and fun did she enjoy?"
I uploaded a PDF of my updated Genea-Musings genealogical sketch (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 52: #59, Sarah (Cutter) Knapp (1785-1878)) to provide information about Sarah and hers family to the AI Tool.
2) The free Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 AI tool responded with:
An Autumn Day in Sarah Cutter's Life
Woodbridge, New Jersey - October 1798
Dawn Breaks on the Cutter Household
Sarah Cutter stirred in the bed she shared with her sisters Hannah and Mary, the early morning chill seeping through the thick wool blankets. At thirteen years old, she was no longer considered a child in the Cutter household—she was one of the older girls now, with real responsibilities. Outside, the rooster crowed, and she could already hear her mother Tabitha moving about downstairs, stoking the fire in the kitchen hearth.
Slipping out of bed carefully so as not to wake little Mary, who was only eight, Sarah quickly dressed in her shift, stays, petticoat, and woolen dress. The autumn morning was cold, and she could see her breath in the air of the upstairs room. Her older sister Nancy, at twenty-seven, had her own household now, but Phebe, at twenty-eight, still lived at home and was already downstairs helping Mama with breakfast.
Morning Chores
Sarah hurried down the narrow stairs, her wooden-soled shoes clattering on each step. The kitchen was the warmest room in the house, and the fire her mother had built was already taking the chill off the morning air.
"Good morning, Mama," Sarah said, reaching for the wooden bucket by the door.
"Morning, daughter. Take Hannah with you to fetch water, and mind you don't dawdle," Tabitha replied, her hands already working dough for the morning's bread.
Sarah and Hannah made their way to the well, the frosty grass crunching beneath their feet. This was one of Sarah's regular duties—carrying water for cooking, washing, and drinking. Each bucket was heavy, and they had to make several trips to fill the large barrel by the kitchen door. The work strengthened her arms and back, though she'd never admit to her brothers that she was nearly as strong as some of them.
Back in the kitchen, Sarah helped her mother and sister Phebe prepare breakfast for the large family. With eight children and her parents, there were still many mouths to feed. Sarah sliced bread from yesterday's loaf, helped fry salt pork in the large iron skillet, and set out wooden bowls for the porridge that bubbled in the pot hanging over the fire.
Her brothers Stephen, Richard, and William Whitmore clomped in from the barn where they'd been tending the animals. Fourteen-year-old Hannah came in with eggs she'd gathered from the chickens, and little Samuel, at eleven, brought in an armful of firewood for the day.
Lessons and Learning
After breakfast and the washing up—which Sarah helped with, scrubbing the wooden bowls and iron pots with sand and water—she was allowed to attend the local dame school for a few hours. Not all girls in Woodbridge received much education, but Stephen Cutter believed his daughters should be able to read, write, and cipher.
Sarah walked with Hannah and some neighbor children to the home of Widow Foster, who ran a small school in her front parlor. About a dozen children of various ages sat on benches, the older ones helping the younger. Sarah was one of the older students now, and she took pride in her improving penmanship.
The morning's lessons included:
Reading from the Bible and practicing her letters
Writing on her slate with a slate pencil, copying verses and practicing her signature
Arithmetic - learning to add and subtract, and working on multiplication tables
Needlework - every girl had to master plain sewing, as it was essential for maintaining the family's clothing and linens
Widow Foster also taught the girls about proper deportment and manners. "A lady must always be modest, obedient, and industrious," she would remind them. Sarah practiced her curtsey and learned the proper way to address elders and gentlemen.
The boys in the class learned more advanced arithmetic for business and trade, while the girls focused on skills they'd need to manage a household. Sarah was a quick learner and could read quite well by this age—far better than many girls her age, and better than some of her brothers, which secretly pleased her.
Afternoon Duties
By early afternoon, Sarah was back home, where the real work of the day awaited. October was a busy time, with winter preparations in full swing.
Today, she helped her mother with several tasks:
- Spinning: Sarah sat at the spinning wheel in the corner of the keeping room, transforming cleaned wool into yarn. The rhythmic whir of the wheel and the gentle pull of the fibers through her fingers was meditative work. Her mother had been teaching her since she was small, and now her thread was nearly as even as Mama's. This yarn would be woven into cloth or knitted into stockings and mittens the family would need for winter.
- Preserving Food: In the kitchen, Phebe was making apple butter from the fruit they'd picked earlier in the week. Sarah helped peel and core apples, a tedious task that left her hands sticky and cold. The apples would cook down slowly over the fire, filling the house with a sweet, spicy smell.
- Mending: Every garment the family owned had to be carefully maintained. Sarah sat with her sewing basket, darning holes in her younger brothers' stockings and replacing a button on her father's waistcoat. Waste was a sin, and clothes were worn until they couldn't be patched anymore.
- Candle Making: Later in the afternoon, Sarah helped dip candles, an essential task as the days grew shorter. The tallow had to be kept at just the right temperature, and each wick was dipped repeatedly, building up layers of wax until the candle was thick enough to burn for hours.
Moments of Play and Pleasure
Despite the work, Sarah's life wasn't all drudgery. As the afternoon chores wound down and the sun began to slant toward evening, she found moments of joy and fun.
When her younger siblings begged her to play, Sarah joined them in the yard for a game of tag and blindman's buff. Little Thomas, at just five years old, shrieked with laughter as Sarah, blindfolded with a cloth, tried to catch him. Even practical fourteen-year-old Hannah joined in, her usually serious face breaking into a smile.
Sarah was also fond of:
- Jump Rope and Rhymes: The girls would chant counting rhymes while jumping rope made from twisted hemp. "Sally go round the sun, Sally go round the moon, Sally go round the chimney-pot on a Saturday afternoon!" Sarah could jump longer than any of her sisters.
- Graces: A game played with two wooden wands and a hoop, where players tried to catch and throw the hoop gracefully. It was meant to teach girls elegant movements and coordination.
- Telling Stories: In the evening, the family would gather around the fire, and Papa would sometimes tell stories of the Revolution—he'd been forty years old when independence was declared and remembered it all vividly. Sarah loved these stories, especially the ones about brave women who'd helped the cause.
- Singing: The Cutter family often sang together—hymns mostly, but also folk songs and ballads. Sarah had a clear, sweet voice, and singing while they worked made the tasks go faster.
- Cat's Cradle: Sarah and Hannah were skilled at making intricate string figures with a loop of yarn, passing the patterns back and forth between their hands.
Harvest Frolic
This particular October evening held something special—the Johnsons, their neighbors, were holding a corn husking bee. This was both work and social event, and the whole Cutter family was invited.
As dusk fell, Sarah put on her best dress—a dark blue wool that Mama had made last year—and her good linen cap. She was excited; these gatherings were rare opportunities to see young people from other families, to laugh and socialize outside the confines of church and school.
At the Johnson farm, young people and adults alike gathered in the barn, where mounds of dried corn waited to be husked. Sarah found a seat on a bench between her sister Nancy and Mary Johnson, a girl her own age. The work began, but so did the fun.
The rules of the corn husking were well known: if a boy found a red ear of corn, he could kiss the girl of his choice. Sarah blushed and giggled with the other girls each time a red ear was found, though she secretly hoped none of the boys would choose her—at thirteen, she wasn't quite ready for such attention.
The adults told jokes and sang songs while they worked. Someone brought out a fiddle, and the bright, lively music filled the barn. Sarah's feet tapped along with the rhythm, and her hands flew through the corn husks. The pile of clean, golden ears grew steadily as the evening progressed.
When the work was done, Mrs. Johnson brought out cider and gingerbread, special treats that Sarah savored. The young people played games—forfeit games where those who failed a challenge had to perform silly tasks, and dancing. Sarah learned the steps to a reel from her older brother William Whitmore, who was patient with her missteps.
Evening's End
Walking home under the October stars, Sarah was tired but happy. Her hands smelled of corn husks and her feet ached from dancing, but her heart was light. Papa carried sleeping Thomas on his shoulders, while Mama walked arm in arm with Phebe. Hannah hummed one of the tunes from the frolic, and even her serious brothers seemed cheerful.
Back home, Sarah climbed the stairs to the bedroom she shared with her sisters. In the darkness, Hannah whispered, "Did you have fun tonight, Sarah?"
"Oh yes," Sarah replied, snuggling under the quilts. "I wish we could have harvest frolics every week."
"That's silly," Hannah said practically. "Then they wouldn't be special."
Sarah smiled in the darkness. Hannah was right, as usual. But for one perfect autumn evening, she'd had a glimpse of what being a young woman might be like—the social gatherings, the music and dancing, the sense of being part of a larger community beyond just her family.
Tomorrow would bring more chores, more lessons, more work. But tonight, thirteen-year-old Sarah Cutter fell asleep with the music still playing in her head and her heart full of the simple joys of an autumn day in Woodbridge, New Jersey.
Historical Context
Education for Girls in 1798 New Jersey
In the late 18th century, girls' education was far more limited than boys', but it was improving. Middle-class families like the Cutters often ensured their daughters could read, write, and do basic arithmetic. Dame schools, run by widows or unmarried women in their homes, provided basic education for young children of both sexes. Girls typically stopped formal education around age thirteen or fourteen to focus on household skills.
Daily Life and Work
Thirteen was considered nearly grown in 1798. Girls Sarah's age were expected to master all household skills: spinning, weaving, sewing, cooking, preserving food, soap making, candle making, and managing younger siblings. These weren't just chores—they were essential life skills that would determine a woman's value as a future wife.
Recreation and Social Life
While work dominated daily life, rural communities created social occasions that combined work and pleasure. Corn husking bees, quilting bees, barn raisings, and harvest frolics allowed neighbors to help each other while socializing. These events were crucial for young people to meet potential spouses under proper supervision.
Games and amusements were simple but cherished. Children made their own entertainment with basic materials—string, sticks, hoops, and balls. Dancing and music were important social skills, and most households had at least one person who could play an instrument or lead singing.
The World Sarah Knew
In October 1798, Sarah was living in a young United States—only twenty-two years after independence. John Adams was president, having been elected two years before. The nation was still finding its identity, and people like the Cutters were building the everyday fabric of American life through their work, faith, and community connections.
3) The Google NotebookLM Audio Overview about Sarah Cutter's Day 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. 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.
5) As genealogists, we can usually find the 19th century town records, and the later census and vital records, for New Jersey families, and we may find occupation, immigration, land and probate records. The family mentioned is my ancestral family and I have significant information about their lives from the available records, but know nothing about their daily lives.
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 Cutter family in New Jersey and witness their daily lives. I'm glad that the general lifestyles and occupations are known from historical records and witness accounts.
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