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 4.5 AI tool.
3) The Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 biography (lightly edited) is:
Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816): A Revolutionary War Veteran and Massachusetts Farmer
Early Life and Family Origins
Benjamin Seaver was born on April 21, 1757, in Sudbury, Massachusetts, during the final years of colonial America. He was the first son and second child of Norman Seaver and Sarah Read, who had married just two years earlier in 1755. The Sudbury town records document his birth, though his name appears in various records as both Benjamin Seaver and Benjamin Sever—a common variation in spelling during that era when standardization was less strict.
Benjamin grew up in a large and bustling household. As a young boy of about three, his family relocated from Sudbury to Shrewsbury, Worcester County, Massachusetts around 1760, where his father sought new opportunities. The family would move once more when Benjamin was approximately sixteen, settling in Westminster, Worcester County, around 1773. This final move to Westminster would prove significant, as Benjamin would spend the remainder of his life in this community.
Siblings: A Large Colonial Family
Benjamin was one of twelve children, part of the large families typical of colonial New England:
Eunice Seaver (b. May 3, 1755) - his elder sister, who married Elisha Whitney and eventually settled in Vermont
Sarah "Sally" Seaver (b. January 1759) - who married Josiah Cutter and died in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1833
Joseph Seaver (b. May 13, 1761) - born in Shrewsbury, with no further records found
Isaac Seaver (b. February 18, 1763) - also born in Shrewsbury, with no further records
Ethan Seaver (b. September 24, 1765) - who married twice and died in Gardner, Massachusetts in 1823
Daniel Seaver (b. June 28, 1767) - who married Sarah Chase and migrated to New York, dying in Schenevus in 1851
Heman Seaver (b. May 6, 1769) - who married twice, lived in Marlborough, Massachusetts until his death in 1835
Luther Seaver (b. April 13, 1771) - with no further records
Relief "Leafe" Seaver (b. September 25, 1774) - who tragically died young at age 20 in 1795
Asahel Reed Seaver (b. October 2, 1775) - who lived his entire life in Westminster, marrying Hannah Gager and dying in 1849
Faitha Seaver (b. August 2, 1777) - who married Isaac Brooks and lived to the remarkable age of 87
Lucinda Seaver (b. May 23, 1780) - the youngest, who married Samuel Frost eventually moved to Montreal, Canada
Service in the Revolutionary War
When the shot heard 'round the world rang out in April 1775, Benjamin Seaver was just eighteen years old. Within weeks of the battles at Lexington and Concord, he answered the call to arms. On May 13, 1775, he enlisted as a private in Captain Edmund Bemis's company of Colonel Asa Whitcomb's 23rd Regiment.
His military records paint a picture of a young man rising through the ranks. By August 1775, after nearly three months of service, Benjamin had been promoted to Corporal, as evidenced by a company receipt for wages dated at Camp at Prospect Hill. He served a total of two months and twenty-four days during this initial enlistment, participating in the siege of Boston during those crucial early months of the Revolution.
Benjamin returned to military service in 1780, now a man of twenty-three. He was raised for six months of service under the resolve of June 5, 1780, serving the town of Sudbury. His enlistment papers provide us with a rare physical description: he stood six feet tall—quite impressive for the era—with a light complexion. He marched to camp on July 8, 1780, under the command of Ebenezer Kent, Esquire, serving as a private in Captain Joseph Fox's Third Company of the 16th Massachusetts Regiment. His service records show he was on the pay roll for June and July 1780, serving twenty-four days, and he remained in service at least through October 25, 1780, when he passed muster at Camp Totoway.
Marriage and Family Life
On August 19, 1783, just months after the Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War, twenty-six-year-old Benjamin married Martha Whitney in Westminster. Martha, born September 18, 1764, was the daughter of Samuel Whitney and Abigail Fletcher, and at nineteen, she was seven years Benjamin's junior. Their marriage would last thirty-three years and produce ten children, creating a legacy that would spread throughout Massachusetts.
Their children were:
Achsah Whitney Seaver (December 30, 1784 - March 16, 1865) - married Abraham Mosman and had eleven children, living to age 80
Abigail Seaver (December 2, 1786 - October 28, 1817) - married Jabez Fairbank and had two children before her untimely death at age 30
Job Whitney Seaver (May 1, 1789 - July 4, 1868) - who lived to age 79, dying on Independence Day
Benjamin Seaver (November 15, 1791 - May 25, 1825) - married Abigail Gates and had four children, but died young at 33
Susannah Whitney Seaver (July 27, 1794 - January 21, 1879) - who lived to the impressive age of 84
Martha Seaver (February 10, 1797 - July 25, 1837) - married Amasa Leland and had eight children
Silas Whitney Seaver (November 24, 1799 - ????) - married Rhoda Leland and had nine children
Isaac Seaver (December 20, 1802 - July 1, 1870) - married Abigail Gates and had two children
Rozilla Seaver (March 16, 1806 - September 18, 1825) - who died tragically young at age 19
Mary Jane Seaver (April 14, 1812 - January 20, 1892) - the youngest, who married Charles Harrington and had six children, living to age 79
Building a Life: Land and Property
When Benjamin's father Norman died intestate on July 31, 1787, Benjamin, as the eldest son, inherited his father's homestead in the northern part of Westminster. Following the custom of primogeniture modified by Massachusetts law, he received two-thirds of the real property and a double portion of personal property when the estate was finally settled in 1792. This provided the foundation for Benjamin's life as a farmer and landowner.
Benjamin proved to be an ambitious and shrewd land manager, steadily acquiring property throughout his life. In December 1793, he purchased one acre from Asa Taylor for three pounds. Just weeks later, on January 1, 1794, he made a much larger acquisition—forty acres from David Barnard of Acton for sixty-six pounds. In January 1795, he bought twelve and a half acres from Zachariah Rand for fifty pounds.
By 1798, the Direct Tax list for Massachusetts showed Benjamin as a substantial landowner, possessing 157 acres and 120 perches of land valued at $1,014—a considerable holding for a farmer in Westminster. He continued to buy and occasionally sell parcels throughout the early 1800s, including transactions in 1800, 1802, 1806, and as late as 1814, when he purchased forty-nine acres in neighboring Hubbardston for $246.
Daily Life in Westminster
The census records provide glimpses into Benjamin's household over the years. In 1790, his young family included himself, his wife Martha, their two daughters Achsah and Abigail, and their son Job. By 1800, the household had grown to include eight family members, plus possibly Benjamin's widowed mother Sarah, who was living with them as an elderly woman over age forty-five.
Benjamin's mother Sarah passed away before February 1809, and Benjamin was appointed administrator of her estate, which included $450 in real property and $63 in personal property. This was another responsibility he took on as the eldest son, managing the final affairs of both his parents.
The 1810 census shows the Seaver household still growing, with Benjamin now over forty-five years old, his wife Martha, their older children entering adulthood, and the younger ones still at home. It was a working farm household, typical of New England at the time, where everyone contributed to the family's prosperity.
Final Years and Legacy
Benjamin Seaver died on June 24, 1816, in Westminster at the age of fifty-nine. His death record notes his service as a Revolutionary War soldier, an honor that would have been recognized in the community. He was buried in Plot 641 of Woodside Cemetery in Westminster, where his gravestone marks his final resting place (though the stone incorrectly records the date as June 20).
His estate was substantial, reflecting a lifetime of careful management and hard work. The inventory, completed on October 1, 1816, showed real estate valued at $4,626 and personal property worth $1,082.70. His holdings included the home farm of 194 acres, the Stearns farm of 86 acres, the Willington pasture of 63 acres, the Hubbardston lot of 26 acres, and even a pew in the meeting house valued at $30.
His widow Martha was appointed administratrix and received her widow's third of the estate. The remaining two-thirds was carefully divided among their children, with specific parcels going to each. The eldest son Job received portions including the Hubbardston lot, while other children and the minor children received their shares. The partition was agreed to and signed by Martha and the adult children, with Heman Ray serving as guardian for the younger children still in their minority.
Martha outlived her husband by sixteen years, managing her portions of the estate and eventually selling the Hubbardston land in 1823. She died in 1832 and was laid to rest beside Benjamin in Woodside Cemetery.
A Life Well Lived
Benjamin Seaver's life spanned one of the most transformative periods in American history. Born a British colonial subject in 1757, he came of age during the Revolution, fought for independence as a young man, married and raised a large family during the early years of the Republic, and died in 1816 as an established and respected citizen of his community.
His legacy lived on through his ten children and their numerous descendants, who spread throughout Massachusetts and beyond. From a young private in the Revolutionary War to a prosperous farmer and patriarch, Benjamin Seaver's life exemplified the American experience of his generation—one of service, hard work, family, and the building of a new nation.
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
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