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:
The Lives of Elijah Pickrell McKnew and Jane Whittle: A Family History
Early Life and Family Background
Elijah Pickrell McKnew
Elijah Pickrell McKnew was born on March 29, 1836, in Prince George's County, Maryland, into a family with deep roots in the Mid-Atlantic region. He was the second son and fourth child of Jeremiah McKnew and Frances Allethia Pickrell, who had married in Washington, D.C. in 1829. Growing up in Maryland during the antebellum period, Elijah was part of a large and close-knit family.
His parents, Jeremiah and Frances, raised six children together before tragedy struck with Frances's death in 1845, when Elijah was just nine years old. His siblings included his older brother Jeremiah (born 1831), and sisters Catherine Louisa (born 1832) and Elizabeth Jane (born 1835). After their mother's passing, the family also included younger siblings Benjamin Pickrell (born 1840) and Maria Louise (born about 1842).
Jane Whittle
Jane Whittle was born half a world away on August 2, 1847, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She was the daughter of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley, who had married in Bolton-le-Moor, Lancashire, England in 1840 before embarking on the long voyage to Australia later that same year. Jane's early childhood in Sydney was marked by both the excitement of colonial life and profound family losses.
Jane's siblings included her older sister Elizabeth Morley (born 1839 in England), and brothers William Alfred (who died in infancy in 1842) and Joseph (born 1843). Tragically, her brother John died before the age of seven, and her baby sister Margaret lived only from 1849 to 1850. These losses were compounded when Jane's father, Alexander, died in 1853 when she was just six years old, followed by her mother Rachel's death in 1861.
Journey to California
Elijah's Path West
Elijah's journey to California was preceded by a brief and troubled military career. On January 5, 1855, at age eighteen, he enlisted in the First Dragoon, Company A of the United States Army in Baltimore, Maryland. However, his military service was short-lived—he deserted just over a year later on January 20, 1856. What prompted this decision remains unknown, but it set him on a path that would eventually lead him westward.
By 1860, Elijah had made his way to California, joining the thousands drawn by the promise of the Gold Rush. Interestingly, he appears to have used his middle name, Pickrell, as his surname during this period, perhaps to distance himself from his military desertion. The 1860 census found him in Township No. 2, Tuolumne County, working as a miner and living with fellow prospector Lewis B. Pratt. Each man claimed $200 in personal property—a modest stake in the goldfields.
The Whittle Family's California Adventure
The Whittle family's journey to California began when Alexander left Sydney for the goldfields in 1850, caught up in the same gold fever that had drawn so many others. By 1852, his widow Rachel had followed with her surviving children, making the arduous voyage across the Pacific with Elizabeth, Joseph, and young Jane, who was only four or five years old at the time.
The 1852 California State Census captured the family shortly after their arrival in San Francisco, where the surname was recorded as "Wadle." Rachel, then 32, was listed as coming from Manchester, England, with 13-year-old Elizabeth (born in England), 9-year-old Joseph, and 5-year-old Jane (both born in New South Wales). For young Jane, California would become her true home, though she never lost her connection to her Australian birthplace.
A Mining Country Romance
By 1860, fate had brought Elijah and Jane to the same corner of California's gold country. In the census that year, Jane, listed as Jane "White," age 13, was living with her brother-in-law W.B. Ray (married to her sister Elizabeth) in Tuolumne County—remarkably, just two lines above where Elijah McKnew was enumerated. Whether they knew each other then or met later, the proximity hints at the small-world nature of mining communities.
On November 12, 1865, Elijah Pickrell McKnew, age 29, married Jane Whittle, age 18, in Tuolumne County. She was young, but such age differences were not uncommon on the frontier, where women were scarce and families formed early. It was a union that would span 47 years and produce a remarkably large family.
Building a Family in the Goldfields
The young couple began their married life in Tuolumne County, where Elijah continued working as a miner. By 1868, he had registered to vote as a farmer in Tuttletown, suggesting he may have been transitioning from mining to more stable agricultural pursuits. The 1870 census found them still in Township 2, Tuolumne County, with Elijah now listing real property worth $1,000—a significant achievement—and $100 in personal property.
Their family was growing quickly. Their first child, Allethia Jane, was born on November 25, 1867, named after Elijah's late mother. Alfred Rodney followed on February 23, 1869, and Henry Lee arrived in December 1870. By this census, young "A.J." (Allethia Jane) was three, and "A.R." was listed as a two-year-old female (likely a census error, as Alfred was male).
The household reflected the diversity of California's population—Elijah, born in Maryland; Jane, born in Australia with parents of foreign birth; and their California-born children, representing the meeting of three continents in one family.
A New Life in San Francisco
Sometime between 1870 and 1876, the McKnew family made a significant move from the rural mining counties to San Francisco, California's bustling metropolis. They settled near the intersection of 19th Street and Castro Street, an area that would remain their home for the rest of their lives. This move coincided with the decline of easy gold pickings and the rise of San Francisco as the commercial and cultural capital of the West Coast.
In the city, Elijah pursued various occupations to support his growing family. Voter registration records reveal his shifting employment: teamster in 1876, driver in 1880, salesman in 1882, back to teamster in 1886, driver again in 1888, merchant in 1890, fruit dealer in 1892, and oysterman by 1896 and 1898. These changes reflect both the unstable nature of working-class employment in the era and Elijah's willingness to adapt to find work.
The family continued to expand in San Francisco. Alice Louise was born on December 24, 1872 (still in Tuolumne), followed by Lilly M. on August 15, 1876—their first child born in San Francisco. Then came George Morgan (January 2, 1879), Belle Alberta (February 17, 1882), Edna Catherine (March 7, 1884), May Jane (May 1886), Leland Joseph (June 6, 1889), and finally Gladys Hazel (August 22, 1892). In all, Jane bore twelve children, with eleven surviving to adulthood—a testament to both her strength and better fortune than many families of the era.
Life at 4131 19th Street
The McKnew home at 4131 19th Street (later renumbered to 4103 and then 4137) became the family anchor. Voter records from 1892 provide a rare physical description of Elijah: he stood 5 feet 7¼ inches tall, with a fair complexion, brown eyes, medium-colored hair (later turning gray), and a distinctive mole by his right eye. By 1898, when he was 63, his complexion was recorded as dark, his eyes as hazel, and his hair fully gray—the weathering of a working man's life.
The 1900 census captured the family in a moment of relative stability. Elijah, now 63, owned the home with a mortgage and listed no occupation, suggesting he may have retired or was supported by his older children. Jane, at 52, had been married for 35 years and had borne eleven children, all of whom were still living—an extraordinary achievement for the time when childhood mortality was high. Still at home were Belle Alberta (18), Edna Catherine (16, working as a milliner), May Jane (14), Leland Joseph (10, in school), and Gladys Hazel (8, also in school). The older children had begun making their own way in the world.
Surviving the Great Earthquake
On the morning of April 18, 1906, at 5:12 a.m., the McKnew family experienced one of the most catastrophic events in American history: the Great San Francisco Earthquake. The massive 7.9 magnitude quake and the devastating fires that followed destroyed much of the city, killing an estimated 3,000 people and leaving more than half the population homeless.
The McKnew family at 4131 19th Street survived, though their home was damaged. The fire burned to within one block of their house before finally being stopped. In the chaos that followed, the family evacuated their home, bringing their stove and other household items into the street—a scene repeated across the city as residents fled the advancing flames. A treasured family photograph captured this moment, showing family members standing on the street with their rescued belongings, the house number "4131" visible above the front door. This image would become a priceless piece of family history, a reminder of their resilience in the face of catastrophe.
The house was subsequently repaired, and the family remained at their Castro Street address. The earthquake marked a turning point for San Francisco, and the McKnews, like so many others, rebuilt their lives in the city's recovery.
The Later Years
Elijah's Final Years
By 1910, Elijah was 74 years old and had been married to Jane for 44 years. The census that year found them at 4103 19th Street (the street renumbering had occurred), with Elijah owning the home free of mortgage—a significant accomplishment. He listed his source of income simply as "own income," suggesting he may have had savings, investments, or support from his children. Living with them was their youngest daughter, 18-year-old Gladys, who worked as a stenographer in an office, and a lodger named Robert J. McKnew, age 24, from North Carolina—perhaps a distant relative. Next door at 4135 19th Street, their son Leland lived with his wife Agnes.
Elijah Pickrell McKnew died on April 4, 1912, at the age of 76 years and 6 days. His death notice in the San Francisco Chronicle the following day reflected the large and devoted family he left behind: his wife Jane; sons Alfred H., Henry L., George M., and Leland J.; daughters Gladys Hazel McKnew, Mrs. A. Runnels (Allethia), Mrs. P.D. Hayes (Alice Louise), Lily Olsen, Mrs. G.F. Samwell (Belle Alberta), Mrs. P.F. Schaffner (Edna Catherine), and Mrs. W.C. Kenealy (May Jane). Interestingly, the notice listed him as "a native of Baltimore, Md.," though he was actually born in Prince George's County—perhaps a simplification, or perhaps how he had come to identify himself after decades in California.
Jane's Widowhood
Jane lived another nine years as a widow. The 1920 census found her at 4137 19th Street (another renumbering), now 72 years old and heading her own household. She owned the home with a mortgage and listed no occupation, likely supported by her children. Seven of her eleven surviving children were still living in the San Francisco area, providing a network of family support.
Jane (Whittle) McKnew died on February 7, 1921, at the age of 73 years, 6 months, and 5 days. Her death notice, published in the San Francisco Chronicle on February 9th, described her as "beloved wife of the late E.P. McKNEW and loving mother" of her sons Alfred R., Henry L., George M., and Leland J., and daughters Allethia J. Runnels, Mrs. P.D. Hayes, Mrs. C.A. Gardiner (Lilly, who had remarried), Mrs. G.F. Rose (Gladys, who had married), and "the late Mrs. W.C. Kenealy"—their daughter May Jane had died in 1918 at just 32 years old, predeceasing her mother. Friends were invited to attend funeral services at her late residence, 4137 19th Street, with interment at Cypress Lawn Cemetery.
Legacy
Elijah Pickrell McKnew and Jane (Whittle) McKnew are interred together at Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, San Mateo County, California, just south of San Francisco. Their remarkable journey—from Maryland and Australia to the California goldfields and finally to San Francisco—embodied the spirit of westward expansion and immigrant ambition that defined 19th-century America.
Together, they raised eleven children who survived to adulthood, all of whom married and many of whom had children of their own, ensuring that the McKnew family line would continue in California. Their children became milliners, stenographers, and merchants; they married and established their own families throughout the Bay Area. From Elijah's service (however brief) in the U.S. Army to his years in the mines, from teamster to oysterman, he supported his family through changing times. Jane, for her part, made the extraordinary journey from Sydney to San Francisco as a young child, lost both parents before reaching adulthood, and went on to bear and raise a large family through decades of change, hardship, and ultimately stability.
Their story is one of resilience, adaptation, and family—a testament to the countless immigrant and migrant families who built their lives in the American West during one of its most transformative periods.
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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