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), after requesting more detailed information, is:
Captain William Hutchinson: A Loyalist's Journey
From New Jersey Rebel Hunter to Canadian Pioneer (1745-1826)
Early Life and the Revolutionary War
William Hutchinson was born in 1745, probably in Knowlton Township, Sussex County, New Jersey (now Warren County), to unknown parents. He married Eleanor Butler on January 3, 1767, in Middlesex, New Jersey, and they settled into what appeared to be a peaceful life in the colony. Eleanor's mother was Eleanor Emans, of Dutch descent. The couple had at least eight children together, with Agnes (born 1771) and Alexander (born March 1776) among them.
When the American Revolution erupted, William faced a choice that would define his life. Despite intense pressure to join the rebel cause, he persistently refused, declaring boldly: "death before dishonour." This decision marked him as a traitor in the eyes of the revolutionaries, and his family soon paid a terrible price.
Persecution and Tragedy
The persecution began gradually but escalated with shocking brutality. His cattle were mutilated, his barns burned, and in 1778, his lands and property were formally seized. An inquisition was found against him on June 20, 1778, and by December 10 of that year, his name appeared on the list of those whose estates had been forfeited in Sussex County.
With orders issued to bring him "dead or alive" before state authorities, William and ten other loyalists attempted to escape to the British lines. They were pursued by American cavalry and, finding themselves outnumbered ten to one, took refuge in an old barn. In a tragic turn of events, all ten of his companions were captured and later hanged—including his captain, James J. Lett, under whom William served as lieutenant.
William alone survived by hiding in nearby furze bushes. In one heart-stopping moment, a sentry peered directly into his hiding spot, remarking that "it would be a d___ fine place for a 'rebel' to hide himself," yet William remained undetected in the deep shadows. He crawled across a moonlit field on his hands and knees, lying motionless when the moon shone bright and moving only when clouds obscured it, all while hearing the American troopers calling to each other as they searched for him.
Military Service
Once safely with the British forces, William, burning for vengeance, requested command of a small body of troops. His request was granted, and he received a captain's commission in the New Jersey Volunteers. His military record shows steady advancement:
December 16, 1776: Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion
April 25, 1778: Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion
1781: Captain-Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion
April 25, 1782: Captain in the 1st Battalion
Captain Hutchinson's company performed "remarkably daring service" throughout the war. In early June 1779, he led a successful raid with Ensign James Moody that captured several officers and men of the Monmouth County Militia, then drove off their pursuers at bayonet point after expending all ammunition. His scouting abilities were legendary, and many stories circulated about his thrilling adventures and narrow escapes.
The Ultimate Cost
While William fought for the Crown, tragedy struck those he'd left behind. His wife Eleanor and six of their eight children died from fever in a Philadelphia hospital during the war, victims of the suffering and hardship inflicted upon loyalist families. Only two children survived: Agnes (born 1771) and Alexander (born March 1776). Eleanor herself died before 1783, around age 38, in New Jersey.
New Beginnings in New Brunswick
At war's end in 1783, William was among the United Empire Loyalists who refused to swear allegiance to the new American republic. In the fall of 1783, he sailed from New York harbor aboard the "Duke of Richmond" as part of a fleet of twelve ships bound for the Bay of Fundy, landing at the mouth of the St. John River in what would become New Brunswick.
On August 3, 1784, William married his second wife, Catherine Lewis, in Parr, New Brunswick. Catherine was born March 22, 1759, on Staten Island, the daughter of Jonathan Lewis and Marie La Tourette. On June 29, 1786, William received a land grant of 200 acres on the Salmon River in Kings County. On March 9, 1793, he sold the easternmost half of Lot 43 on the Salmon River, having decided to move westward.
Together, William and Catherine had seven children during their years in New Brunswick:
James (born March 19, 1788)
Mary Jane (born January 22, 1792)
Elizabeth (born December 17, 1794)
Catherine (born 1796)
David (born 1798)
George (born 1799)
Joseph Powers (born 1801)
Pioneer Life in Upper Canada
Around 1798, after fourteen years in New Brunswick, William moved his family to the Long Point settlement in Upper Canada. The journey was arduous—families transported themselves in open boats up the St. Lawrence River and across the Great Lakes. When they arrived in the wilderness of Norfolk County, they received nothing beyond their land grants and some glass and iron ware for their cabins. Food, clothing, seed, and tools had to be provided by their own efforts.
In 1801, William petitioned for and was granted 1,000 acres in Walsingham Township, Norfolk County, where he established his homestead. He quickly became a pillar of the community, serving in numerous official capacities:
Justice of the Peace
Associate Justice of the Court of Requests for Walsingham (appointed 1804, reappointed 1805)
Associate Justice at the Quarter Sessions at Turkey Point
Chairman of the Court of Quarter Sessions (March 1809, succeeding Thomas Walsh)
Member of the first commission of magistrates for the London District
A Man of Wit and Character
Captain Hutchinson became known as one of Walsingham's "jolliest old U.E. Loyalist pioneers." Even if he wasn't Irish, he was "certainly equal to one in the large vocabulary of witticisms which he was able to command at all times and on all occasions." He was the settlement's champion storyteller and knew how to entertain a friend.
His quick wit was legendary. A tobacco chewer, he was once lectured in court by Squire Backhouse, who called the habit "nasty, dirty, and filthy" and said William should be ashamed. William calmly replied: "Yes, it is a n-a-s-t-y, d-i-r-t-y, f-i-l-t-h-y habit, and I am ashamed of it, but, your honor, it is the only one of which you are not guilty."
His good fellowship was "the natural outflow of his warm genial nature." In business matters he was prompt and straightforward, and his word was as good as his bond. Had he craved political honors, his rare popularity would have paved the way.
The War of 1812 and Final Tragedy
When war broke out again in 1812, the aging captain—now in his late sixties—demonstrated his loyalty once more. True to his unwavering spirit, he took his three eldest sons to the front: Alexander (from his first marriage), James, and David.
At the Battle of Moravian Town in October 1813, Alexander Hutchinson was killed in action—the sole surviving child from William's first family, now lost in another war defending British interests in North America. Alexander, who had married Elizabeth Backhouse on September 23, 1803, left behind four children: John Backhouse Hutchinson, George, Alexander Butler, and Maria.
Family Legacy
Despite the losses, William's second family flourished and intermarried with other prominent Norfolk County families:
- James Hutchinson married Esther Backhouse on October 23, 1810, and settled near Port Burwell. They had three sons (William, Alexander, and Haley) and one daughter (Jane). James died March 25, 1858, in Bayham, Elgin County.
- Mary Jane Hutchinson married Frederick Sovereen on May 17, 1810, founding the settlement that became Fredericksburg. They had three sons and one daughter. Known far and wide as "Aunt Jane Sovereen," she was noted for her generous hospitality and quaint, off-hand manner of speech. An indefatigable worker who found rest in busy activity, she died April 16, 1868, in Delhi, aged 76.
- Elizabeth Hutchinson married Richard Clute McKenney on June 22, 1819. They eventually moved to Illinois, where Elizabeth died September 19, 1871, in Daysville, Ogle County.
- Catherine Hutchinson married Daniel McKenney on November 29, 1815. They also settled in Illinois, where Catherine died in 1839 in Ogle County.
- David Hutchinson married Rebecca Fairchild, daughter of Noah Fairchild of Charlotteville, on June 15, 1820. They settled on Talbot Street in Malahide and had five sons (William, Abial, Noah, Edwin, and Lewis) and one daughter (Elizabeth). David died April 13, 1865, in Malahide.
- George Hutchinson married Margaret (Peggy) Bayard on April 17, 1828, and settled in Walsingham. They had six sons: Thomas, James, Alfred, William, Edward, and Albert. George lived a long life, dying May 12, 1888, in Walsingham at age 89.
- Joseph Powers Hutchinson married Julia Hanchett on May 1, 1821, in Talbot District and initially settled on the old homestead. They had one son (William) and one daughter (Julia). After Julia's death, Joseph married Jane Melissa Yates on October 31, 1866, in Sanilac, Michigan. He eventually settled in Fredericksburg and later moved to Michigan, where he died June 5, 1889, in Lexington, Sanilac County.
Final Years
William Hutchinson made his will on September 27, 1821, naming as executors his wife Catherine, his son George, Daniel Ross, and Francis L. Walsh. He died on March 20, 1826, at age 81 in Walsingham, Norfolk County.
The burial register at St. Thomas notes: "24th March, 1826—William Hutchinson, Esq., aged 86 [sic], a half pay Revolutionary Captain, died 20th inst., and was this day interred by me in Walsingham." He was buried at Franklin-Fairview Cemetery in Port Rowan, Norfolk County, Ontario, where his gravestone still stands.
Catherine survived him by nearly two decades, dying August 15, 1845, at age 86. She was buried beside him at Franklin-Fairview Cemetery.
A Lasting Legacy
William Hutchinson's life embodied the loyalist experience—persecution and loss in the American colonies, military service to the Crown, exile to new territories, and the hard work of pioneering in the Canadian wilderness. He lost his first wife and six children to the war he fought in, witnessed the death of his eldest son in another war decades later, yet never wavered in his loyalty or his determination to build a new life.
His descendants became interwoven with the founding families of Norfolk County—the Beards, Sovereens, Backhouses, Fairchilds, and McKennas—and his legacy lived on through generations of Canadians who could trace their heritage to a captain who chose loyalty over safety, and who helped build a nation in the wilderness of Upper Canada.
As his grandson J.B. Hutchinson wrote, William's loyalty "having extended faithfully through the whole family, is not likely to be lost."
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) 2026, Randall J. Seaver
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