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-grandmother Elizabeth (King) Spangler's unique stories. I wrote an AI-assisted biography of Elizabeth in ABC Biography of #51 Elizabeth (King) Spangler (1796-1863) of Pennsylvania and Virginia.
I attached my genealogical sketch (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 44: #51 Elizabeth (King) Spangler (1796-1863)) 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.
(AI ChatGPT5 image of Spangler family in 1840)
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 Elizabeth (King) Spangler (1786-1863) about her life experiences in 1860 based on the attached report. Provide two-paragraph answers to each question."
2) The Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 response to my prompt for my 3rd great-grandmother Elizabeth (King) Spangler was:
An Interview with Elizabeth
(King) Spangler
As
told to her grandchildren in 1860
Question 1: Grandmother, what was it like growing up as one of twelve children in your family?
Oh my dear ones, you cannot imagine the bustling household we had in York! There was never a quiet moment with twelve of us King children running about. Your great-grandfather Philip Jacob and great-grandmother Catharine had their hands full, I can tell you that. We older girls—Anna Maria, Catherine, and myself—were always helping to care for the younger ones. I remember little Julia Anna, who was born when I was already fourteen, and how we all doted on her. The house was filled with German voices, as Papa and Mama often spoke in the old tongue, especially when they were discussing grown-up matters they didn't want us children to understand.
We learned early to share everything—beds, clothes, chores, and even our dreams. When my sister Catherine died at just five years old in 1806, it taught us all how precious family truly is. We looked after each other through thick and thin. Your great-uncle George became quite successful, and Henry, the youngest, was like a little brother to all of us older sisters. The bonds we formed in that crowded house in York have lasted our whole lives through, and that's why I always tell you children—family is everything, and you must always take care of one another.
Question 2: How did you meet Grandfather Daniel, and what was your wedding day like?
I was just nineteen when I caught the eye of Daniel Spangler at church. He was quite the handsome farmer, though fifteen years my senior—old enough to be established and ready for a wife. In those days, dear ones, we didn't have long courtships like young people might today. Daniel was a serious man, hardworking and kind, and when he asked Papa for my hand, I knew I was blessed. He came from a good German family too, and our parents approved of the match, which was very important in those times.
Our wedding day, March 12th, 1815, was held right there at Trinity Reformed Church where I had been baptized as a baby. I wore my best dress—not white like brides today, but a lovely blue that could be worn again for Sunday services. The whole King family was there, all ten of my siblings, and many friends from the German community. After the ceremony, we had a simple celebration at Papa's house with good food and music. I remember feeling both excited and nervous about leaving my large family to start my own. Little did I know that Daniel and I would soon be packing up to head south to Virginia for our first great adventure together!
Question 3: Why did you and Grandfather Daniel decide to move to Winchester, Virginia, so soon after your marriage?
Winchester seemed like the land of opportunity to us young marrieds back in 1816. Daniel had heard that land was more affordable in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, and the soil was rich for farming. We were young and bold, ready to make our fortune away from the crowded German settlements around York. The valley was beautiful, surrounded by mountains, with good water and fertile ground. Many families from Pennsylvania were making the same journey south, so we wouldn't be entirely alone among strangers.
Looking back now, I see it was quite an adventure for a young bride barely twenty years old! We loaded up our few possessions in a wagon and made the long journey over rough roads. I was expecting our first baby, Anna Katrina, and the bouncing and jostling was quite uncomfortable. But Daniel was so full of hope and determination, and I caught his enthusiasm. We rented a small place at first, then bought some land. Those Virginia years taught me that home isn't a place—it's the people you're with. Whether we were in York, Winchester, or later here in Mercer County, what mattered was that Daniel and I were building our life together, one day at a time.
Question 4: You've experienced the heartbreak of losing two babies in infancy. How did you find the strength to continue having children?
My dear grandchildren, losing little Anna Katrina in 1816 and then Henry in 1820 nearly broke my heart in two. Anna Katrina lived just long enough for us to have her christened at Trinity Church back in York, and when we laid her tiny body to rest, I thought the pain would never end. Then when Henry was born in Winchester and died so soon after, I wondered if God was punishing me somehow. In those days, we didn't understand about diseases and such things that claim babies—we just knew that many children didn't survive their first years.
But Daniel held me close during those dark times, and gradually I came to understand that loving means risking loss, but the alternative—not loving at all—would be far worse. When Anna Maria was born healthy in 1818, I held her extra tight, treasuring every moment. Each child that followed was a precious gift, and yes, I worried constantly, but I also learned to find joy in each day. The good Lord blessed us with eight children who grew to adulthood, married, and gave us grandchildren like you. Those two little angels we lost taught me to never take a single day with my living children for granted, and to pour all my love into the family I had rather than dwelling on what might have been.
Question 5: What was the journey back to Pennsylvania like in 1829, and why did you decide to leave Virginia?
By 1829, we had been in Winchester for thirteen years and had several children, but Daniel felt the call to return north. His father had left land in Mercer County for his heirs, and in 1829 Daniel's mother and siblings all agreed to sell that land to Daniel for $1 as his inheritance. We had also heard that the new donation lands in Mercer County were good for farming, and Daniel was always looking for ways to better provide for our growing family.
The journey back was quite different from our young adventure heading south! Now we had children ranging from little Dorothea, barely two years old, to Anna Maria at eleven. Packing up a household with children is no simple task, I can tell you. We loaded our wagon with everything we owned—furniture, tools, clothing, precious dishes that had belonged to my mother—and our children too. The roads were better by then, but it was still days of travel. I remember holding baby Dorothea while watching the Virginia mountains disappear behind us, wondering what our new life in Pennsylvania would bring. Little did I know we would spend the rest of our days on that farm in Sandy Creek Township, raising our family and putting down roots that would last for generations.
Question 6: Tell us about your father's will and how his provisions affected your security, especially as a married woman.
Your great-grandfather Philip Jacob King was a wise and loving man who understood that a married woman in those days had very few legal rights to property. When he wrote his will in 1826, three years before his death, he made special provisions for me that showed both his prosperity and his deep care for his children. He arranged for me to receive $1,000 immediately upon his death—a considerable sum in those times—and another $1,000 to be held in trust, with the yearly interest paid to me for the rest of my life. That meant I would have my own income, separate from Daniel's farm earnings.
This was quite unusual and generous for the time, dear ones. Most women depended entirely on their husbands for support, but Papa wanted to make sure I would never be destitute. He specified that after my death, that second $1,000 would be divided equally among my children, so it was truly a gift that kept giving through the generations. That income helped us through many tight years on the farm, and when your grandfather Daniel died nine years ago, those provisions became even more precious. It's given me independence and security in my widowhood that many women of my generation never had. Your great-grandfather's foresight has been a blessing I thank God for every day.
Question 7: What has it been like to watch your children grow up and scatter across different states?
Watching my children spread their wings and fly to distant places fills me with both pride and a mother's natural worry. Your parents and aunts and uncles have shown such courage, following opportunities in Iowa to Illinois! Anna Maria married her Joseph Carringer and moved to Iowa—imagine, Iowa!—where they're raising eight children of their own. Rebecca married David Jackson Carringer and they've made their way also to Iowa. It's both wonderful and heartbreaking to see them prosper so far from home.
In my day, children typically stayed close to their parents' farm, but these are different times. The country is growing, and young people have opportunities we never dreamed of when I was their age. I'm grateful that several of my daughters married into the Carringer family—good German stock who understand the value of hard work and family loyalty. When I read letters from my distant children describing their new homes and growing families, I feel like a tree whose seeds have blown across the continent to take root in new soil. It's the way of the world now, and though I miss them terribly, I'm proud that Daniel and I raised children brave enough to build new lives wherever they land.
Question 8: How has life changed since your husband Daniel passed away nine years ago?
Oh, my dear grandchildren, losing your grandfather was the hardest trial of my life. After thirty-six years of marriage, I hardly know who I am without Daniel by my side. He was such a steady presence—up before dawn to tend the animals, always planning for the next season's crops, providing for our large family with such dedication. When he died so suddenly in July 1851 while visiting in Georgetown, I felt like half of myself had been torn away. The practical challenges came quickly too—his estate had to go through probate, and we discovered that the debts and expenses meant we had to sell some of our beloved farm.
But I've learned that even in the darkest times, family can be a light that guides you forward. My children have been so caring, and when Helen and James offered to have me come live with them up in Conneautville, I knew it was God's provision. Helen has been like a second mother to her younger siblings over the years, and now she's mothering me in my time of need. Living there with them and their children has brought new purpose to my days. I help with the little ones, share the stories of our family history, and find comfort in being useful. Daniel is gone, but the love we built together lives on in all of you children and grandchildren.
Question 9: What do you think about all the changes you've witnessed in America during your lifetime?
Gracious, what changes I have seen in my sixty-four years! When I was born in 1796, George Washington was still president, and this country was just a baby itself. I've lived through the presidencies of thirteen different men, seen the country grow from sixteen states to thirty-three, and watched as canals and railroads have connected places that once took weeks to reach. When Daniel and I moved to Virginia, it was a major undertaking that took several days of hard travel. Now young people talk of railroad journeys that cover the same distance in a matter of hours! And now there is talk of a Civil War between the North and the South.
The biggest changes I've witnessed are in how families live and work. When I was a girl, nearly everyone lived on farms like we do, growing most of what they needed and trading for the rest. Now there are great cities with factories where people work for wages, and goods come from far and wide. Some of my own grandchildren might never milk a cow or harvest corn like their parents did. I sometimes worry that all this progress might make people forget the simple values that built this country—hard work, faith in God, and taking care of your family and neighbors. But then I look at fine young people like yourselves and see that the important things, the heart things, remain the same from generation to generation.
Question 10: What wisdom would you want to pass down to your grandchildren and future generations of the family?
My precious grandchildren, if there's one thing I want you to remember about your old grandmother, it's that family is the greatest treasure you'll ever have. Money can be lost, farms can be sold, even countries can change, but the bonds of blood and love that tie us together are eternal. Take care of each other, write letters when you're far apart, and never let pride or petty disputes keep you from those you love. I've seen too many families torn apart by silly arguments that seemed important at the time but meant nothing in the long run.
Remember too that this life is both harder and more wonderful than you can imagine when you're young. You'll face sorrows that will bring you to your knees—I've buried babies and my beloved husband—but you'll also experience joys so pure they'll make your heart want to burst. Through it all, keep your faith in the good Lord, work hard with your hands, be honest in your dealings, and never be afraid to start over when life calls you to new places. Your great-great-grandchildren may live in ways we can't even dream of now, but if they remember to love their families, trust in God, and face each day with courage, they'll be living the values that built the King and Spangler names. That's the true inheritance I want to leave you—not gold or silver, but a legacy of love that will outlast us all.
Interview conducted in Sandy Creek Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, 1860 while visiting daughters there.
3) Here is the Audio Overview created by Google NotebookLM to describe this blog post.
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.
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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.
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