Are you a storyteller? Can you take the fact-filled reports from your genealogy software and turn them into readable stories that your family will actually enjoy? I have to admit that turning a narrative report full of dates, places, and citations into a true life story would be a real challenge for me.
That is one reason I’m thankful for the leaders in the Genealogy and AI communities who have been sharing ways to use artificial intelligence as a writing assistant. Over the past year, I have learned that AI tools can help transform my research reports into biographies that are much easier to read while still staying true to the documented facts.
Today’s story is about my 2nd great-grandmother, Mary Foster Crawford. The biography below was created by ChatGPT using the prompt shown below and a narrative report generated by my genealogy software, RootsMagic.
You are an expert genealogist. Attached is a PDF file containing information about one of my relatives. Italicized text is from newspaper articles and other primary sources. Please create a draft biography from the attached file, including parents, siblings, spouses and children (with birth and death dates and places), summarize life events, and add historical facts as appropriate, but do not add or embellish any extra genealogical details. Please use any newspaper articles and/or excerpts to enhance the biography. Use section headings. Expand the information in each section to add more details. Incorporate the footnotes from the original document. At the end, add a section providing historical context for this person’s life. The tone should be casual and suitable for family members.
Biography of Mary Foster Crawford (1842–1929)
Birth and Family Background
Mary Foster was born on 28 August 1842 in West Lebanon, Warren County, Indiana.¹–⁶
She was the daughter of Zebulon Foster and his wife (name not stated in the record). Mary appeared in the household of Zebulon Foster in the 1850 census in Pike Township, Warren County, Indiana, confirming that she grew up in that community.⁷
By 1860, she was still living in Warren County, Indiana, and was listed as a 17-year-old in the household of her father.⁸
Records connected to later land transactions show that Mary had several siblings, including:
- Edward Foster
- Rachel (Foster) Crider
- Hattie (Foster) Fleming
- Eliza (Foster) Bell
- William Foster
These siblings were involved with Mary in the sale and purchase of family land in Warren County, Indiana in the late 1880s, after the death of their parents.⁴⁵⁻⁴⁶
Mary grew up during a time when Warren County was still a fairly rural agricultural area, and families often remained close to the land for generations.
Marriage to Washington Marion Crawford
Mary married Washington Marion Crawford on 4 March 1860 in West Lebanon, Indiana.² ⁵ ⁹–¹⁷
The marriage record reads in part:
*Know ye that any person empowered by law to solemnize marriages is hereby authorized to join together as husband and wife Washington M. Crawford and Mary Foster…*⁹
The ceremony was performed by Colbrath Hull, a minister of the Gospel.⁹
Shortly after their marriage, the couple was living in Warren County, Indiana, where they began raising a family.⁸
Civil War Years
Only a year after their marriage, the Civil War changed their lives.
On 3 August 1861, Washington enlisted as a Sergeant in Company H of the 2nd New York Cavalry, known as the Harris Light Horse.¹⁸
During the war he was captured on 22 September 1863 at Liberty Mills, Orange County, Virginia. He was held prisoner at Belle Isle and later at Andersonville, two of the most notorious Confederate prison camps, before being released in December 1864.¹⁸–¹⁹
While her husband was away at war, Mary remained in Indiana and cared for their young children.
Children of Washington and Mary (Foster) Crawford
The following children are documented in the report:
- Ida Kate Crawford, born 18 December 1862, Warren County, Indiana.²
- Judson Foster Crawford, born 15 April 1866, Warren County, Indiana.²
- Carrie A. Crawford, born 10 February 1870, Warren County, Indiana.
- Lida A. Crawford, born 22 December 1871, Warren County, Indiana.²
- Nelson Garfield Crawford, born 29 October 1881, Warren County, Indiana.²
Carrie died young in Dodge City, Kansas, on 20 July 1886, an event Mary personally witnessed.²³–²⁸
Later records show the surviving children as:
- Ida (Mrs. Sherman)
- Judson F. Crawford
- Lida (Mrs. Lighter)
- Nelson G. Crawford
These names appear in Mary’s obituary.²
Move to Kansas and Life in Dodge City
The Crawford family moved west to Dodge City, Ford County, Kansas, in 1884.²
Mary appeared in the 1885 Kansas census living there with her husband and children.²¹–²²
Dodge City at that time was still a developing frontier town, known for cattle drives, railroads, and rapid growth. Many families moved there hoping for new opportunities.
Death of Her Husband
Washington Marion Crawford died suddenly on 23 August 1889 at Fort Dodge, Kansas.² ³²–⁴³
After his death, Mary applied for and received a Civil War widow’s pension on 23 November 1889.⁴⁷
As a widow with children to support, Mary became head of the household and managed her own affairs, which was not uncommon for frontier women.
Property, Business, and Independence
After her husband’s death, Mary handled both Kansas and Indiana property transactions with her siblings.⁴⁵–⁴⁹
In Dodge City she supported herself by operating a boarding house.
The 1895 Kansas census lists her as:
*a 52-year-old white female boardinghouse owner born in Indiana…*⁵⁰
She continued to rent rooms for many years, with newspaper notices stating:
*Mary Crawford had rooms for rent at the corner of 2d Avenue and Elm Street.*⁵⁵
and
*Two furnished rooms for rent…*⁵⁶
Operating a boarding house was a common way for widowed women to earn income in growing western towns.
Church, Community, and Civic Life
Mary was active in the Methodist Church in Dodge City.
In 1901 she served as president of the Home Missionary Society, showing that she was respected in the community.⁵⁴
She also registered to vote in 1897, after Kansas allowed women to vote in municipal elections, reflecting her involvement in civic life.⁵¹
Later Years
Mary lived for many years at 911 Second Avenue in Dodge City, where she appeared in the 1910, 1915, 1920, and 1925 censuses.⁶¹ ⁶⁷ ⁶⁹ ⁷⁵
She lived long enough to see her children established and her son Nelson Garfield Crawford become postmaster of Dodge City.²
In September 1920, she even returned to West Lebanon, Indiana for a visit, showing she maintained ties to her birthplace.⁷²
Death
Mary Foster Crawford died suddenly on 21 January 1929 in Dodge City, Kansas, at age 86.²–⁵ ⁷⁶–⁸¹
Her obituary stated:
*Mrs. Mary Crawford, pioneer Dodge City resident… died suddenly yesterday at her home. She had lived in Dodge City more than 44 years, moving here in 1884.*²
It also noted:
*She had been a member of the Methodist church for many years and a charter member of the Home Missionary Society.*²
She was buried on 23 January 1929 at Maple Grove Cemetery, Dodge City, Kansas.³ ⁸²
Historical Context
Mary Foster Crawford lived through one of the most dramatic periods in American history.
She was born before the Civil War, married just as the war began, and endured the hardship of having a husband captured and imprisoned. She raised her children during the difficult post-war years and later moved west during the era of frontier settlement.
When she arrived in Dodge City in 1884, the town was only a few years removed from its reputation as a cattle-drive boomtown. By the time she died in 1929, Dodge City had become a stable community with churches, schools, and businesses.
Mary’s life reflects the experience of many 19th-century American women:
- Daughter of a farming family in Indiana
- Wife of a Civil War soldier
- Mother raising children during wartime
- Pioneer moving west
- Widow supporting herself through business
- Church and community leader
- Long-time resident who witnessed the transformation of the American frontier
Her story shows resilience, independence, and the ability to adapt to changing times — qualities shared by many women of her generation.
Writing these ABC Biography posts has shown me how much information can be hidden inside a simple narrative report. When the facts are expanded into a story, the person becomes much more real.
Using AI as a writing assistant does not replace the research — the facts still come from the records — but it does make it easier to turn those facts into something that family members can read and understand.
I’m thankful for the encouragement from the Genealogy and AI community to try this process, and I plan to continue creating these biographies from my RootsMagic reports as time allows.
Mary Foster Crawford’s life spanned the Civil War, the move west to Kansas, and the growth of Dodge City from a frontier town into a permanent community. Turning her timeline into a story helped me see her life in a way I hadn’t before.