1) I requested Microsoft CoPilot, Perplexity, Meta, ChatGPT4 and Claude (all FREE AI tools) to create a poem about one of my great-grandparents. Here is the Prompt I used for the poem and the song lyrics about my paternal great-grandfather, Thomas Richmond (1848-1917):
Please write a poem about Thomas Richmond, born 10 Jun 1848 in Hilperton, Wiltshire, first child of James and Hannah (Rich) Richman. He was baptized 16 June 1848 in the Hilperton parish church. He had 8 siblings. The Richman family emigrated on the British ship Osprey in 1856, landing in New York City and settling in Burrilville RI. He married Juliet White on 20 Jun 1868 in Killingly, CT. They had children Anne (1869-1939), Frederic (1870-1875), Everett (1875-1917), Grace (1876-2963), Emily (1879-1966), Charles (1880-1911), Bessie (1882-1962), Edwin (1883-1935), James (1886-1913). The family resided in Stonington CT in 1870, Killingly CT in 1880, Putnam CT in 1890, Leominster MA in 1900, and Killingly in 1910. Thomas became a naturalized citizen of the US in 1890 in Putnam CT. In the 1870 US census, Thomas worked in a woolen mill; in 1880 and 1900, he was an overseer of a woolen mill; in 1910 he was a carder in a woolen mill. His mother died in 1911, his father in 1912, and Juliet died in 1913. Thomas died of pernicious anemia on 9 Nov 1917 at the age of 69 in Clinton, MA. and was buried on 12 Nov 1917 at Grove Street Cemetery in Putnam CT. Thomas was remembered by his grandchildren as tall, handsome, with a mustache, and spoke with a British accent. He had musical talent, was a tenor singer, an organist, a choir director, and many of his children were musically inclined.
You can read more about the life of Thomas Richmond (1848-1917) in 52 Ancestors Friday: Thomas Richman/Richmond (1848-1917).
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Thomas Richmond (1848-1917) in about 1895 (family photo)
2) I chose the poem created by Claude Sonnet 3.5 AI today. Here are the stanzas:
"THE WEAVER'S JOURNEY"From Hilperton's gentle fields in forty-eight,
Young Thomas Richmond drew his first sweet breath,
Where James and Hannah blessed their firstborn fate,
Their British roots would soon cross seas of depth.
Eight siblings followed as the years unfurled,
Till Osprey's sails in fifty-six took wing,
To bear them to a brave and distant world,
Where Rhode Island's mills their future'd bring.
In Killingly, he wed his Juliet White,
Nine children blessed their home through joy and pain,
Some lost too soon beneath time's swift-paced flight,
While others lived to see their own children reign.
His tenor voice soared high in sacred song,
While organ notes beneath his fingers flew,
As choir director, led his flock along
In harmony that bound their hearts anew.
His gift for music, shared with children dear,
Created melodies that still ring clear.
Through Connecticut's mill towns year by year,
He worked the wool with skilled and careful hands,
From worker to overseer, his career
Built better lives in these New England lands.
Tall and handsome, with mustached British grace,
His accent carrying echoes of his youth,
In woolen mills he found his rightful place,
An immigrant's tale of toil and truth.
Through Stonington to Putnam's busy streets,
To Leominster and Killingly once more,
Each move a chapter where his story meets
The changing times upon this foreign shore.
In ninety proud, a citizen he stood,
His loyalty to new lands firmly sworn,
While keeping close his English childhood,
The memories of where he had been born.
Till nineteen-seventeen's November chill,
When Clinton saw his final peaceful rest,
His journey ended, yet his spirit still
Lives on in those who knew and loved him best.
In Putnam's Grove Street grounds he sleeps today,
Where generations come to pause and say:
Here lies a man who crossed the ocean wide,
And built a legacy with honest pride.
3) Here are the AI created song and lyrics for "The Weaver's Journey" (with song lyrics created on Claude AI used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a folk, upbeat, storytelling, medium tempo style:
(
"THE WEAVER'S JOURNEY"
(Verse 1)
From Hilperton's meadows green and fair
To New England's shores across the foam
Eight young siblings and parents dear
Sailed the Osprey to find a home
Just a boy of eight with dreams untold
In a new land's promise to unfold
(Verse 2)
Met his Juliet in Killingly town
Love bloomed sweet in sixty-eight
Nine children blessed with heaven's crown
As he worked to build their fate
Rising up through the woolen mill
With honest labor and steadfast will
(Chorus)
The weaver of dreams in wool and song
His tenor voice lifting spirits strong
From mill floor to sacred choir above
Weaving threads of family, faith, and love
Thomas Richmond, your legacy lives on
In every heart, in every dawn
(Verse 3)
At the organ keys his fingers flew
Leading hymns with grace and pride
As his children's talents grew
Music flowing like the tide
British accent never fading
In this new home they were making
(Bridge)
Through Connecticut's changing years
From Stonington to Putnam's streets
Through joy and laughter, toil and tears
Where past and future meets
A citizen proud in ninety's light
Standing tall with honor bright
(Verse 4)
Now he rests in Grove Street's shade
His journey ended, peace at last
But the music that he made
Echoes sweetly from the past
Tall and handsome, kind and true
Leaving gifts forever new
(Chorus)
The weaver of dreams in wool and song
His tenor voice lifting spirits strong
From mill floor to sacred choir above
Weaving threads of family, faith, and love
Thomas Richmond, your legacy lives on
In every heart, in every dawn
(Outro)
The weaver of dreams has gone to rest
But the patterns that he wove
In mill and music, home and heart
Still shine with lasting love
(Still shine with lasting love)
Thomas Richmond, your legacy lives on
In every heart, in every dawn.
The AI tools do this so much better than I could, and weaves the poem and song along a story theme that is true and heartfelt. Each tool provides a different poem and song from the same prompt --I love fishing in all of the AI streams!! Frankly, doing the poems and song are the most genealogy fun I have every week!
4) These stories, told in verse and song, are part of my genealogy and family research. My hope is that they will be passed down to my grandchildren and their descendants to highlight the importance of sharing stories, memories, admiration, and love of our ancestors. I will add them to my Google Drive and to my YouTube channel and my FOREVER account.
5) My blog posts with the AI-created poems and songs to date are on this Artificial Intelligence Posts page.
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Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver
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