I've used FREE Artificial Intelligence tools to create biographies, poems and songs about my ancestors lives, genealogy research, and family history in the recent past. Today, I want to share a poem and a song about my second great-grandmother, Abigail A. "Abbey" (Vaux) Smith (1844-1931).
(image created by ChatGPT4)
1) Here is the information I used for a Prompt for the poem and the song lyrics: Please write a poem and song lyrics to commemorate the life of my 2nd great-grandmother, Abigail A. "Abbey" (Vaux) Smith (1844-1931) using this information:
Abigail A. "Abbey" Vaux was born 28 October 1844 in Aurora, New York, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Ann (Underhill) Vaux. She had 3 sisters and 2 brothers. The Samuel Vaux family moved to Dodge County, Wisconsin in 1854 and owned a farm in Rolling Prairie. Abbey A. Vaux married Devier J. "D.J." Smith on 4 April 1861 in Rolling Prairie, Wisconsin. They had 6 children - Della Smith (1862-1944), David Smith (1863-1920), Mary Ann Smith (1866-1922), Agnes Smith (1868 -1870), and Lutie Smith (1875-1878). The Devier J. Smith family moved from Wisconsin to Benton, Iowa in 1867, then to Andrew County, Missouri, Lincoln County, Kansas by 1875, Shannon, Kansas by 1880, Concordia, Kansas by 1882, and then McCook, Nebraska in 1885. Abbey's father died in Kansas in 1880, and her mother died in 1882. Devier J. Smith died in 1894 in McCook. Before Devier's death, Abbey had moved to San Diego, California and resided with her daughter Della (Smith) Carringer and her family, with one grandson of Abbey's. Abbey kept in touch with her siblings and cousins via the postal mail, and visited her sister's family in Long Beach often. In San Diego, Abbey was involved in the lives of her two daughters and her son and was a grandmother of 3. She doted on the grandchildren while their parents worked. Abbey did housework for her family, and was a milliner and a seamstress during her adult life. Abbey died on 11 September 1931 of Carcinoma of the breast in San Diego. She was cremated and is inurned at Cypress View Mausoleum in San Diego.
2) I chose the poem created by Grok 2 today. Here are the stanzas:
ABBEY'S JOURNEY
In the heart of Aurora, where the autumn leaves fell,Abigail A. "Abbey" Vaux was born, a tale to tell.Born in 1844, to Samuel and Mary Ann,With siblings around, a close-knit clan.From New York they journeyed, to Wisconsin's fresh air,To Rolling Prairie, where they made their lair.Abbey, with her sisters and brothers, five in all,Grew up on a farm, where the land was their call.At just sixteen, she wed Devier Smith, D.J.,On a crisp April day, in 1861, they'd say.Five children blessed their union, though two lives were brief,A family of love, through joy and through grief.From Wisconsin to Iowa, Missouri, and then,To Kansas and Nebraska, where they settled again.Each move a chapter, in their life's grand book,With Abbey's strength, no hardship could brook.In Kansas, her parents passed, leaving memories sweet,And soon after, to San Diego she did retreat.With daughter Della, she made a new home,Grandmother to three, with love she did roam.A milliner and seamstress, with needle and thread,Abbey's hands were never idle, her heart full of stead.She kept the family close, with letters and visits,To Long Beach she'd travel, where love persists.In San Diego's sun, she lived out her days,Doting on grandchildren, in many ways.The family's anchor, through thick and thin,Until her final rest, when life did begin to dim.On a September day in 1931, she passed,Carcinoma took her, but her love would last.Cremated, her spirit now lies in peace,At Cypress View Mausoleum, where her soul finds release.Abbey Vaux Smith, a life so richly spun,From New York's autumn to California's sun.A journey through time, of love, and of grace,Her memory cherished, in this quiet place.
3) Here is the AI created song and lyrics for "Abbey's Journey" (with song lyrics created on Claude Sonnet 3.5 used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a storytelling style in a moderate tempo:
ABBEY'S JOURNEY
Verse 1:
Born in New York in 1844
Abbey Vaux, a farmer's daughter
With five siblings by her side
Westward bound, they'd ride together
To Wisconsin's prairie land
Where a young girl turned to woman
And she gave her heart and hand
Verse 2:
Married young to D.J. Smith
Five children blessed their union
Two sweet angels called too soon
To heaven's sweet communion
Moving west through wind and rain
Iowa to Kansas plain
Following dreams like morning trains
Chorus:
Abbey Smith, she crossed the nation
Pioneer with determination
From New York to California's shore
Through joy and grief, she persevered
Built a life year after year
Left her mark on history's door
Verse 3:
Skilled with needle, thread, and trim
Making hats and sewing dresses
While her family grew and changed
Through triumphs and distresses
Letters kept her memories strong
As the miles grew long and longer
California called her on
Chorus:
Abbey Smith, she crossed the nation
Pioneer with determination
From New York to California's shore
Through joy and grief, she persevered
Built a life year after year
Left her mark on history's door
Bridge:
From horse and buggy days
To a new century's dawn
She watched the world transform
As time marched on and on
Three grandchildren to love
New stories to unfold
In San Diego's warmth
Her final tales were told
Verse 4:
Eighty-seven years of grace
Through a nation's transformation
From Atlantic's rocky coast
To Pacific's destination
Mother, grandmother, pioneer
Her legacy lives on so clear
In the hearts of those held dear
Outro:
Abbey Smith, your journey's ended
But your story's still suspended
In the pages of our time
Pioneer woman, brave and true
We sing these words remembering you
Abbey Smith, we sing for you
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.
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My blog posts with the AI-created poems and songs to date are on this AI and Genealogy Compendium page.
Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver
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