Sunday, February 2, 2025

"Rebecca, Pioneer Woman" -- A Family History Poem and Song Created by Artificial Intelligence

 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, Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901).


(image created by ChatGPT4)

I requested ChatGPT4, Grok, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity (all FREE AI tools) to create a poem and song lyrics about David Jackson "D.J." Carringer.  

1)  Here is the information I used for a Prompt for the poem and the song lyrics:  Please create a poem and song lyrics for Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901) using this information: Rebecca Spangler was born 2 April 1832 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Daniel Spangler and Elizabeth King. She had 9 siblings. In the 1850 U.S. Census, Rebecca attended school living with her parents in Sandy Creek Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. On 16 October 1851, Rebecca Spangler married David Jackson "D.J." Carringer) in Mercer County, the son of Henry and Sarah (Feather) Carringer. They had three children - Harvey Edgar Carringer (1852-1946), Henry Austin Carringer (1853-1946), and Effie Eva Carringer (1858-1874). In about 1858, the D.J. Carringer family moved to Columbus City, Louisa County, Iowa. In the 1860 U.S. census D.J.was a carpenter and had real property worth $200. In 1862, he bought 40 acres of land in Section 17 of Township 74 in Louisa County, Iowa for $300. He sold that land in 1864 for $320. The family moved to Jackson township, Washington County, Iowa in 1865 and bought land there. In the 1870 US census D.J. was a farmer and Rebecca was a house keeper on 40 acres of land worth $1200. On 11 October 1872, D.J. put his land in Jackson township up for public sale, including livestock, wagon, tools, machinery and furniture. The family was living in Washington County, Iowa in 1873 when Rebecca was visiting a friend and a tornado came through the area and blew the friend’s house away. Rebecca, her friend and her friend's two children, went into the cellar for shelter, but when the house blew away they were lifted out of the cellar, carried for some distance, and thrown to the ground. Rebecca was rendered insensible but was not seriously hurt, according to a newspaper article. In 1873, D.J. moved his family to Caribou, Boulder County, Colorado. Their daughter Effie Eva died 8 June 1874 in Caribou, Boulder County, Colorado and was buried in Columbia Cemetery in Boulder. In the 1880 US census, D.J. was a carpenter and joiner and Rebecca was keeping house in Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado. In the 1885 Colorado state census, he was a fruit grower, and Rebecca did housework. In 1898, D.J. and his wife moved to San Diego, California where his two sons resided. He built a house on the corner of 30th St and Ivy St, one block from where son Henry Austin Carringer's family resided. In the 1900 US census, D.J. was listed as a rancher, and Rebecca did housework. In October 1901, D.J. and Rebecca celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Rebecca died 13 December 1901 at home of cancer after long suffering, and was buried in La Vista Cemetery in National City, San Diego County, California. D.J. Carringer died 20 January 1902 at home of kidney and bladder trouble. He was buried next to his wife in La Vista Cemetery. D.J. and Rebecca had two grandsons, Devier David Carringer (1889-1890) who died at 9 months, and Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976) of San Diego, sons of Henry Austin Carringer. 

2)  I chose the poem created by Grok 2 today.  Here are the stanzas:

REBECCA, PIONEER WOMAN 
From Mercer's verdant fields, her journey began,
Rebecca, born to earth, a daughter of the land.
With schoolhouse days in Sandy Creek's embrace,
She learned life's lessons, the world to face.

To D.J.'s side, she pledged her heart,
In love's sweet union, they made their start.
Three children graced their life's sweet song,
In Iowa's expanse, where they belonged.

A carpenter's wife, a farmer's muse,
Through fields and forests, they would cruise.
From Iowa's heart to Colorado's height,
They faced life’s trials, both day and night.

In a fierce tornado's wrathful dance,
Rebecca showed her strength, her chance,
To rise from chaos, to stand once more,
A testament to life's enduring core.

To Boulder's town, they made their way,
With hands in soil, they’d spend their day.
But fate would claim their youngest light,
Effie's loss, a sorrow deep in night.

To San Diego's sun, they then did go,
Near kin and kind, their love to grow.
A golden anniversary, fifty years in tow,
A testament to love, through joy and woe.

Cancer, the silent thief, took her too soon,
But in her heart, she’d built a boon.
A legacy of love, of strength, of cheer,
Rebecca’s life, now echoes clear.

Beneath the earth in La Vista's peace,
Lies Rebecca, her journey ceased.
But in our hearts, her story's told,
Of a life well-lived, precious and bold.
3) Here are the AI created song and lyrics for "Rebecca, Pioneer Woman" (with song lyrics created on Claude Sonnet 3.5 used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a storytelling style in an medium tempo:       

REBECCA, PIONEER WOMAN,

Verse 1:
Born in Mercer County spring, Daughter of the Pennsylvania earth
Nine siblings 'round her wing, Till love gave her new birth
Young David caught her eye, In eighteen fifty-one
Their wedding neath October sky, Their journey had begun
Verse 2: 
Iowa prairies called their name, With children three in tow 
Built their home and staked their claim, Watched their fortune grow 
Then the tornado came one day, Lifted her to the sky 
But even nature couldn't sway, Her will to live and try

Chorus: 
Pioneer woman, westward bound, Nothing could break her spirit down 
Through storm and sun, loss and gain, Pioneer woman, brave and plain 
Following dreams across the land, With hope held tight in her strong hand

Verse 3: 
Colorado mountains high, Called them further west 
Little Effie said goodbye, Where Boulder's peaks stood blessed 
As seasons turned to years, They worked with patient grace 
Through joys and through their tears, Found each new sacred place

Bridge: 
And when the California sun, Called them to the shore 
Fifty years of love had spun, Their golden threads of lore 
Two sons grown strong and true, Their legacy lived on 
As evening's gentle dew, Turned their hair to dawn 
Chorus:
Pioneer woman, westward bound, Nothing could break her spirit down 
Through storm and sun, loss and gain, Pioneer woman, brave and plain 
Following dreams across the land, With hope held tight in her strong hand
Verse 4:
In San Diego's gentle hold, They built their final home
Their story etched in gold, No more need to roam
December took her peace, To rest beneath the stars
Where pioneer souls release, Their dreams beyond the bars

Outro:
Pioneer woman, journey done, Nothing could break the race she'd run
Through storm and sun, loss and gain, Pioneer woman, free from pain
Legacy written in the sand, With love held tight in God's own hand
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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