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-grandfather, David Auble (1817-1894).
(image created by Grok 2)
1) Here is the information I used for a Prompt for the poem and the song lyrics: Please create a poem and song lyrics about the life of David Auble (1817-1894) using this information:
David Auble was born in Stillwater, Sussex County, New Jersey in 1817, the son of John Auble and Anna Row. In 1838, David began business as a shoemaker in Newton, New Jersey with David L. Foster. David Auble married Sarah G. Knapp in 1844 in Newton, New Jersey. She was the daughter of William Knapp and Sarah Cutter of Newton. William Knapp was also a shoemaker.
David moved to Newark, New Jersey in 1846 after selling his part of the business to David Foster. He worked in a shoe and boot manufacturing company in Newark.
David and Sarah (Knapp) Auble had six children, William A. Auble (1845-????), Fannie Auble (1846-1917), Charles Auble (1849-1916), Kate Auble (1851-1940), Anna Auble (1859-1913) and Cora Auble (1860-1876), the first two were born in Newton, and the last four were born in Newark, New Jersey.
In the 1850 US census, David Auble was age 32, a boot and shoe man, residing in Newark, New Jersey with his wife and first three children. In the 1860 US census, David Auble was age 42, worked in a shoe store, and resided in the 4th ward of Newark, New Jersey with his wife and five children.
David Auble moved his family to Terre Haute, Indiana in about 1865. In the 1870 US census, David is age 53, a boot and shoemaker, with his wife and the five youngest children, and has a home worth $2500 and $200 in personal property.
In the 1880 US census, David Auble was age 63, a shoemaker, with his wife and the four youngest children. The family resided at 411 Chestnut Street in Terre Haute, Indiana.
David Auble died on 22 March 1894 in Terre Haute. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana
The obituary in the Terre Haute newspaper says: "Deceased was well-known and one of Terre Haute's most honored citizens. He has been an invalid for the past two years and was confined to his home for over a year. He was born at Stillwater N.J. in 1817 and came to Terre Haute in 1865. For several years he was engaged in the boot and shoe business on Main Street, during which time he became widely known for his strict and honest business practices. He was married in 1844 to Miss Sarah Knapp, of Newton N.J., who is a sister of C.C. Knapp of this city and also a sister of Judge Manning M. Knapp, at one time an eminent jurist of New Jersey, who held the Supreme Court bench of that state for seventeen years and died suddenly in the courtroom two years ago. Mrs. Auble survives her husband with five children, two sons and three daughters: William in Kansas City, Charles in Chicago, one married daughter Mrs. Harry Buntin of Bushnell, Ill. and Frances and Katherine at home. One sister and two brothers also survive the deceased, Miss Elizabeth Auble of Philadelphia, now 80 years old, and Robert Auble of Blairstown, N.J., and Hampton Auble of Philadelphia. Deceased was a devout member of the Centenary M.E. Church. He cast his first vote for William Henry Harrison, a fact which he often spoke of with pride before his death."
2) I chose the poem created by Grok 2 today. Here are the stanzas:
THE COBBLER'S TALE
In Stillwater's shadow, where the Sussex hills rise,
David Auble was born, under New Jersey skies.
Son of John and Anna, with life's breath to unfold,
A shoemaker's story, with futures untold.
In Newton he started, with Foster by his side,
A business in shoes, with ambition as guide.
By 1838, their craft began to bloom,
But David's heart would soon lead him to another room.
In '44 he wed Sarah, a Knapp of Newton's fame,
Together they'd build a family, each with their own name.
William, Fannie, Charles, Kate, Anna, and Cora too,
A family of six, love knitting them like shoe.
From Newton to Newark, in '46 they'd move,
In the world of boots and shoes, their lives to prove.
Census records tell tales of their daily grind,
A home filled with laughter, love, and peace of mind.
But westward they looked, to Indiana's land,
Terre Haute would call, a new chapter to stand.
In '65 they settled, with dreams anew,
A home on Chestnut Street, where their roots would now grow.
A shoemaker still, with integrity known,
His shop on Main Street, where his reputation was sown.
Honest and strict, his business was fair,
A pillar of the community, with a heart to share.
Through decades of life, his story did span,
In Centenary M.E. Church, he was a devout man.
Voting for Harrison, a memory with pride,
Reflecting on days when the nation's fate decided.
But time, the great weaver, with its ceaseless thread,
Found David an invalid, confined to his bed.
Two years of quiet, before his final rest,
In '94, he left this earthly test.
Buried in Woodlawn, beneath Terre Haute's sky,
David Auble's legacy, does not simply die.
In the hearts of his kin, in the tales they would tell,
A life lived with honor, in service and well.
3) Here is the AI created song and lyrics for "The Cobbler's Tale" (with song lyrics created on Claude Sonnet 3.5 used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a storytelling style in a moderate tempo:
THE COBBLER'S TALEVerse 1:Born in Stillwater, eighteen-seventeenSon of John and Anna, a world yet unseenLearned to work leather with his skillful handsMaking shoes and boots across the landVerse 2:Met Sarah Knapp in Newton townDaughter of a cobbler with a leather crownSix children blessed their loving homeAs westward dreams began to roamChorus:David Auble, honest through and throughMaking his way with leather and glueFrom New Jersey shores to Indiana's heartBuilding a legacy that would never partVerse 3:Newark's factories called his nameBut Terre Haute would bring him fameOn Main Street with his shop so fineHonest business stood the test of timeChorus:David Auble, honest through and throughMaking his way with leather and glueFrom New Jersey shores to Indiana's heartBuilding a legacy that would never partBridge:Pride in his first vote for HarrisonFaith in the Methodist congregationYears of work and family tiesBuilding a life 'neath Indiana skiesVerse 4:Two years an invalid, but never aloneWife and children near his homeMarch twenty-two, eighteen ninety-fourThe cobbler closed his final doorChorus:David Auble, honest through and throughMaking his way with leather and glueFrom New Jersey shores to Indiana's heartBuilding a legacy that would never partOutro:Now Woodlawn keeps his peaceful restAn honored citizen who passed life's testDavid Auble's story lives onIn every stitch and leather drawnIn every stitch... and leather drawn
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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