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 genealogy research.
(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 about my genealogy research, including mentions of building a family tree, finding photographs, obtaining vital records, visiting cemeteries, searching for records, doing a DNA test, using AI to help research, writing stories and books, etc.
2) I chose the poem created by Claude Sonnet 3.7 today. Here are the stanzas:
My Roots and Branches
Through yellowed pages and faded ink,
I trace the paths my ancestors walked.
name a thread in time's tapestry,
Each date a landmark on memory's map.
My family tree grows branch by branch,
Names etched in careful calligraphy,
Generations blooming like spring leaves,
Their stories waiting to be discovered.
Photographs in dusty albums speak—
A stern-faced couple on wedding day,
A child in Sunday best, eyes bright with wonder,
Fragments of lives that shaped my own.
Birth certificates, marriage licenses,
Death records held in county archives,
Each document a puzzle piece
the mosaic of who I am.
I walk among weathered gravestones,
Tracing names with gentle fingertips,
Speaking softly to those long gone,
"I've found you. You're remembered now."
Ship manifests and census rolls,
Military records and land deeds,
Each search revealing breadcrumbs
Along the trail of forgotten lives.
DNA spirals like ancient code,
Revealing cousins across continents,
Unexpected branches on my tree,
Connections transcending time and space.
AI companions scan what I cannot,
Deciphering handwriting centuries old,
Translating languages long forgotten,
Bridging gaps where records failed.
I gather these treasures like precious gems,
narratives from fragments found,
Writing books that children's children will read,
So no one who came before is truly gone.
For in this search I've found not just names,
But courage, heartbreak, love, and pride.
The whispers of ancestors guide my pen
As I become the keeper of their light.
3) Here is the AI created song and lyrics for "My Roots and Branches" (with song lyrics created on Claude sonnet 3.7 used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a folk ballad style in a moderate tempo:
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!My Roots and Branches
Verse 1
Through dusty records and faded ink
I search for names I've never known
Each document a missing link
To lives that made my own
Old photographs in sepia tone
Tell stories time almost erased
I'm mapping out where I belong
As family lines are traced.
Verse 2
Cemetery stones stand silent watch
Over those who came before
I trace their names with gentle touch
And promise to search more
Birth certificates, marriage vows
Census records tell their tales
Each discovery somehowLifts the ancestor's veil.
Chorus
Roots and branches, blood and bone
Stories waiting to be told
Roots and branches, not alone
Hearts of courage, hearts of gold
I'm finding pieces of myselfIn faces from long ago
Roots and branches, time unfoldsIn the family tree we grow.
Verse 3
DNA spirals ancient code
Connecting strangers into kin
Unexpected paths are shown
Where did I end, where did they begin?
Digital archives light the way
AI helps decipher clues
Technologies of todayBring yesterday's news.
Chorus
Roots and branches, blood and bone
Stories waiting to be told
Roots and branches, not alone
Hearts of courage, hearts of gold
I'm finding pieces of myselfIn faces from long ago
Roots and branches, time unfoldsIn the family tree we grow.
Bridge
And when I'm gone, my children's children
Will have these stories that I've penned
The chain remains unbroken
As generations blend
Their triumphs and their sorrows
Their journeys and their dreams
Echo in tomorrow
Through our shared family genes.
Verse 4
So I'll keep building branch by branch
This legacy of love and time
Honor each life with every chance
Make their memories mine
For in their courage I find strength
In their struggles, I find heart
Their wisdom guides me all the length
Of my own humble part.
Chorus
Roots and branches, blood and bone
Stories waiting to be told
Roots and branches, not alone
Hearts of courage, hearts of gold
I'm finding pieces of myselfIn faces from long ago
Roots and branches, time unfoldsIn the family tree we grow.
Outro
Roots and branches, blood and bone
In their footsteps, I am home.
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
The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/03/my-roots-and-branches-family-history.html
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