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 third great-grandfather, Alpheus B. Smith.
(image created by ChatGPT4)
I uploaded a PDF of my genealogical sketch which has all of the information I have about Alpheus Smith's life - see 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 27: #34 Alpheus B. Smith (1802-1840).
1) The prompt I used was: "Please write a poem and song lyrics to commemorate the life of Alpheus B. Smith using the attached document."
2) I chose the poem created by Grok 3 today:
ALPHEUS OF MEDFIELD
In Medfield’s green, where history wakes,
Born nineteen May, eighteen-oh-two,
Alpheus Smith, by Vine Lake’s stakes,
A farmer’s heart, both strong and true.
Son of Aaron, Mercy’s pride,
He tilled the earth with steady hand,
In a young land, still wild, untried,
He built his life on Norfolk sand.
With Elizabeth, his love, his guide,
In twenty-six, they spoke their vows,
Two children bloomed by fireside—
Lucretia, James, beneath the boughs.
High Street knew his plow’s deep trace,
A yeoman’s mark on fields of gold,
He sold to Lois, swapped a space,
Then passed his home to hands more bold.
Through thirty’s census, voices ring,
A wife, a girl, an elder’s care,
In Medfield’s quiet, simple spring,
His days were stitched with love to share.
But thirty-seven winters came,
Too soon the call, the final breath,
January’s chill etched out his name,
A gravestone’s plea beyond his death.
“Farewell my wife, my children too,”
He carved in stone, a tender plea,
To heaven’s share, his soul withdrew,
Left roots to grow in memory.
No will to pen, yet wealth was sown,
In land, in kin, in humble ways,
His acres sold, his tale now known,
A legacy through fleeting days.
So raise a glass to Alpheus here,
A man of soil, of heart, of grace,
In Vine Lake’s rest, he lingers near,
A farmer’s soul in time’s embrace.
3) Here are the AI song lyrics created on Grok 3 (used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a family pop style in a medium tempo. The link to the song is here: "Alpheus of Medfield."
ALPHEUS OF MEDFIELD
[Verse 1]
Born beneath a May sky, eighteen-oh-two,
In Medfield’s arms where the wildflowers grew,
Aaron and Mercy raised him up strong,
A farmer’s soul where the fields belong.
[Verse 2]
Elizabeth came with a vow to keep,
In twenty-six, their love ran deep,
Lucretia danced, and James did play,
High Street hummed through their simple days.
[Chorus]
Oh, Alpheus, yeoman of the land,
Plowed the earth with a steady hand,
Roots run deep in Norfolk’s clay,
Your song still echoes through our day.
[Verse 3]
He sold his acres, one by one,
To Lois, to Simeon, beneath the sun,
A homestead built with barn and beam,
A life carved out of a farmer’s dream.
[Bridge]
But the winters turned, and the call came fast,
Thirty-seven years, his shadow cast,
Vine Lake holds him, soft and still,
A gravestone whispers his final will.
[Chorus]
Oh, Alpheus, yeoman of the land,
Plowed the earth with a steady hand,
Roots run deep in Norfolk’s clay,
Your song still echoes through our day.
[Verse 4]
No will to write, but a legacy stayed,
In children’s laughter, in debts repaid,
The land was sold, the seasons turned,
A humble fire that brightly burned.
[Chorus]
Oh, Alpheus, yeoman of the land,
Plowed the earth with a steady hand,
Roots run deep in Norfolk’s clay,
Your song still echoes through our day.
[Outro]
Farewell, dear Alpheus, the heavens you share,
Your kin still walk with the love you laid bare,
In Medfield’s fields, your name won’t fade,
A yeoman’s life in the earth you made.
4) Here is the Audio Overview "podcast" file for Alpheus B. Smith from Google NotebookLM (based on the referenced genelaogical sketch):
5) 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!
6) 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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Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page. Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.
Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver
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