I've used FREE Artificial Intelligence tools to create biographies, poems, songs and podcasts about my ancestors lives, plus my genealogy research and family history in the recent past. Every ancestor lives a unique life with unique relationships and life stories. Today, I want to share a poem, song and podcast about my third great-grandfather, John Richman (1788-1867).
I requested ChatGPT4, Grok, Gemini, and Claude (all FREE AI LLM tools) to create a poem and song lyrics, and a podcast, about John Richman (1788-1867).
I uploaded to the AI tools a PDF of my genealogical sketch which has all of the information I have about the life of John Richman (1788-1867) - see 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 33: #40 John Richman (1788-1867).
(John Richman image from family sources, colorized by MyHeritage)
1) The prompt I used was: "Please write a poem and song lyrics to celebrate the life of John Richman (1788-1867) using the attached document."
2) I chose the poem created by X Grok 3 today:
RICHMAN'S THREADS OF TIME
In Hilperton’s green folds, where Wiltshire winds hum low,
John Richman came to be, ‘neath skies of long ago.
Born to John and Mary, in seventeen-eighty-eight,
The seventh child, a sturdy soul, to meet a changing fate.
No record marks his cradle day, the church books sparse and thin,
Yet through the fields and looms of life, his story does begin.
A weaver’s hands, a laborer’s heart, he toiled ‘neath sun and rain,
As England’s wheels of industry reshaped the rural plain.
With Ann Marshman, his heart was bound, in eighteen-eleven’s spring,
Their “X” upon the parish book, a humble, hopeful thing.
Eight children graced their hearth and home, though some were called too soon,
Elizabeth, James, and John would thrive, beneath the Wiltshire moon.
From weaver’s loom to coal’s rough haul, to butcher’s steady trade,
He wore the smock of Keevil’s make, where honest work was laid.
On Marsh Lane’s path, with Ann beside, their family grew and strove,
Through Napoleons fall and Victoria’s rise, their lives a tapestry wove.
The years grew heavy, Ann departed, the census marked him lone,
A pauper’s name at seventy-two, with Rosa, not his own.
Yet in his eyes, the Ambrotype caught, a spark of days long kept,
In top hat old and neckerchief red, where memory’s fire was swept.
To Bradford’s earth, in sixty-seven, he laid his burdens down,
At St. Michael’s, Hilperton, beneath the churchyard’s crown.
Seventy-nine, his journey done, through wars and looms and strife,
John Richman’s thread, though humble spun, wove rich the cloth of life.
His name lives on, through James’s line, to lands beyond the sea,
From Richmond’s call to Randall’s pen, his legacy runs free.
So raise a glass to John, dear soul, whose toil and love endure,
In Wiltshire’s heart, his story rests, forever strong and sure.
3) Here are the AI song lyrics created by Anthropic Claude 3.7 Sonnet (used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a family pop storytelling style in a moderate tempo - the link to the song is here: "Richman's Threads Of Time."
RICHMAN'S THREADS OF TIME
Verse 1:
Born in Hilperton in seventeen eighty-eight
Son of John and Mary in Wiltshire's countryside
Hands that would learn to weave and create
A simple man with nothing to hide
In a changing England, he found his way
Working the loom as the years went by
Verse 2:
In eighteen eleven, he took Ann as his bride
Made their mark with X's, side by side
Eight children came as the years rolled on
Some stayed briefly, others lived long
Elizabeth, Sarah, John and Ann by name
James, Thomas, and two Marys came
Chorus:
Through the threads of time, his story weaves
A tapestry of life in Wiltshire's fields
John Richman's legacy never leaves
In our family tree, his spirit never yields
The threads of time, they bind us still
To Hilperton's son on that English hill
Verse 3:
From weaver to coal hauler, his hands stayed strong
As factories rose, the old ways gone
Victoria took the throne, the world anew
But John kept working, steadfast and true
A butcher's trade in his later days
Providing for family in countless ways.
Chorus:
Through the threads of time, his story weaves
A tapestry of life in Wiltshire's fields
John Richman's legacy never leaves
In our family tree, his spirit never yields
The threads of time, they bind us still
To Hilperton's son on that English hill
Verse 4:
White-haired in his Wiltshire smock
Top hat saved for Sundays at the church clock
In that rare photograph, his eyes still shine
A glimpse of our past frozen in time
A widower's life in his final years
With Rosa beside him, through joys and tears
Bridge:
And though he never left his Wiltshire home
His blood runs through veins across the foam
From England's shores to distant lands
The work of John Richman's weathered hands
Lives on in us, though years have flown
His strength and spirit, we've always known
Chorus:
Through the threads of time, his story weaves
A tapestry of life in Wiltshire's fields
John Richman's legacy never leaves
In our family tree, his spirit never yields
The threads of time, they bind us still
To Hilperton's son on that English hill
Outro:
Laid to rest in St. Michael's ground
In eighteen sixty-seven, his peace was found
But in our hearts, John Richman stays
A common man of uncommon ways
The threads he wove through life's design
Connect us still... across all time
4) Here is the Audio Overview "podcast" file for Sophia (Buck) (Brigham) (Newton) Stone from Google NotebookLM (based on the referenced genealogical 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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