Sunday, June 1, 2025

"John Rich's Legacy" -- A Family History Poem, Song and Podcast Created by Artificial Intelligence

 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 Rich (1790-1868) of Wiltshire, England.

I requested ChatGPT4, Grok, Gemini, and Claude (all FREE AI LLM tools) to create a poem and song lyrics, and a podcast, about John Rich (1790-1868). 

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 Rich (1790-1868) - see 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 35: #42 John Rich (1791-1868).


(AI-created image by OpenAI ChatGPT4)

1)  The prompt I used was: "Please write a poem and song lyrics to celebrate the life of John Rch (1790-1868) using the attached document."

2)  I chose the poem created by Google Gemini 2.5 Flash today:
JOHN RICH'S LEGACY 
In Wiltshire's heart, where green fields lay, 
John Rich was born, one November day, 
In seventeen ninety, a new life unfurled, 
Eldest of six in a changing world. 
William and Betty, his parents true, 
Saw Martha leave, at nine, anew 
The sorrow of an age, so harsh and grim, 
Before his mother faded, light grew dim.

Then Valentine's Day, in eighteen fifteen, 
Rebecca Hill became his queen. 
At Hilperton's church, with an "X" they signed, 
A working-class bond, lovingly entwined. 
Eleven children, a bustling, hopeful brood, 
Though life's cruel hand, some understood 
Too soon, like little John, and William's brief stay, 
Yet new life bloomed, chasing shadows away.

From James in Cardiff, a long life he'd see, 
To Ann in America, brave and free. 
Another John, and Jesse, born as twins, 
Hannah and William, new journeys begin. 
Elizabeth, Emma, and Samuel, the last, 
Across the wide ocean, their anchors cast. 
From Hilperton's loom, to a distant shore, 
His children's footsteps, forevermore.

A hand loom weaver, by trade and by hand, 
In Hilperton Marsh, he made his stand. 
Through Industrial change, he wove his fate, 
A house and garden, beyond the gate. 
The census whispers, through the years it flows, 
Of a family growing, as life's current goes. 
From bustling home to a quieter nest, 
With Rebecca, his partner, truly blessed.

Through kings and empires, a witness he'd been, 
Of Waterloo's echoes, and progress unseen. 
The steam and the spindle, a new era dawned, 
But John Rich stood firm, his spirit unawed. 
His children's migration, a testament bold, 
Of dreams interwoven, a story to be told.

At seventy-eight, his long life's end, 
In Hilperton's earth, a faithful friend 
Was laid to rest, where his journey began, 
A humble weaver, a remarkable man. 
From Wiltshire's green beauty, his legacy spread, 
Through kin in new lands, his spirit led.
3) Here are the AI song lyrics created by Anthropic Claude 3.7 Sonnet (used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a traditional English folk ballad style in an upbeat tempo - the link to the song is here: "John Rich's Legacy."
JOHN RICH'S LEGACY 
Verse 1
Born in Trowbridge when the leaves turned gold,
 November seventeen-ninety, a story to be told 
William and Betty Rich welcomed their son 
In a world where the Industrial Age had just begun 
John learned to weave with steady hands so true 
Making cloth from wool the way his fathers knew

Verse 2
Valentine's Day in eighteen-fifteen 
He married sweet Rebecca, the finest ever seen 
In Hilperton Parish Church they said their vows 
To share their joys and weather life's sorrows 
Eleven children blessed their humble home 
Though some sweet souls were called too soon to roam

Chorus
John Rich, John Rich, weaver of Hilperton 
Your threads of love are never quite undone 
From English fields to shores across the sea 
Your family tree grows wild and grows free 
John Rich, John Rich, your legacy lives on 
In every heart where hope and love are strong

Verse 3
The loom would sing from dawn to setting sun 
While children played and household work was done 
In Hilperton Marsh their cottage stood with pride 
Rebecca cooking meals with John by her side 
Through Georgian days and into Victoria's reign 
They weathered every joy and every pain

Verse 4
James went to Cardiff, Ann to Illinois 
Samuel and William sought the New World's joys 
Hannah crossed the ocean with courage in her heart 
While Jesse stayed close, never to depart 
From one small village to the world so wide 
His children carried Rich family pride

Bridge
Seventy-seven years upon this earth 
Building something greater than silver's worth 
When machines replaced the weaver's song 
His family's story carried on 
From hand loom threads to railroad steel 
His love made broken hearts to heal

Chorus
John Rich, John Rich, weaver of Hilperton 
Your threads of love are never quite undone 
From English fields to shores across the sea 
Your family tree grows wild and grows free 
John Rich, John Rich, your legacy lives on 
In every heart where hope and love are strong

Outro
So raise a glass to the weaver's name 
John Rich of Wiltshire, forever our flame 
In Connecticut hills and Welsh valleys green 
His spirit lives in places he's never seen 
The loom is silent but the love plays on 
John Rich, dear John Rich, your song lives on 
(Your song lives on... your song lives on...)
4)  Here is the Audio Overview "podcast" file for John Rich (1790-1868) from Google NotebookLM (based on the referenced genealogical sketch):
https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/f2d27bc9-a811-4b9e-aabe-0227ea8cc776/audio

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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