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, Jonathan White (1804-1850) of Rhode Island and Connecticut
I requested ChatGPT4, Grok, Gemini, and Claude (all FREE AI LLM tools) to create a poem and song lyrics, and a podcast, about Jonathan White (1804-1850).
I uploaded a PDF of my genealogical sketch which has all of the information I have about the life of Jonathan White -- see 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 37: #44 Jonathan White (1804-1850) --to the AI tools:
(image created by OpenAI ChatGPT4)
1) The prompt I used for the poem and song lyrics was: "Please write a poem and song lyrics to celebrate the life of Jonathan White using the attached document."
2) I chose the poem created by Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 today:
JONATHAN WHITE'S LIFE
Born in Glocester's rolling hills so green,
Where Providence County's beauty could be seen,
Young Jonathan entered this world around eighteen-oh-four,
Son of Humphrey and Sybil, with siblings nine more.
When father passed in eighteen-fourteen's gloom,
And left behind a house with little room
For grief—just children needing care and love,
Mother Sybil looked for strength from above.
But Jonathan grew strong despite the loss,
Through childhood's trials he would not be cross.
He found his love in Miranda Wade so fair,
Born in Foster with winter's frost in her hair.
Together they built a life of honest toil,
Working the land and tending to the soil.
Three children blessed their union true—
Henry, Albert, and Harriet too.
From Rhode Island's rocky hills they'd roam
To Connecticut's valleys, seeking home.
On Chestnut Hill in East Killingly's embrace,
They found their rest, their dwelling place.
A farmer's life, with hands both strong and kind,
He worked the earth and nurtured what he'd find.
Through seasons' change and weather's varied face,
He carved his legacy in time and space.
In eighteen-fifty, spring had barely come
When lung fever called—his work was done.
At forty-seven years, his race was run,
But not before his legacy begun.
His will spoke true of love beyond the grave:
To Miranda, all the comfort he could save,
To sons, the lands and hopes of future days,
To Harriet, provision for her ways.
Now in the White-Chace Yard they rest in peace,
Where earthly labors finally found release.
Jonathan and Miranda, side by side,
In Glocester's soil, where memories abide.
Remember him—the farmer, husband, father,
Who through life's storms refused to falter.
From eighteen-oh-four to eighteen-fifty's end,
A life well-lived, on which we can depend.
3) Here are the AI song lyrics created by X.ai Grok 3 (used as custom lyrics on Suno.com), using a traditional American folk ballad style in an upbeat tempo - the link to the song is here: "Jonathan White's Life."
JONATHAN WHITE'S LIFE
Verse 1
In Glocester’s hills, eighteen hundred and four,
Jonathan White came to life’s open door.
Ten siblings around him, with Sybil to guide,
A family of love in Rhode Island’s countryside.
His father was taken when he was just ten,
But young Jonathan rose, growing strong among men.
With dreams in his heart and the land in his hand,
He carved out a future where hope would expand.
Verse 2
Miranda, his love, joined his journey with grace,
Two souls hand in hand in a sacred embrace.
Henry and Albert, then Harriet so fair,
Their children brought joy beyond measure to share.
He bought up the land with his siblings beside,
In Glocester’s soil, where their roots would abide.
A farmer, a father, his spirit would soar,
Building dreams for his kin on New England’s shore.
Chorus
Oh, Jonathan White, with a heart strong and true,
Built a life full of love in all that he’d do.
From Rhode Island fields to Connecticut’s call,
His legacy stands, shining bright through it all.
Verse 3
To Killingly’s fields in thirty-nine they went,
On Chestnut Hill’s rise, their new lives were spent.
With corn in the rows and livestock to tend,
Jonathan’s labor would never quite end.
His boys grew to men, helping work on the land,
While Harriet’s laughter brought warmth to his plan.
A home full of light, where their spirits would thrive,
In Connecticut’s heart, they were truly alive.
Bridge
But fever came calling in fifty’s cold spring,
Took Jonathan’s breath, clipped his hardworking wing.
His will, signed with care, showed his love would endure,
For Miranda, his sons, and his daughter so pure.
Laid to rest in the yard where his story began,
Back in Glocester’s arms, where his roots deeply ran.
Though his time was too short, his spirit lives free,
In the fields and the hearts of his family’s tree.
Verse 4
Miranda soon followed, their children alone,
Yet the strength of their father in their hearts was sown.
Albert and Henry made sure the farm to uphold,
While Harriet’s life tales went untold.
Their graves in Rhode Island, a quiet refrain,
Speak of love and of courage through joy and through pain.
Jonathan’s life, like a seed in the ground,
Grows in stories of kin, where his name is still found.
Chorus
Oh, Jonathan White, with a heart strong and true,
Built a life full of love in all that he’d do.
From Rhode Island fields to Connecticut’s call,
His legacy stands, shining bright through it all.
Outro
So raise up a song for the man who stood tall,
Jonathan White, gave his heart to it all.
In the hills and the valleys, his echo remains,
A life full of love, through the joys and the pains.
4) Here is the Audio Overview "podcast" file for Jonathan White (1804-1850) from Google NotebookLM (based on the referenced genealogical sketch): https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/4ef8c5c6-1ab4-4655-b8f1-4746ed6143a2/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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