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, Daniel Spangler (1781-1851) of Pennsylvania and Virginia.
I requested ChatGPT4, Grok, Gemini, and Claude (all FREE AI LLM tools) to create a poem and song lyrics, and Google NotebookLM a podcast, about Daniel Spangler (1781-1851).
I uploaded a PDF of my genealogical sketch which has all of the information I have about the life of Daniel Spangler (1781-1851) -- 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 43: #50 Daniel Spangler (1781-1851).
(AI ChatGPT4 image of Spangler family in Pennsylvania in 1840)
1) The prompt I used for the poem and song lyrics was: "Please write a poem and song lyrics to celebrate the life and legacy of Daniel Spangler (1781-1851) using the attached document."
2) I chose the poem created by X.ai Grok 3 today:
DANIEL'S ROAD
In York’s green cradle, ‘neath October’s sky,On ninth day born, where German roots ran deep,Daniel Spangler, with a pioneer’s eye,In Pennsylvania’s heart, his dreams did leap.Baptized in faith at Trinity’s old stone,With Balthasar’s blessing, he was not alone.Eighth child of Rudolf, Dorothea’s son,In a brood of eleven, strong and bold,He grew where York’s broad crossroads had begun,A German name to Spangler’s tale retold.Through childhood’s fields, with siblings hand in hand,He learned the grit that built this growing land.At thirty-three, with Elizabeth he wed,In Trinity’s embrace, their vows were sworn.The War of 1812 had barely fled,Yet westward hopes in their young hearts were born.To Winchester they ventured, Shenandoah’s call,Where fertile valleys promised life for all.In Virginia’s arms, their family took root,Though Anna Katrina’s loss brought early pain.Yet Anna Maria, Elizabeth, resolute,And Sarah, Dorothea, bore the Spangler name.Two babes were lost, as oft the times would steal,But love and faith forged hearts as strong as steel.In twenty-nine, to Mercer’s wilds they came,Sandy Creek’s frontier, where forests stood tall.On Donation Lot, Daniel staked his claim,A farmer’s life, two hundred acres’ call.With Elizabeth, their children grew apace,Eight daughters, strong, to carry forth their grace.The census speaks of fields and hearth well-kept,At sixty-eight, his plow still turned the sod.With kin like Carringers, ties tightly wept,His legacy was sown in mortal clod.In Sheakleyville, his final rest he found,July’s warm earth, his body gently bound.No will he left, yet trust in sons-in-law,Benjamin, John, to guide his children’s way.A hundred acres sold, by court’s just law,To guard the young through life’s uncertain day.Elizabeth, steadfast, lived on till war’s grim dawn,In Conneautville, her final breath was drawn.From York to Winchester, to Mercer’s plain,Daniel’s life traced freedom’s boundless quest.Through war and growth, through joy and piercing pain,He built a life where pioneers found rest.His children spread, from Iowa’s fields to West,Their Spangler blood, America’s own zest.Oh, Daniel Spangler, son of German stock,Your story hums in fields and family lore.Through church and farm, on valley’s limestone rock,You carved a path where hope could ever soar.In history’s weave, your quiet strength remains,A pioneer’s heart in America’s vast plains.
3) Here are the AI song lyrics created by Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 (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: "Daniel's Road."
DANIEL'S ROAD
(Verse 1)
Born in York when the nation was young
October seventeen eighty-one
Eleven children, the Spengler name
In Pennsylvania's morning sun
Trinity Church bells rang that day
When baby Daniel found his way
From German roots to American ground
A family's love, a sacred sound
(Verse 2)
Elizabeth King became his bride
twelfth of March of eighteen-fifteen
Together they would chase their dreams
To places they had never been
Winchester Valley, rich and green
Where children's laughter could be seen
But some were called to heaven's door
While others stayed to love him more
(Chorus)
Down Daniel's road, through joy and tears
Across the valleys, through the years
From York to Winchester, then back again
Following hope where the heart leads when
Love builds a home and faith lights the way
Down Daniel's road, day after day
(Verse 3)
Mercer County, eighteen twenty-nine
Two hundred acres of his own
Sandy Creek Township, fertile land
Where Daniel made his final home
Eight children lived to carry on
The legacy when he was gone
Carringer weddings, family ties
Beneath Pennsylvania's wide blue skies
(Chorus)
Down Daniel's road, through joy and tears
Across the valleys, through the years
From York to Winchester, then back again
Following hope where the heart leads when
Love builds a home and faith lights the way
Down Daniel's road, day after day
(Bridge)
When the census man came calling
He found a farmer, proud and strong
Sixty-nine years of honest living
In a nation still finding its song
From Revolution to expansion
He watched America grow
A simple man with simple dreams
But oh, the seeds that he would sow
(Verse 4)
July of fifty-one he rested
His work on earth was finally done
Georgetown called him to his peace
Beneath the summer sun
Elizabeth walked on without him
Twelve more years of memories made
Until she joined him in the ground
Where all their love and hope was laid
(Final Chorus)
Down Daniel's road, the journey's done
But his legacy has just begun
Through every child and grandchild's name
The Spangler spirit burns the same
Love built a home and faith lit the way
Down Daniel's road, we remember today
(Outro)
So here's to Daniel, here's to Elizabeth
Here's to the road they chose to take
From Pennsylvania to Virginia and back
For their children's sake
The road goes on, the story lives
In every heart that loves and gives
Down Daniel's road... down Daniel's road
Where love will always find a home.
4) Here is the Audio Overview "podcast" file for Daniel Spangler from Google NotebookLM (based on the referenced genealogical sketch): https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/71903fe1-26e7-468a-a64c-62c62f57bdd1
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, song, and podcast 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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