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 and song about my wife Linda's maternal grandparents, Paul Schaffner (1879-1934) and Edna Catherine McKnew (1884-1974), #6 and #7 on Linda's Ahnentafel list.
I requested Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 (a FREE AI tool) to create a poem and song lyrics to describe and celebrate the lives of Paul and Edna (McKnew) Schaffner. I uploaded a PDF of my updated couple genealogical sketch which has all of the information I have about the lives of Paul Schaffner and Edna McKnew.
(Paul and Edna (McKnew) Schaffner Family circa 1925 (from Family Sources)
1) The prompt I used for the poem and song lyrics was: "Please create a poem and song lyrics to describe and celebrate the lives of Paul Schaffner and Edna McKnew using the attached document."
2) The Poem is:
San Francisco Sweethearts - Paul and Edna
In eighteen seventy-nine, when cable cars were new,
A baby boy named Paul drew breath where foghorns blew,
While five years on, sweet Edna came, eighth child of eleven,
Two San Francisco souls, born under California heaven.
They grew in Castro's streets of wood, in neighborhoods close-knit,
Where Herman's son learned business ways, and Edna learned her wit,
She trimmed the hats that ladies wore, while Paul's stenographer hand
Moved swift across the paper, helping business expand.
Then came that April morning when the earth began to shake,
Nineteen-oh-six—at dawn the City started to break,
The fires raged for three long days, consuming all in sight,
But Edna's home at Nineteenth stood, survived that dreadful night.
The photograph they saved that day shows everything outside—
The stove, the chairs, the household goods, pulled from the building's side,
And there above the doorway, clear, the number "four-one-three-one,"
A family waiting, wondering if their home would be the next one.
Just two short months the rubble cleared, the city still in pain,
When Paul took Edna's hand in his and vowed through loss and gain,
On June the twenty-fourth they wed, while ash still filled the air,
A testament to hope and love, a future they would share.
Through their house on Carter Street, young Muriel drew her breath,
At Nineteen-oh-nine she came to life, defying quake and death,
Then Edna May in nineteen-thirteen joined the family fold,
Two daughters raised with gentleness, with stories to be told.
To Rivoli Street, number forty-six, the family made their way,
Where Paul rose through the oil company ranks with each successive day,
From stenographer to manager, he earned his family's bread,
While Edna kept the home fires bright, the children clothed and fed.
Master of the Amity Lodge, the Shrine and Scottish Rite,
Paul served his community by day, his brothers every night,
The fraternal halls rang with his voice, his handshake firm and true,
He built a life of service grand, as noble people do.
But hearts wear out too early sometimes, and nineteen thirty-four
Brought sorrow to that Rivoli house when Paul could give no more,
At fifty-five he left this world, his work on earth complete,
His widow, daughters, brothers mourned, their grief profound and deep.
Yet Edna carried onward still, for forty years she'd stay,
Her daughter Muriel's family at her side each passing day,
"Yoo-Hoo!" she'd call when family came to walk through her front door,
And "Oo-Hoo" her grandchildren called back, a name they did adore.
She tended Cecil Bruner roses in her small and faithful plot,
And brought them to her daughters' homes, forget-me-nots they're not,
Those delicate pink blossoms spoke what words could not convey—
A mother's love, a grandma's care, through every single day.
Sixty-three years in Eastern Star, where charity held sway,
She lived by truth and loving-kindness every blessed day,
Through earthquake, fire, and widowhood, through sorrow and through joy,
From eighteen eighty-four she walked San Francisco's employ.
In nineteen seventy-four, at ninety years, she closed her eyes at last,
And joined her Paul at Cypress Lawn, reunited with her past,
Two native children of the Bay, who weathered every storm,
Who married in their city's ashes, kept each other warm.
So here's to Paul and Edna, who chose love in fearful times,
Who built their life on Rivoli Street, in that city of steep climbs,
Who raised their daughters with firm values, worked hard and gave back more,
Who showed us how to carry on when grief knocks at your door.
Their legacy lives in the roses, in the "Yoo-Hoo" at the gate,
In grandchildren who still remember, in stories told of late,
Two ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives,
In San Francisco's heart they lived—and there their memory thrives.
From Castro Street to Rivoli, through earthquake, fire, and years,
Through laughter, loss, and all of life's accumulated tears,
They built a home, they raised a family, they served with all their might—
Two San Francisco sweethearts, may their memory shine bright.
3) The AI-created song lyrics are:
San Francisco Sweethearts – Paul and Edna"San Francisco Sweethearts - Paul and Edna" (based on the song lyrics created using Suno.com, with a melodic pop style in an upbeat tempo) can be played below:
(Verse 1)
Born in the city where the cable cars climb,
Paul and Edna, children of a different time,
He learned the business, she trimmed the hats,
Two souls growing up where the fog rolled back,
Then the ground started shaking, nineteen-oh-six dawn,
But love finds a way when everything's gone.
(Verse 2)
Married in June while the city still burned,
Starting their journey with lessons they'd learned,
Two daughters came, Muriel and Edna May,
Paul worked the oil company, earning his pay,
The Master of the Lodge, serving with pride,
Edna kept the home where love would reside.
(Chorus)
They built a life on Rivoli Street,
Where the roses bloomed and the hearts would meet,
Through the earthquakes and the years gone by,
Two San Francisco souls beneath the California sky,
Hand in hand through joy and sorrow,
Building today, believing in tomorrow,
They built a life on Rivoli Street.
(Verse 3)
Nineteen thirty-four, his heart gave way,
Paul left too early on that May day,
But Edna carried on for forty years more,
"Yoo-Hoo!" she'd call out at the family door,
Her grandkids called her "Oo-Hoo" with delight,
She'd bring them roses, pink and white.
(Bridge)
From the ashes we rise,
From the broken we build,
With faith in our hearts,
And dreams unfulfilled becoming real,
Oh, they showed us the way,
Through the darkest of nights,
How to hold on together,
How to find the light.
(Verse 4)
Sixty-three years in the Eastern Star,
Living by love, no matter how far,
At ninety years old, she closed her eyes,
Joined her Paul under Cypress skies,
Two native children of the Bay,
Their memory lives on to this very day.
(Chorus)
They built a life on Rivoli Street,
Where the roses bloomed and the hearts would meet,
Through the earthquakes and the years gone by,
Two San Francisco souls beneath the California sky,
Hand in hand through joy and sorrow,
Building today, believing in tomorrow,
They built a life on Rivoli Street.
(Outro)
To here's to the ones who showed us the way,
Who married in ashes and chose to stay,
On Rivoli Street, number forty-six,
Where love and resilience forever mix,
Paul and Edna, your story lives on,
In the heart of the city where you belonged,
On Rivoli Street... on Rivoli Street.
4) The AI tools do this so much better and faster than I can, and weave 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!
5) 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, to my YouTube channel, and to 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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