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 5th great-grandfather, Norman Seaver (1734-1787), #64 on my 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 life of Norman Seaver I uploaded a PDF of my updated couple genealogical sketch which has all of the information I have about the life of Norman Seaver.
(AI ChatGPT5 image of Norman Seaver family in 1785)
1) The prompt I used for the poem and song lyrics was: "Please create a poem and song lyrics to describe and celebrate the life of Norman Seaver using the attached document."
2) The Poem is:
The Ballad of Norman Seaver
He was born when kings still ruled the land,
A farmer's son with calloused hand,
In Sudbury town by Landham's flow,
Where Massachusetts breezes blow.
His father laid the brick and stone,
But Norman claimed the wood his own—
The carpenter who'd build and raise,
Through all his hard-won, honest days.
At twenty-one he took a bride,
Sweet Sarah Read stood by his side,
And thirteen children blessed their home,
Through all their years of work and roam.
From Sudbury first to Shrewsbury's fields,
He worked the land for harvest yields,
Then Westminster became their place,
Where roots grew deep through God's own grace.
But then the bells of freedom rang—
On Lexington the muskets sang,
And Norman, though with children ten,
Left plow and saw to march with men.
A sergeant first on that April morn,
When revolution's cry was born,
Then ensign under Willson's command,
A lieutenant with a steady hand.
Through Rhode Island's cold campaigns,
Through winter's ice and summer's rains,
He served nine months at freedom's cost,
While home and family never lost.
When peace at last came to the land,
He raised his meetinghouse, so grand,
His hammer singing out its song,
His careful work both sure and strong.
On July's last day in eighty-seven,
The frame gave way 'tween earth and heaven,
And Norman fell from timber high—
A builder's death beneath the sky.
Fifty-three years upon this earth,
He proved a simple man's true worth:
A patriot who answered when called,
A father who stood proud and tall,
A craftsman whose work stood the test,
A husband who gave Sarah his best.
In Woodside's ground his body rests,
A flag marks where the hero's blessed,
But greater still than stone or sod—
Thirteen children, and thanks to God.
His legacy runs deep and wide,
Through generations multiplied,
In every descendant's heart and hand,
The echo of this steadfast man.
So raise a glass to Norman's name,
No need for fortune, wealth, or fame—
He lived, he loved, he built, he fought,
And left us more than can be bought.
From Sudbury's soil to Westminster's hills,
His spirit in his children fills,
A common man who proved uncommon true—
Captain Norman Seaver, this tribute's due.
3) The AI-created song lyrics are:
The Ballad of Norman Seaver
(Verse 1)
Born in seventeen thirty-four, by Landham Brook he grew,
A farmer's son with carpenter hands and eyes of honest blue,
His father laid the brick and stone in old colonial days,
But Norman found his calling in the timber's grain and ways.
(Verse 2)
At twenty-one he took a bride, sweet Sarah was her name,
And thirteen children blessed their house through fortune, want, and fame,
They moved from town to town to find the best land they could claim,
In Shrewsbury they prospered well, then Westminster became.
(Chorus)
Oh, Norman Seaver, working man, with sawdust in your hair,
You built your life with your own two hands and answered freedom's prayer,
From Sudbury to Westminster, through war and peace you'd roam,
A patriot, a carpenter, who made this land your home.
(Verse 3)
When liberty bells rang out loud on that April day,
He kissed his wife and children dear and marched to join the fray,
A sergeant first, then ensign next, lieutenant by the end,
Nine months in Rhode Island cold, his country to defend.
(Chorus)
Oh, Norman Seaver, working man, with sawdust in your hair,
You built your life with your own two hands and answered freedom's prayer,
From Sudbury to Westminster, through war and peace you'd roam,
A patriot, a carpenter, who made this land your home.
(Verse 4)
He came back home when war was won to build instead of fight,
The meetinghouse was his last work, he meant to build it right,
But on a summer morning when the frame was raised up high,
The timbers failed, brave Norman fell beneath the July sky.
(Bridge)
Fifty-three years upon this earth,
He measured out his humble worth,
Not in silver, not in gold,
But in the stories that are told—
Of honest work and family,
Of fighting to be free,
Of building things to last beyond
The man, the myth, the bond.
(Final Chorus)
Oh, Norman Seaver, rest in peace, your work on earth is done,
Your children carry on your name beneath the morning sun,
From Sudbury to Westminster, you built more than a home—
You built a legacy of love in timber, blood, and bone.
(Outro)
In Woodside Cemetery he lies, beneath the summer grass,
A flag waves by his weathered stone for all the years that pass,
And if you listen close enough on quiet evenings there,
You'll hear the echo of his saw, his hammer in the air...
(Fade out)
The carpenter, the soldier, the father, and the man,
Who built his life with honest work and freedom's sacred plan,
Oh, Norman Seaver... Norman Seaver...
Your memory will stand.
"The Ballad of Norman Seaver" (based on the song lyrics created using Suno.com, with a melodic pop style in an upbeat tempo) can be played below:
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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