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, Henry Carringer (1800-1879) of Pennsylvania and Iowa..
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 Henry Carringer (1800-1879).
(AI ChatGPT4 image of Carringer family in Pennsylvania in 1848)
1) The prompt I used for the poem and song lyrics was: "Please write a poem and song lyrics to celebrate the life of Henry Carringer (1800-1879) using the attached document."
2) I chose the poem created by Claude Sonnet 4 today:
HENRY CARRINGER'S JOURNEY
Born when the century was young and new,
In Pennsylvania's rolling hills so green,
Heinrich Carringer came into view—
A life of purpose, yet unforeseen.
The sixth of eight in Martin's house,
Where German voices filled the air,
Young Henry learned what life allows:
Hard work, devotion, and tender care.
At twenty-five he took a bride,
Sweet Sarah Feather, young and true,
Together they would walk beside
The fields where Pennsylvania's wildflowers grew.
Ten children blessed their humble home,
From Eliza first to Harvey last,
Through seasons when they'd freely roam
The acres where their roots held fast.
He tilled the soil his father gave,
One hundred fifty acres grand,
And honored well the trust to save
His mother's place upon the land.
When Sarah died in forty-eight,
At forty-four, too young to go,
Henry bore grief's crushing weight
But raised his children through the woe.
The wanderlust came calling then,
As children ventured to the west,
To Iowa's prairies, far from when
Their cradles in Pennsylvania rest.
At sixty-four, he packed his dreams
And followed love across the plain,
To Columbus City's fertile streams
Where corn and hope would grow again.
For fifteen years in Iowa's embrace,
He watched his grandchildren at play,
Content to slow his hurried pace
And greet each peaceful prairie day.
When April's moon shone full and bright
In eighteen seventy-nine's sweet spring,
Henry passed into the light—
His earthly journey's final ring.
Seventy-eight years, nine months, and more,
He'd walked this earth with steady stride,
From Revolution's fading roar
To railroad's whistle, far and wide.
Now in Columbus City's ground,
His stone marks where his body lies,
But in the hearts where love is found,
His spirit soars beyond the skies.
The children scattered east and west,
From Colorado's mountain peaks
To California's golden crest,
Each one his legacy still speaks.
O Henry Carringer, farmer true,
Your furrows straight, your harvest full,
In every dawn of morning's dew,
We feel your spirit's gentle pull.
From Pennsylvania's ancient loam
To Iowa's endless prairie sea,
You showed us how to make a home
And live with love and dignity.
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: "Henry Carringer's Journey."
“HENRY CARRINGER'S JOURNEY"
*Verse 1*
Born in eighteen hundred, in Mercer’s rolling land,
Henry Carringer grew with a farmer’s steady hand.
With Molly and Martin, seven siblings by his side,
He learned to love the earth where his dreams would reside.
*Verse 2*
Sarah Feather caught his heart, in twenty-five they wed,
Ten children filled their home, where love and life were led.
Through Sandy Creek’s green fields, they toiled from dawn to dusk,
Building a family strong, in faith and honest trust.
*Chorus*
Oh, Henry, you carved a path so wide,
Through fields of green and a nation’s rising tide.
From Pennsylvania’s heart to Iowa’s open plain,
Your legacy lives on, in sun and wind and rain.
*Verse 3*
Loss came calling early, with Sarah’s light gone dim,
Yet Henry raised his children, his spirit never slim.
The land his father left him, he worked with tender care,
For mother Molly’s comfort, he always would be there.
*Chorus*
Oh, Henry, you carved a path so wide,
Through fields of green and a nation’s rising tide.
From Pennsylvania’s heart to Iowa’s open plain,
Your legacy lives on, in sun and wind and rain.
*Verse 4*
Westward dreams were stirring, the Iowa call was strong,
With Eliza and Jackson, he moved his kin along.
At sixty-nine, still steadfast, with acres newly sown,
He built a life of courage, in a land he’d call his own.
*Bridge*
Through war and westward trails, you saw a nation grow,
From Jefferson’s young dream to railroads’ iron glow.
Your children spread like seeds, to Colorado’s distant shore,
Your name lives in their hearts, forever to endure.
*Chorus*
Oh, Henry, you carved a path so wide,
Through fields of green and a nation’s rising tide.
From Pennsylvania’s heart to Iowa’s open plain,
Your legacy lives on, in sun and wind and rain.
*Outro*
Now in Columbus City, your gravestone stands so tall,
A life of love and labor, you answered every call.
Henry Carringer, your story still remains,
In the fields you tilled, in the endless open plains.
4) Here is the Audio Overview "podcast" file for Henry Carringer from Google NotebookLM (based on the referenced genealogical sketch):
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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Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver
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