The Blacksmith of Company I

Bringing Noah W. Briles' Story to Life Through Music

One of the most rewarding aspects of exploring my family's history is finding new ways to share the stories hidden within old records. While Noah W. Briles' Civil War pension file provided the facts of his life, I wanted to present those facts in a way that would connect with family members who might never read dozens of pages of pension documents.

That led to one of my newest experiments with artificial intelligence.

From Pension File to Song

After transcribing Noah's pension file, I asked ChatGPT to write song lyrics based solely on the documented evidence. Rather than focusing on battlefield heroics, the song tells the story of Noah's service as a blacksmith in Company I of the 1st Iowa Cavalry.

The lyrics follow the evidence found in his military and pension records:

• his enlistment in 1861
• his service as a regimental blacksmith
• the illness he contracted during the war
• his return home to Sarah Jane Thompson
• the lingering health problems that followed him for the rest of his life
• and the pension file that ultimately preserved his story.

The result is "The Blacksmith of Company I."

AI Joins the Creative Process

With the lyrics complete, I uploaded them to Suno, which composed and performed the song.

I then created a custom featured image—featuring an anvil, horseshoes, blacksmith tools, and pension documents rather than photographs—and combined the artwork with the music in Canva to produce a simple video.

Finally, I uploaded the completed video to YouTube so it could be shared with family members and other researchers.

Watch the Video

Why I Enjoy These Projects

These musical projects are not intended to replace traditional genealogy. Instead, they complement it.

The pension file remains the evidence.

The song simply gives that evidence another voice.

Many people will never read a forty- or fifty-page pension file, but they may listen to a three-minute song. If that song sparks enough curiosity for someone to learn more about Noah Briles and the remarkable records he left behind, then it has accomplished its purpose.

For me, AI has become another storytelling tool—one that helps transform names, dates, and military records into stories that are easier to remember and share.

If this project encourages even one descendant to explore Noah's pension file or learn more about the experiences of Civil War soldiers and their families, then the effort was well worth it.

I'd love to hear what you think of "The Blacksmith of Company I."