Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 25 April to 1 May 2026

  The following genealogy record collections were added to the Ancestry.com Card Catalog page by "Date Updated" during the period from 25 April to 1 May 2026.

The ADDED and Updated collections include:

• U.S., Newspapers.com™ Birth Index, 1800s-2003; 151,248,838 indexed records without record images, Updated 5/1/2026. This Newspapers.com™ index contains newspaper birth announcements published in the United States from the early 1800s until the year 2003.
• UK and Ireland, Newspapers.com™ Birth Index, 1800s-current; 5,996,311 indexed records without record images, ADDED 4/30/2026. This collection contains an index of newspaper birth announcements from Newspapers.com™ published in the United Kingdom and Ireland from the early 1800s to the 2020s. 
• Australia and New Zealand, Newspapers.com™ Birth Index, 1800s-Present; 1,960,399 indexed records without record images, ADDED 4/30/2026. This collection contains an index of newspaper birth announcements from Newspapers.com™ published in Australia and New Zealand from the early 1800s to 2003.
• Canada, Newspapers.com™ Birth Index, 1800s-current; 4,366,392 indexed records without record images, ADDED  4/30/2026. This collection contains an index of newspaper birth announcements from Newspapers.com™ published in Canada from the early 1800s to present day. 
• Web: Manitoba, Canada, Birth Index, 1870-1925; 860,034 indexed records without record images, Updated  4/30/2026. All data in this third-party database was obtained from the source’s website. Ancestry.com does not support or make corrections or changes to the original database. 
• Canada, Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's to current; 1,244,715,520 indexed records without record images, Updated  4/29/2026. This index allows you to search for your ancestor by name in Canadian newspapers that are available on Newspapers.com™ from the 1800s to the present.
• Bronx and Queens, New York, U.S., Naturalizations, 1914-1952; 111,928 indexed records with record images, ADDED 4/29/2026. This collection contains naturalization records filed in the Bronx and Queens, New York, from 1914 to 1952. The records include certificates of arrival, declarations of intent, petitions, etc.
• Ireland, 1926 Census of the Irish Free State; 2,972,451 indexed records without record images, ADDED 4/28/2026. This collection contains an index of information taken from the 1926 Census of the Irish Free State. The index includes a link that connects to images of the original census pages on the National Archives of Ireland website. 
• Wiltshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812; 3,708,724 indexed records with record images, Updated  4/28/2026. This collection contains images of Church of England baptism, marriage, and burial records for the years 1538–1812 from the county of Wiltshire, England.
• Ireland, Griffith’s Valuation, 1849-1865; 1,347,783 indexed records with record images, Updated 4/28/2026. This database, an index to one of Ireland's premier genealogical resources, Griffith's Valuation, references approximately one million individuals who occupied property in Ireland between 1849 and 1865.
• Arkansas, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1914-1925; 2,694,473 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This collection contains birth certificates from the state of Arkansas that took place between the years of 1914 and 1925.
• Virginia, U.S., Birth Records, 1912-2015, Delayed Birth Records, 1721-1924; 9,576,337 indexed records with record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index of birth details extracted from Virginia birth records for the years 1864-2015 as well as images of birth records for the years 1864–1924.
• Germany, Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; 4,628,215 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Germany. The records are dated between the 1600s and the present.
• Norway, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 267,319 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Norway. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present. 
• Web: England, Bedfordshire Gaol Index, 1770-1901; 52,421 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. All data in this third-party database was obtained from the source’s website. Ancestry.com does not support or make corrections or changes to the original database. 
• Australia and New Zealand, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 12,695,556 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Australia and New Zealand. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present. 
• UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current; 25,234,886 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The records are dated between the 1300s and the present.
• Brazil, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 318,263 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Brazil. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present. 
• Mexico, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 99,809 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Mexico. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present. 
• Sweden, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 1,172,689 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Sweden. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present. 
• Italy, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 483,172 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Italy. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present. 
• Canada, Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; 12,203,272 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Canada. The records are dated between the 1600s and the present. 
• U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; 185,975,230 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from the United States. The records are dated between the 1600s and the present. 
• Global, Find a Grave® Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current; 24,438,445 indexed records without record images, Updated 4/27/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® for burials at sea and other select burial locations. 
• Washington, District of Columbia, U.S., Land Transfer Books, 1900-1962; 2,281,604 indexed records with record images, ADDED 4/27/2026. This collection contains records of land transfers made in the District of Columbia between 1902 and 1964.
• Lancashire, England, Non-Conformist Registers of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1785-1997; 447,404 indexed records with record images, Updated 4/24/2026. This collection includes registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials between 1785 and 1997 from non-conformist churches in Lancashire, England.
• Teesside, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1550-1812;  169,527 indexed records with record images, Updated 4/24/2026. This collection includes Church of England parish registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials between 1550 and 1812 from the historical county of Teesside, England.

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The complete Ancestry.com Card Catalog is at https://search.ancestry.com/search/CardCatalog.aspx.

By my count, there are 6 NEW record collections ADDED this past week, per the list above. There are now 33,925 collections available as of 1 May, an INCREASE of 6 from last week.

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Disclosure: I pay for an All-Access subscription from Ancestry.com. In past years, Ancestry.com provided a complimentary All Access subscription, an autosomal DNA test, material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and hosted events and meals that I attended in Salt Lake City.

The URL for this post is:  

 Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

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Genealogical Sketch of the John Underhill (1745-1816) and Hannah Colby (1750-1793) Family of Chester and Plainfield, New Hampshire

This is a genealogical sketch of the lives of the John and Hannah (Colby) Underhill family of New Hampahire. They are my 5th great-grandparents, and John was a Revolutionary War soldier.

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John Underhill’s Early Life

John Underhill was born 20 June 1745 in Chester, New Hampshire Colony,[1-3] the third child and second son of John Underhill (1720-1793) and Joanna Healey (1718-1809), who married in Chester in 1741. They had ten children:

• Betty Underhill, born 13 July 1742, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Samuel Buswell, 12 July 1764, Candia, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; died 30 September 1806, Candia, Rockingham, New Hampshire.
• William Underhill, born 15 February 1744, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Abigail Choate, about 1767, Candia, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; died 24 November 1780, Moultonborough, Carroll, New Hampshire.
• Sgt. John Underhill, born 20 June 1745, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Hannah Colby, 1767, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; died 1816, Plainfield, Sullivan, New Hampshire.
• Molly Underhill, born 4 December 1747, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married James Pierce, 1765, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; died 1835.
• Moses Underhill, born 2 February 1749, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married (1) Martha Knight, about 1781, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; married (2) Abigail Elliott, after 1785, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; married (3) Rachel Lufkin, about 1787, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; died 8 February 1838, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire.
• David Underhill, born 9 September 1751, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Jemima Blake, 20 September 1792, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; died 28 July 1827, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire.
• Samuel Underhill, born 5 May 1753, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Sarah Underhill, 12 December 1775, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; died 20 September 1828, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire.
• Jeremiah Underhill, born 6 August 1755, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Anna Heath, September 1775, Hampstead, Rockingham, New Hampshire; died 16 September 1794, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire.
• Sarah Underhill, born 20 May 1759, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Moses Greenough, 10 December 1789, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; died 7 September 1838, Atkinson, Rockingham, New Hampshire.
• Joanna Underhill, born about 1764, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; married Moses Preston, 30 November 1784, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire.

The Underhill Genealogy written by Josephine C. Frost has this information about John Underhill [3]:

"JOHN UNDERHILL, son of (2) John and Joanna (Healey) Underhill, was born in Chester, N. H., June 20, 1745, and married in 1767, Hannah Colby, daughter of Joseph. They resided near the brick school house on the opposite side of the road a little to the southwest. He removed to Plainfield, N. H., where he died in 1816."

Hannah Colby Early Life

Hannah Colby was born 14 February 1744/5 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony,[4] the fourth child (of five) of Joseph Colby (1707-1768) and Abigail Worthen (1714-????), who married in 1736 in Amesbury. Joseph and Abigail (Worthen) Colby had five children:

• Ephraim Colby born 6 March 1736/7 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony; he died in 1737 at the age of 1 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Joseph Colby, born 3 April 1739, Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony; married Molly , before 1776, Concord, Merrimack, New Hampshire Colony; died 1839, Concord, Merrimack, New Hampshire.
• Abigail Colby was born on 24 September 1742 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Hannah Colby, born 14 February 1744/5, Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony; married Sgt. John Underhill, 1767, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; died 12 September 1791, Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Ephraim Colby was born on 24 March 1750 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The Joseph Colby family moved from Amesbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony to Chester, New Hampshire Colony by 1760.

Their Married Life

John Underhill and Hannah Colby married in about 1767 in Chester, New Hampshire Colony[3,5] and had six children between 1770 and 1779, all born in Chester, New Hampshire. John and Hannah (Colby) Underhill had the following children:

• Joseph Underhill, born 1770, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Mollie Carr, about 1798, Cabot, Washington, Vermont, five children; died 3 September 1843, Marshfield, Washington, Vermont.

• Amos Underhill, born 15 April 1772, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; married Mary Metcalf, 25 March 1801, Piermont, Grafton, New Hampshire, five children; died 15 October 1865, Aurora, Erie, New York.

• Nancy Underhill was born in 1774 in Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire Colony; no further record.

• John Underhill, born 1776, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; married Mary Esther Mitchell, 1798, Grafton, Grafton, New Hampshire, three children; died 1858, Grafton, Grafton, New Hampshire.

• Susan Underhill was born in 1778 in Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; no further record.

• Jonathan Underhill, born 9 August 1779, Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire; married Sophia Slack, 5 March 1805, Plainfield, Sullivan, New Hampshire, four children; died 31 October 1875, Washington, Orange, Vermont.

On 2 March 1774, John and Hannah (Colby) Underhill bought the 60 acre homestead of her father, Joseph Colby, of Chester, New Hampshire for £165 from her brother, Joseph Colby. It was Lot No. 40, located on the Long Meadow road and near the old brick school house. They sold the land in 1801 to Mary Brown for $600.

John Underhill served at least two stints in the Revolutionary War. The History of Old Chester [N.H.] from 1719 to 1869, by Benjamin Chase provides this information about John's service:[5]

* page 375: “Pay-roll of Capt. Stephen Dearborn's company, Thomas Stickney's regiment, in Gen. Stark's brigade, which company marched from Chester, in the State of New Hampshire, and joined the Northern Continental Army, 1777, from July 19 to September 28; John Underhill, Sergt., Company A., advanced to Sergt. Aug. 16.”

The United States Revolutionary War muster and pay rolls for New Hampahire indicate that on 21 July 1777, John Underhill enlisted as a Corporal in Captain Stephen Dearborn's Company of Colonel Thomas Stickney's regiment of General Stark's brigade.[6] The brigade marched from Chester and joined with the North Continental Army in 1777. He was promoted to Sergeant on 16 August 1777 during the battle at Bennington, Vermont, and was discharged on 28 September 1777. He traveled 192 miles, and was paid £ 13 14s 8d for his service.

Everything indicates that this was the John Underhill who was promoted to Sergeant at the Battle of Bennington, 16 August 1777.

In 1780, the town of Chester was requested to raise six men for six months service in the Coos region of New Hampshire.[7] Muster Master John Webster, acting under orders from the state's Committee of Safety in Exeter raised the six men. The document records the enlistment of six men to serve until the end of December 1780 and acknowledges the receipt of travel funds by three of the men (at two dollars per mile) for the 100-mile march from Chester to Haverhill in the 'Cohos' (Coos) region. In the muster roll and travel pay record, John Underhill is listed as of Chester and is one of the three men authorized to distribute the travel funds to the soldiers, including himself.

Their Later Years

Hannah (Colby) Underhill died on 12 September 1791, probably in Chester, Rockingham County, New Hampshire.

After the death of Hannah, John Underhill resided in Chester, and for some time in nearby Candia, and then sold the Chester homestead in 1801 to Mary Brown, John Underhill moved to Plainfield, then in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. John, a husbandman of Chester, bought a 57 acre parcel of land in Plainfield from Nathaniel Garland for $700.[8]

Subsequently, John Underhill sold the 57 acres of land in Plainfield to his son Jonathan Underhill on 13 March 1806 for $700.[9] It is likely that John continued living with his son Jonathan in that home.

According to the History of Old Chester, John Underhill died in 1816 in Plainfield, Sullivan County, New Hampshire of hypothermia.[5]

There are no death, burial or probate records for John or Hannah (Colby) Underhill in Rockingham or Sullivan Counties, New Hampshire..

Sources

1. "New Hampshire, Birth Records, 1659-1900," imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), "Thurston - Vochon," John Underhill birth entry, born 20 June 1745.

2. "New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900," database, FamilySearch (https://FamilySearch.org), FHL microfilm, 98 reels; citing New Hampshire Registrar of Vital Statistics, Concord, N.H., "Index to births, early to 1900", John Underhill, born 20 June 1745 entry.

3. Josephine C Frost, Underhill Genealogy, Volume 4 (N.p.: Myron C. Taylor, in the interests of the Underhill Society of America, 1932), page 29, John Underhill sketch.

4. Town of Amesbury, Massachusetts, Vital Records of Amesbury, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849 (Topsfield, Mass. : Topsfield Historical Society, 1913), Births, page 60, Hannah Colby birth entry, 17 February 1744/5.

5. Benjamin Chase, History of Old Chester From 1719 to 1869 (Auburn, N.H. : the author, 1869).

6. "New Hampshire Revolutionary War Records, 1675-1835," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org :) Rolls > Muster rolls and petitions, 1777-1779, image 218 of 751, John Underhill service.

7. "U.S. Revolutionary War Rolls," imaged, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/4282/records/1287078 : accessed 29 April 2026); "New Hampshire > Walkers Company, 1777 (Folder 160) - Various Organizations, Nos 1-169 (Folders 175-177)," image 52 of 778, John Underhill entry.

8) "Cheshire, New Hampshire, United States records," Nathaniel Garland to John Underhill, executed 9 June 1801, recorded 29 June 1814; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRH-F9ZN-4?view=fullText : Apr 30, 2026), Image Group Number: 008297918, "Cheshire Deeds, 1813-1814," image 543 of 866; Cheshire County (New Hampshire). Register of Deeds.

9) "Cheshire, New Hampshire, United States records," John Underhill to Jonathan Underhill, executed 13 March 1806, recorded 29 June 1814; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLR-X9WW-L?view=fullText : Apr 30, 2026), Image Group Number: 008203909; "Cheshire Deeds, 1812-1814," page 529, image 582 of 652; Cheshire County (New Hampshire). Register of Deeds.

Relationship

John and Hannah (Colby) Underhill are my 5th great-grandparents through thyeir son Amos Underhill (1772-1865), who married Mary "Polly" Metcalf (1780-1855) in 1801 in Piermont, Grafton County, New Hampshire.

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Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

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Ask AI: "Describe the Life of the David Jackson Carringer Family in 1886 in Boulder, Colorado

  I wondered if my AI Assistant Anthropic Claude could provide me with information about an ancestral family's life in 1886 in Boulder, Colorado.  My 2nd great-grandparents, David Jackson "D.J." and Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer had two adult children at home in 1886 and D.J. was a fruit grower. I posted an ABC Biography for D.J. Carringer in ABC Biography of #24 David Jackson "D.J." Carringer (1828-1902) of Pennsylvania, Iowa, Colorado and California.

(AI NotebookLM Infographic -- D.J. Carringer Family  in 1886 in Boulder, Colorado)

I asked Claude to create a description of this family in Boulder in 1886, based on the biography and social history.

The Claude Sonnet 4.5 response was:

The Carringer Family in Boulder, Colorado - 1886

The year 1886 found the David Jackson Carringer family well-established in Boulder, Colorado, having survived the tragedies and hardships that had brought them west from Iowa over a decade earlier. At fifty-seven, D.J. had transformed himself from failed Iowa farmer to successful Colorado fruit grower, and the family had rebuilt their life in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

The Household on Second Avenue and Third Street

The Carringer home sat in North Boulder on Second Avenue and Third Street—a modest but comfortable house that D.J. had likely built or significantly improved with his carpentry skills. The 1885 Colorado State Census listed the household as consisting of D.J. (age 56), Rebecca (age 53), and Harvey Edgar (age 28), though son Henry Austin occasionally stayed with them between his trips to Kansas.

The house reflected Rebecca's careful management and D.J.'s craftsmanship. After years of moving and making do, Rebecca had finally accumulated the household goods she'd longed for—good dishes that weren't broken in moves, curtains she'd sewn, a proper kitchen with shelves for her preserves. The walls likely held simple decorations: perhaps a sampler Rebecca had embroidered, family photographs if they could afford them, and certainly their family Bible. A tintype photograph of their lost daughter Effie would have held a place of honor, twelve years gone but never forgotten.

Family Dynamics

At fifty-seven, D.J. was in his prime working years but beginning to feel his age. Years of carpentry, farming, and tending orchards had left their marks—hands gnarled from hard use, a back that ached on cold mornings. But he was still vigorous, still capable of a full day's work in his orchards, and took pride in his transformation from failed Iowa farmer to respected Boulder fruit grower.

Rebecca, at fifty-three, had also aged from their hard years. The loss of Effie had left permanent lines of sorrow on her face, and the years of frontier living had taken their toll. But she was still the strong, capable woman D.J. had married thirty-five years earlier, managing their household efficiently and helping with the fruit business during harvest season.

Harvey Edgar, at thirty-four and still unmarried, was something of a puzzle to his parents. The 1885 census had listed him as a clerk, suggesting he'd moved from farming into commercial work—probably in one of Boulder's mercantile establishments or a business. Living at home at his age was not unusual for unmarried sons, especially in a family that had suffered loss. Edgar was quiet, dependable, perhaps still marked by the loss of his sister. He contributed to household expenses and helped his father when needed, but seemed to live a somewhat solitary life.

Henry Austin, at thirty-two, represented both hope and anxiety for D.J. and Rebecca. He had proven himself a skilled millwright and carpenter—D.J. took pride in how well he'd taught his son the trade. But Austin was restless, ambitious. He'd filed on homestead land in Cheyenne County, Kansas, in the northwest corner of the state near the Colorado border, and spent increasing amounts of time there developing his claim. The Homestead Act required living on the land and making improvements, and Austin  was serious about proving up his claim.

When Austin was in Boulder, the house felt fuller, more alive. He brought news from Kansas, talked about his plans, debated with his father about farming versus fruit growing. When he was gone—sometimes for weeks or months—Rebecca worried constantly. She'd already lost one child; the thought of losing another to frontier hardships terrified her.

D.J.'s Fruit Growing Business

By 1886, D.J. Carringer had established himself as a successful fruit grower in Boulder County. The orchards he'd planted in the late 1870s and early 1880s were now in full production, and he'd learned through trial and error which varieties thrived at Boulder's altitude and in Colorado's challenging climate.

His orchards likely included several varieties of apples—hardy types bred for mountain growing that could withstand late spring frosts and early fall freezes. He probably also grew pears, cherries, and possibly plums. The fruit trees were arranged in careful rows, pruned expertly, and tended with the patience that came from decades of hard-won agricultural knowledge.

The work followed seasonal rhythms. Spring meant pruning, watching anxiously for late frosts that could destroy blossoms. Summer brought irrigation work—critical in Colorado's semi-arid climate—thinning fruit, and constant vigilance against pests. Late summer and fall meant harvest, with the whole family helping to pick, sort, and prepare fruit for market.

D.J. sold his fruit in Boulder's growing market—the town had grown from a rough mining supply center to a more established community with hotels, restaurants, and a population that appreciated good local produce. He likely also sold to merchants who shipped fruit to Denver or to mining camps in the mountains. His reputation for quality fruit and honest dealing served him well.

Rebecca helped with the business, particularly during harvest. She made preserves, dried fruit, and baked pies to sell alongside the fresh fruit—value-added products that brought in extra income. Her fruit preserves and dried apples had their own reputation in Boulder.

Edgar's Clerical Work

Harvey Edgar Carringer had found his niche in Boulder's commercial sector. The 1885 census listing him as a clerk suggests he worked in one of Boulder's businesses—possibly a mercantile establishment, a bank, a land office, or perhaps for one of the mining companies that had offices in town.

Clerical work suited Edgar's temperament. He was good with figures, careful with details, and possessed the steady reliability that employers valued. The work was indoor, clean, and regular—very different from the farming and carpentry that had defined his father's life. Perhaps this was deliberate—Edgar had seen farming fail in Iowa and had chosen a different path.

His salary likely wasn't large, but it was steady, and he contributed to household expenses. Living at home meant he could save more than if he'd had to pay for separate lodging. He dressed more formally than his father or brother—clerks needed to present themselves professionally.

Austin's Kansas Homestead

Henry Austin Carringer's homestead claim in Cheyenne County, Kansas, represented both opportunity and challenge. The county, organized only in 1873, was still sparsely populated. The land was semi-arid high plains, prone to drought, with harsh winters and hot summers—challenging country for farming but available under the Homestead Act.

The Act required claimants to live on the land for five years, build a dwelling, and make improvements before receiving full title. Austin was meeting these requirements, which meant spending significant time in Kansas while maintaining connections in Boulder. His skills as a millwright and carpenter served him well—he could build his own cabin, construct outbuildings, and earn money doing carpentry work for other settlers.

Life on the Kansas homestead was primitive compared to Boulder. Austin likely lived in a small sod house or rough cabin, cooked simple bachelor meals, endured isolation and harsh weather, and worked from dawn to dusk breaking sod and making improvements. When he came back to Boulder, he probably seemed thinner, weathered, but also energized by the challenge.

D.J. had mixed feelings about Austin's Kansas venture. He admired his son's ambition but worried about farming failures, having experienced them himself. Rebecca simply worried—about Austin's safety, his health, whether he was eating properly, whether he'd find a good woman willing to share such a hard life.

Social Life and Entertainment

By 1886, Boulder had evolved considerably from the rough mining camp of the 1870s. The town had churches, fraternal organizations, social clubs, and cultural events. The Carringers, as established residents, participated in this social life.

Church remained central to the family's social calendar. Sunday services provided not just spiritual sustenance but also community connection. Rebecca likely belonged to a ladies' aid society, where women gathered to sew, prepare meals for community events, and support charitable causes.

D.J. may have belonged to a fraternal organization—the fact that Columbia Lodge #14 sold him a cemetery plot in 1876 suggests lodge connections. These groups met regularly, giving men an outlet beyond work.

Boulder also had cultural entertainment by the 1880s. Traveling theatrical companies performed at local halls. Lectures on various topics drew crowds. Musical concerts provided entertainment. The Carringers, with their modest but stable income, could occasionally afford tickets to such events.

Looking Toward the Future

In 1886, the Carringer family stood at another transitional moment. D.J. and Rebecca were in late middle age, established in Boulder but aware their time was limited. Edgar seemed settled in his clerk's life but showed no signs of marrying. Austin was building toward independence in Kansas, and soon would meet Abbey Ardelle Smith, marry, and start his own family in far away San Diego, California.

D.J. could look at his orchards with satisfaction—he'd finally succeeded at agriculture after the Iowa failure. Rebecca could look at her comfortable home and feel she'd achieved stability. The family Bible on the mantel recorded their story so far, and more entries would come—Austin's marriage in 1887, the birth of two grandchildren, eventually D.J. and Rebecca's own deaths. But in 1886, the story was still being written, and despite all they'd endured, the Carringers had built a life worth living in the shadow of the Colorado Rockies.

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The AI Google NotebookLM Video Overview of this story is in:  

This is historical fiction based on known events in the lives of my ancestors -- it might have been this way. The family mentioned is the family of my 2nd great-grandparents, and I have significant information about their lives from the available records, but I know nothing about their day-to-day lives.

As always, I am amazed at what life was like in any place over 140 years ago. This description of their family life in Massachusetts is interesting and so different from our current daily activities.

After I read these types of social history summaries, I wish that I could be a time traveler for one day to visit this Carringer family in 1886 Colorado and witness their daily lives.  I'm glad that the general lifestyles and occupations are known from historical records and witness accounts.

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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) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

The URL for this post is: 

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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Findmypast Friday: Browse burials from across England and Wales

I received this information from Findmypast today:

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Uncover new stories with over 800,000 new records this week.

This week's new additions help you to chart the final chapter of your ancestors' lives in vivid detail. With new burials and probate records, uncover where they were laid to rest and what they left behind.

Durham Diocese Probate Index, 1663-1869

These 566,645 new additions cover over 200 years.

National Burial Index for England & Wales

We updated our burial records collection this week, with 223,246 new additions spanning back as far as 1538.

Cumberland and Lancashire Burials

But our burial record updates don't end there. In partnership with the Cumbria Family History Society, we've published over 80,000 burial records, which sit within our Cumberland Burials and Lancashire Burials record sets. These additions are from 46 locations across the region, and cover the 17th to the 20th century.

New pages from Portsmouth to Putney

340,466 pages joined our newspaper archive this week, with five new titles and updates to 21 existing publications.

New titles:

• English Chartist Circular, 1841-1843
• English Leader, 1866-1867
• Grimsby Advertiser, 1861-1887
• Putney & Wandsworth Borough News, 1885-1895
• Wearside Catholic News, 1907-1908, 1914-1934

Updated titles:

• Bookseller, 1979, 1989-1990, 1992, 1995
• Coventry Evening Telegraph, 2003-2004
• Crediton Gazette, 1882
• Crewe Chronicle, 2002-2005
• Deeside Piper, 1995-2004
• Dundee Weekly News, 1885, 1893-1950
• Fife Herald, 2001-2005
• Forest Gate Gazette and Upton Chronicle, 1889-1894, 1896-1902
• Govan Press and Weekly Advertiser for Govan & Kinning Park, 1884-1888, 1890
• Mining Journal, 1845-1856
• Portsmouth Times and Naval Gazette, 1898, 1900-1910, 1912-1913, 1921-1928
• Reynolds’s Newspaper, 1950-1962
• Roscommon Messenger, 1871-1886, 1888-1903
• Shields Daily Gazette, 1919
• Smethwick Telephone, 1934, 1939-1940, 1951-1962
• South Wales Echo, 2001-2002
• Southern Times and Dorset County Herald, 1930-1938
• Southport Visiter, 2002
• Sporting Post, 1924-1928, 1930-1946, 1948-1950
• Talking Machine News, 1908-1928
• Usk Observer, 1867-1874, 1880-1895, 1897-1908

A Family History of the General Strike: Part 1 out now

One miner. One village. One week that changed a nation.

Listen now

A century on from the momentous events of May 1926, Jen Baldwin is joined by special guest Jonathan Kindleysides for the latest series of our podcast.

More on this topic:  english records                              welsh record

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See all of my posts about Findmypast at   https://www.geneamusings.com/search/label/FindMyPast

Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to Findmypast, and have accepted meals and services from Findmypast, as a Findmypast Ambassador. This has not affected my objectivity relative to Findmypast and its products.

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Added and Updated MyHeritage Record Collections - Week of 24 to 30 April 2026

 The following Record Collections were ADDED or Updated in the MyHeritage Collections Catalog during the week of  24 to 30 April 2026:

• MyHeritage Family Sites (Family Trees), Updated Apr 29 2026, 99,482,431 entries
• MyHeritage members (Family Trees), Updated Apr 29 2026, 77,346,386 entries
• MyHeritage photos & docs (Images), Updated Apr 29 2026, 477,393,619 entries
• Search Connect™ - Searches by MyHeritage Members (Family Trees), Updated Apr 29 2026, 573,547,251 entries
• FamilySearch Family Tree (Family Trees), Updated Apr 29 2026, 1,244,828,369    entries
• Filae Family Trees (Family Trees), Updated Apr 29 2026, 316,649,358 entries
• MyHeritage Family Trees (Family Trees), Updated Apr 29 2026, 6,871,861,518 entries 
• Geni World Family Tree (Family Trees), Updated Apr 29 2026, 373,323,152 entries.

                                       =========================== 

There are 0 ADDED record collections in the list this past week, and MyHeritage now has a total of  7,541 record collections (an increase of 0 collections from last week.  The overall set of MyHeritage collections has 39,628,178,778 records or entries (an increase of about 18 million  entries from last week).  

The number of entries in the family tree collections were last updated this week. 

See previous Genea-Musings posts about MyHeritage record collections and features in https://www.geneamusings.com/search/label/MyHeritage.com.

                          =========================================

Disclosure: I receive a complimentary PremiumPlus subscription to MyHeritage, and have received other material consideration in past years. I uploaded my autosomal DNA raw data to their DNA product. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products. I am a paid subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/04/added-and-updated-myheritage-record_0430804172.html

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Ask AI: "Describe Della Smith's Life At Age 14 in 1876 in Kansas"

I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with a story about about the life of my great-grandmother Abbey Ardelle "Della" Smith in 1876 at age 14 in Concordia, Kansas.

 My genealogical sketch for Della Smith is ABC Biography of #13 Abbey Ardelle "Della" (Smith) Carringer (1862-1944) of Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and California, based on my genealogical research.

(AI NotebookLM Infographic of the life of Della Smith at age 14 in 1876)

1)  My Prompt to free Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 was:  "Please describe the life of Della Smith at age 14 in 1876 in Concordia, Kansas."

2)  The AI tool responded with this description (yes, it is historical fiction, but the way it might have been), based on family records and social history resources: 

Della Smith: A Teenage Girl's Life in Concordia, Kansas (1876)

The Devier Smith Family in Cloud County

In 1876, fourteen-year-old Abbey Ardelle "Della" Smith lived with her family in Lincoln township, Cloud County, Kansas, in the bustling frontier town of Concordia. The Smith family had arrived in Kansas from Missouri just a year or two earlier, part of the great wave of settlers transforming the prairie into farms, ranches, and towns.

The household was headed by Della's father, Devier James Lamphier Smith, a 37-year-old entrepreneur who had already lived several lifetimes' worth of experiences. Born in New York in 1839, Devier had pursued various occupations as the family moved westward -- from farming and horses in Wisconsin and land speculation in Iowa to running businesses in Kansas. By 1876, he operated a livery and sale stable in the Concordia area, one of the most important businesses in any frontier community.

Della's mother, Abigail A. "Abbie" Vaux Smith, was 32 years old and working as a milliner -- a skilled artisan who created fashionable hats for the women of Cloud County. Abbie was born in New York to an English-immigrant father, Samuel Vaux, and a New England mother, Mary Ann Vaux. She was an independent, enterprising woman who contributed substantially to the family's income through her trade.

The Smith children in 1876 included Della (age 14), her brother David D. "Devier" (age 12), and her younger sister Mary A. "Matie" (age 10), all born in Wisconsin during the family's earlier frontier days, before the move to Iowa and then Missouri and then to Kansas, where their baby brother, Lucian “Lutie” Smith was born in June 1875.

The Family Business: Smith's Livery Stable

Devier Smith's livery and sale stable was the economic foundation of the family's life in Concordia. A livery stable was far more than just a place to board horses -- it was a vital commercial hub where the frontier met commerce. The stable provided:

• Horse and wagon rentals for farmers, travelers, and townspeople who needed transportation
• Boarding services for horses whose owners were staying in town
• Buying and selling of horses and equipment
• A gathering place for men to exchange news, gossip, and conduct business deals

The 1875 census (closest to 1876) shows Devier had accumulated $750 in real property and $1,155 in personal property -- substantial assets indicating the business was thriving. This prosperity meant the family lived comfortably by frontier standards.

For young Della, the livery stable was part of her daily world. She would have known the regular customers, heard the constant talk of horses and land deals, smelled the familiar scents of hay and leather, and witnessed her father's skill at negotiating and managing his enterprise. The stable taught her about business, money management, and the importance of providing reliable service -- lessons she would use throughout her life.

Mother's Millinery Shop

Abbie Smith's work as a milliner represented both artistry and entrepreneurship. In an era when every respectable woman wore a hat in public, a skilled milliner was essential to any growing town. Abbie's work involved:

• Creating fashionable hats using fabric, ribbons, feathers, flowers, and other decorative elements
• Keeping up with fashion trends from the East through magazines and pattern books
• Maintaining inventory of supplies and materials
• Managing customers and taking custom orders

With $340 in personal property of her own, Abbie was a financially independent woman -- unusual for the time. Her millinery shop likely operated from the family home or a small commercial space in town.

For Della, watching her mother work was an education in female independence and creativity. She saw that a woman with skills and ambition could earn her own money and contribute equally to family prosperity while managing a household with children. The artistic nature of millinery - combining colors, textures, and shapes -- may have influenced Della's own artistic interests in music, painting, and design.

Education on the Frontier

Formal education in Cloud County in 1876 was rudimentary compared to more established areas. Most rural schools operated only a few months a year, typically when children weren't needed for farm work. A single teacher often taught all grades in a one-room schoolhouse, and students ranged from young children learning their ABCs to teenagers finishing their basic education.

By age 14, Della had likely completed most of the formal schooling available locally -- reading, writing, arithmetic, basic geography, and history. However, her real education was happening in specialized areas that would define her future:

Musical Education

Both Della and her sister Matie would become music teachers, which means they were receiving significant musical instruction during these years. This education likely included:

• Piano lessons -- the primary parlor instrument and essential for any music teacher
• Music theory -- learning to read notation, understand harmony, and compose
• Vocal training -- singing was an important social and performance skill
• Practice, practice, practice -- hours at the keyboard developing technique

Musical education required dedication and expense. The family had to own or have access to a piano (a major investment), pay for instruction, and support Della's musical development with sheet music and opportunities to perform. This investment indicates Devier and Abbie valued cultural refinement and saw music as a path to respectability and possibly income for their daughters.

Practical Education

Beyond academics and music, Della was learning the practical skills expected of every young woman:

• Household management -- cooking, cleaning, laundry, preserving food, child care
• Sewing and needlework -- making and mending clothing, decorative work
• Bookkeeping -- managing household accounts and budgets
• Social graces -- proper etiquette, conversation, entertaining guests

Her mother's example taught her that these domestic skills could be combined with professional ambitions. Watching both parents run businesses showed her the practical side of earning a living.

Daily Life and Work

A typical day for 14-year-old Della in 1876 would have included a mix of responsibilities and learning:

• Morning: Rise early (frontier families started at dawn), help prepare breakfast, feed animals, tend to household chores. If the weather was suitable and there was school in session, she might walk to the schoolhouse with her siblings.

• Midday: Help with dinner preparation (the main meal was at midday), assist her mother with millinery work, caring for her baby brother, help supervise younger siblings, practice piano or music lessons.

• Afternoon: More household work, possibly help at the livery stable with bookkeeping or customer service, keeping the vegetable garden, playing with friends and siblings, continue music practice, work on her scrapbook collection.

• Evening: Supper, family time, reading (the family clearly valued literacy), more music practice, preparing for the next day.

The work was constant but varied, and Della was old enough to take on significant responsibilities while still having time for her own interests and development.

Entertainment and Social Life

Entertainment in a frontier town like Concordia in 1876 was community-created and often centered around institutions like churches, schools, and civic organizations. For a musically talented 14-year-old girl, social opportunities included:
Musical Performances

As an accomplished musician, Della likely performed at:

• Church services and programs -- providing music for worship and special events
• School recitals -- showcasing her skills and her teacher's instruction
• Community gatherings -- entertaining at social events and celebrations
• Home concerts -- the Smith parlor may have hosted musical evenings for friends and neighbors

These performances were both entertainment and social currency -- musical ability elevated a family's status in the community.

Social Gatherings

Frontier and town social life revolved around events that brought the community together:

• Church socials and suppers -- major opportunities for families to socialize
• Box socials -- where young ladies prepared decorated boxes of food to be auctioned to young men
• Spelling bees and literary societies -- intellectual entertainment
• Holiday celebrations -- Fourth of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving brought special festivities
• Visiting -- formal and informal calls at neighbors' homes were primary social activity

Reading and Intellectual Pursuits

The scrapbook Della kept during these years reveals much about her interests. She collected:

• Newspaper clippings about local and national events
• Her father's biography and family announcements
• Political news -- showing awareness of the wider world
• Advertisements and ephemera -- preserving the material culture of her time

This wasn't mere childish collecting -- it showed intellectual curiosity, historical awareness, and careful curation. Reading newspapers and discussing current events were probably regular family activities.

Simple Pleasures

Beyond organized entertainment, frontier teenagers found joy in:

• Walking on the prairie -- exploring the landscape
• Playing with friends and siblings -- at 14, Della was still young enough for play
• Working on creative projects -- her scrapbook, music composition, drawing
• Watching the world go by -- the livery stable provided a front-row seat to town life
• Seasonal activities -- swimming in summer, sledding in winter, harvesting in fall

The Town of Concordia

Concordia in 1876 was a young but growing town. Founded in 1871, it was becoming the commercial and governmental center of Cloud County. The town featured:

• Wooden buildings along dirt streets that turned to mud in rain
• General stores supplying everything from fabric to farm equipment
• Saloons and hotels serving travelers and railroad workers
• Churches representing various denominations
• A newspaper keeping citizens informed
• The county courthouse -- symbol of civilization on the frontier
• The livery stables (including Devier's) - essential infrastructure

The town sat on the prairie, surrounded by vast grasslands being carved into farms. The Republican River flowed nearby, providing water and beauty. The railroad had arrived in 1869, connecting Concordia to larger markets and bringing in settlers, goods, and news from the wider world.

Challenges of Frontier Life

Life wasn't all social gatherings and music lessons. The Kansas frontier in 1876 presented real hardships:

• Weather extremes -- scorching summers, bitter winters, devastating storms
• Economic uncertainty -- businesses could fail, crops could fail, financial panics could ruin families
• Distance from extended family -- the Smiths had left relatives behind in the East
• Primitive amenities -- no running water, no electricity, outdoor privies
• Health risks -- disease could strike without warning, medical care was limited
• Social isolation -- despite community events, the prairie could feel very empty

The family's relative prosperity cushioned them from the worst hardships, but Della would have been aware of the precariousness of frontier life.

A Girl Becoming a Woman

At 14 in 1876, Della stood at a threshold. In frontier society, girls married young -- often by 16 or 17. Yet Della's parents were investing in her education and musical training, suggesting they envisioned more for her than early marriage and immediate domesticity.

She was developing the qualities that would define her adult life:

• Independence -- learned from watching her entrepreneurial parents
• Artistic sensibility -- nurtured through music and exposure to her mother's creative work
• Business acumen -- absorbed by observing the family enterprises
• Adaptability -- essential after multiple family moves across the frontier
• Intellectual curiosity -- evident in her scrapbook and interests
• Resilience -- necessary for surviving and thriving on the frontier

The girl practicing piano in the Smith household in Concordia in 1876 would grow into a woman who homesteaded land in western Kansas, performed in frontier theaters, managed property and businesses, and built a prosperous life in San Diego. The seeds of all these accomplishments were being planted during these formative teenage years in Cloud County.

Looking Forward

Della couldn't have known in 1876 that her family's time in Concordia was limited. Within a few years, they would move to Blue Rapids in Marshall County, then to McCook, Nebraska in 1885, and summer at her father’s ranch in Wano in Cheyenne County, Kansas -- where she would meet her future husband, Henry Austin Carringer, and perform on stage in frontier theater productions.

But in 1876, she was simply a 14-year-old girl learning to play piano, helping in her father's livery stable and her mother's millinery shop, collecting clippings for her scrapbook, and enjoying the simple pleasures of frontier community life. She was surrounded by family and friends, engaged in learning and growth, and developing the skills and character that would carry her through a long and remarkable life.

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3)  Here is the Video Overview of this story by Google NotebookLM:   not available at this time - NotebookLM won't do it for some reason.

4)  This is historical fiction based on the facts that are available for the Devier J. Smith family and Della Smth's life.  It is based on social history and society norms at the time and place, so it is likely realistic and might have happened this way. Abbey Ardelle "Della" Smith (1862-1944) married Henry Austin Carringer in 1887, had two children, and is my great-grandmother.

5)  I had to tell this story. Each ancestor faces challenges and has successes in their life, and telling stories about them helps our descendants understand their ancestors' lives and their own lives.  Della Smth is one of my favorite ancestors.

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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) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/04/ask-ai-describe-della-smiths-life-at.html

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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