Friday, July 17, 2026

Added and Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - Week of 11 to 17 July 2026

   Each week, I try to keep track of the number of Full-Text Search collections (indexed, searchable) and the Images collections (browsable but not searchable) -- see Sections 1) and 2) below. In addition, I list the genealogy historical record collections (often name-indexed) that are added, removed, and/or updated on FamilySearch and listed on the Historical Record Collection list  --  See Section 3.

1)  As of 17 July 2026, there are now 6,667 searchable and full-text transcribed image collections on FamilySearch Full-Text Search this week, an increase of 4 from last week. There are over 2 BILLION "results" in the collections.  It is not possible to see which collections are new, although a clue would be the Last Updated column..


 2)  As of 17 July 2026, there are now 24,823 browsable (some indexed, none transcribed) image lections on FamilySearch Images this week, a decrease of 2 from last week. There are over 6.095 BILLION images in these collections.  There are 2,118 collections from the United States, 7,077 from Europe and 223 from Canada.  It is not possible to see which collections are new. Note that the listing now indicates the indexed percentage of some collections.


3)  As of 17 July 2026, there are 3,461 Historical Record Collections (many indexed, many browsable) on FamilySearch (an increase of 14 from last week):

The Deleted, Added and Updated Historical Record Collections this week include:

--- Collections Deleted ---

Philippines, Chinese Civil Census Records, 1786-1901 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000215); 487,361 indexed records with 55,094 record images, DELETED
Philippines, Western Visayas, Church Records, 1712-2006 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000338); 681,180 indexed records with 348,784 record images, DELETED
Portugal, Aveiro, Civil Registration, 1911-1915 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2796823); 8,010 indexed records with 6,611 record images, DELETED
Singapore, Church Records, 1848-1984 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000410); 6,065 indexed records with 9,594 record images, DELETED
United States, Native American, Census of the Ute Tribe, 1944 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2790462); 2,480 indexed records with 174 record images, DELETED

Zimbabwe, Archdiocese of Bulawayo, Catholic Church Records, 1896-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000106); 9,121 indexed records with 63,643 record images, DELETED
Zimbabwe, Catholic Church Records, 1897-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4475014); 10,730 indexed records with 64,555 record images, DELETED
Zimbabwe, Diocese of Chinhoyi, Catholic Church Records, 1941-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000107); 581 indexed records with 12,191 record images, DELETED
Zimbabwe, Diocese of Gokwe, Catholic Church Records, 1956-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000101); 958 indexed records with 28,984 record images, DELETED
Zimbabwe, Diocese of Gweru, Catholic Church Records, 1904-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000102); 590 indexed records with 23,713 record images, DELETED

Zimbabwe, Diocese of Hwange, Catholic Church Records, 1924-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000103); 4,017 indexed records with 20,941 record images, DELETED
Zimbabwe, Diocese of Masvingo, Catholic Church Records, 1893-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000104); 587 indexed records with 31,654 record images, DELETED
Zimbabwe, Diocese of Mutare, Catholic Church Records, 1898-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000105); 13,890 indexed records with 38,410 record images, DELETED

--- Collections Added ---

Denmark, Copenhagen City, Burial Registers, 1805-1968 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2258579); 4,954 indexed records with 40,286 record images, ADDED 09-Apr-2026
Indiana, Harrison County, Colored Enumerations, 1806-1863 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000501); 108 indexed records with 60 record images, ADDED 20-Apr-2026
Italy, Archdiocese of Siracusa, Catholic Church Records, 1768-1876 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000275); 251,280 indexed records with 31,077 record images, ADDED 30-Sep-2025
Italy, Arcidiocesi di Foggia-Bovino, Sant'Agata di Puglia, Church Records,1587-1973 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000371); 12,067 indexed records with 12,056 record images, ADDED 19-Nov-2025
Italy, Enna, Diocese of Nicosia, Catholic Church Records, 1535-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000273); 1,324,863 indexed records with 185,962 record images, ADDED 02-Oct-2025

Italy, La Spezia, Census, 1806-1945 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000435); 41 indexed records with 156 record images, ADDED 28-May-2026
Italy, Mantova, Census, 1714-1910 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000460); 51,932 indexed records with 1,427 record images, ADDED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Siracusa, Diocese of Noto, San Nicolo' Cathedral, Catholic Church Records, 1676-1870 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000272); 153,754 indexed records with 15,336 record images, ADDED 14-Oct-2025
Kentucky, Military Discharge Records, ca.1865- ca.1997 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4376740); 38,487 indexed records with 19,351 record images, ADDED 14-Apr-2026
Malaysia, Church Records, 1708-1892 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000385); 2,320 indexed records with 373 record images, ADDED 19-May-2026

Philippines, Bangsamoro, Church Records, 1821-1984
(https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000333); 3,487 indexed records with 1,937 record images, ADDED 27-Feb-2026
Philippines, Bangsamoro, Civil Registration, 1882-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000344); 716 indexed records with 132,258 record images, ADDED 27-May-2026
Philippines, Cagayan Valley, Church Records, 1773-1978 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000322); 114,499 indexed records with 32,604 record images, ADDED 21-May-2026
Philippines, Calabarzon, Church Records 1710-1983 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000323); 1,478,024 indexed records with 236,829 record images, ADDED 12-Mar-2026
Philippines, Calabarzon, Civil Registration, 1710-2000 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000346); 2,935 indexed records with 1,421,979 record images, ADDED 03-Jul-2026

Philippines, Cordillera, Civil Registration, 1944-1997 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000185); 1,658 indexed records with 407,510 record images, ADDED 03-Jul-2026
Philippines, Ilocos, Civil Registration, 1821-2012 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000352); 31,202 indexed records with 1,746,400 record images, ADDED 03-Jul-2026
Philippines, Metro Manila, Church Records, 1723-1982 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000337); 362,559 indexed records with 167,613 record images, ADDED 12-Mar-2026
Philippines, Metro Manila, Civil Registration, 1863-2009 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000353); 3,046 indexed records with 2,435,239 record images, ADDED 03-Jul-2026
Philippines, Mimaropa, Civil Registration, 1743-2013 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000354); 205,447 indexed records with 2,389,101 record images, ADDED 03-Jul-2026

Philippines, Northern Mindanao, Civil Registration, 1856-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000355); 1,237 indexed records with 655,467 record images, ADDED 03-Jul-2026
Philippines, Western Visayas, Civil Registration, 1821-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000357); 105,944 indexed records with 1,486,618 record images, ADDED 03-Jul-2026
Philippines, Zamboanga Peninsula, Civil Registration, 1851-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000358); 2,629 indexed records with 281,435 record images, ADDED 03-Jul-2026
Ukraine, Soviet Population Filtration Records, 1943-1991 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000364); 234,334 indexed records with 209,244 record images, ADDED 14-Jul-2026
United Kingdom, UK Residence Database, 1990-2024 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000534); 68,064,068 indexed records with 67,990,671 record images, ADDED 15-Apr-2026

Virginia, Personal Property Tax Forms of Former Slaves, 1867 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000565); Index only (12,370 records), no images, ADDED 14-Jan-2026
West Virginia, U.S. District Court Naturalization Records, 1844-1875 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000292); 803 indexed records with 798 record images, ADDED 18-Feb-2025

--- Collections Updated ---

Alaska, Alien Arrivals at Various Locations, 1906-1956 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3460238); 18,810 indexed records with 11,944 record images (was 18,807 records with 11,941 images), UPDATED 13-Jul-2026
California, Passenger and Crew Lists at Various Ports, 1907-1957 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3477653); 346,972 indexed records with 292,412 record images (was 346,504 records with 292,268 images), UPDATED 13-Jul-2026
California, San Francisco, Certificates Surrendered at San Francisco from Aliens Previously at Honolulu, Hawaii, 1912-1946 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3338292); 23,134 indexed records with 23,046 record images (was 23,125 records with 23,037 images), UPDATED 13-Jul-2026
Italy, Firenze, Census, 1808-1871 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000441); 80,800 indexed records with 21,806 record images (was 23,108 records with 19,448 images), UPDATED 11-Jul-2026
Maine, Alien Arrivals, 1906-1953 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3477648); 199,015 indexed records with 190,455 record images (was 199,010 records with 190,451 images), UPDATED 13-Jul-2026

Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1852584); 5,873,807 indexed records with 20,274,621 record images (was 562,095 records with 20,274,621 images), UPDATED 14-Jul-2026
Texas, Val Verde, Del Rio, Indexes and Manifests of Arrivals at the Port of Del Rio, 1906-1953 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2141027); 624,005 indexed records with 206,054 record images (was 623,990 records with 206,054 images), UPDATED 13-Jul-2026
Ukraine, Kyiv, Confession Lists, 1741-1934 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2290980); 51,059,892 indexed records with 40,448 record images (was 39,270,747 records with 40,448 images), UPDATED 16-Jul-2026
United States, Compiled Military Service Records Of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served With The U.S. Colored Troops, 1861-1866 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3518724); 933,027 indexed records with 759,894 record images (was 931,845 records with 759,589 images), UPDATED 13-Jul-2026
United States, Masters’ of Vessels Oaths, 1897-1992 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000182); 142,288 indexed records with 138,766 record images (was 141,585 records with 138,077 images), UPDATED 13-Jul-2026

--- Collections with new images ---

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Civil Registration, 1861-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000041); 1 indexed records with 111,714 record images (was 1 records with 111,712 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Argentina, Military Records, 1911-1936 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000280); 2,929,239 indexed records with 2,929,281 record images (was 2,929,239 records with 2,929,280 images), last updated 03-Apr-2026
Brazil, Alagoas, Civil Registration, 1876-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469403); 1 indexed records with 454,238 record images (was 1 records with 454,237 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Brazil, Maranhão, Civil Registration, 1827-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469402); 1 indexed records with 906,213 record images (was 1 records with 906,198 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Brazil, Sergipe, Civil Registration, 1866-2021 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4470324); 1 indexed records with 268,946 record images (was 1 records with 268,945 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024

England, Manchester, Miscellaneous Records, 1700-1916 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075052); 10,592,399 indexed records with 15,918,117 record images (was 10,592,399 records with 15,918,116 images), last updated 26-Dec-2025
United States, Obituary Records, 2014-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000145); 1 indexed records with 28,206,704 record images (was 1 records with 28,206,675 images), last updated 22-Jul-2024
West Virginia, Marriages, 1780-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408729); 190,572 indexed records with 35,262 record images (was 190,572 records with 35,261 images), last updated 07-Apr-2026

--- Collections with images removed ---

Find a Grave Index (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2221801); 272,435,265 indexed records with 322,905 record images (was 272,435,265 records with 757,051 images), last updated 26-Jun-2026

--- Collections with new records ---

France, Reunion, Civil Registration, 1840-1980 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000628); 450,069 indexed records with 246,518 record images (was 302,499 records with 246,518 images), last updated 01-Jul-2026
Italy, Benevento, Benevento, Civil Registration (Comune), 1861-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1482870); 2,798 indexed records with 35,560 record images (was 0 records with 35,560 images), last updated 20-Nov-2025
Italy, Pescara, Pescara, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1865-1910 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2043788); 8,355 indexed records with 421,992 record images (was 0 records with 421,992 images), last updated 20-Nov-2025
Italy, Salerno, Padula, Civil Registration (Comune), 1809-1940 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1920307); 3,352 indexed records with 52,664 record images (was 0 records with 52,664 images), last updated 31-Oct-2025
Italy, Siracusa, Sortino, Parrocchia di San Giovanni Apostolo ed Evangelista, Catholic Church Records, 1562-1937 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1491141); 207,449 indexed records with 24,118 record images (was 0 records with 24,118 images), last updated 02-Oct-2025

--- Collections with records removed ---

United States, Public Records, 1970-2009 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2199956); Index only (875,600,559 records), no images (was 875,600,562 records with 0 images), last updated 23-Dec-2025
United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000290); Index only (413,857,947 records), no images (was 413,857,961 records with 0 images), last updated 22-Jun-2024

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

My friend and SDGS colleague, Marshall, has come up with a way to determine which collections are ADDED, DELETED or UPDATED, and to alphabetize the entries in each category. Thanks to Marshall for helping me out here!

Marshall notes that there are:

  • 3,461 Historical Record Collection entries
  • 13 removed entries
  • 27 added entries 
  • 10 updated entries
  • 9 entries with more or fewer images 
  • 7 entries with more or fewer records
Marshall's list shows 3,461 Historical Record Collections this week, an increase of 24 collections. The image above shows 3,461 collections, so the website number is in sync with Marshall's list number.

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

See previous FamilySearch-related blog posts in        https://www.geneamusings.com/search/label/FamilySearch

The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

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 be posted immediately.

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Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 11 to 17 July 2026

  The following genealogy record collections were added to the Ancestry.com Card Catalog page by "Date Updated" during the period from 11 to 17 July 2026: 

The ADDED and Updated collections include:

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

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

By my count, there are 0 NEW record collections ADDED this past week, per the list above. There are now 33,960 collections available as of 17 July, an INCREASE of 0 from last week. 

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

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:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/07/added-and-updated-ancestrycom-record_01200809644.html

 Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

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 Facebook, X, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. Please note that all Comments are moderated so they may not appear immediately.

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Ask AI: "Describe A Day In the Life of Daughter Clarissa and Son James Hildreth in October 1834"

  I wondered if my AI Assistant Anthropic Claude could provide me with information about an ancestral family's life in 1834 in Townsend, Massachusetts.  My 3rd great-grandparents Zachariah and Hannah (Sawtell) Hildreth had married in 1810, and had seven living children in 1834.  I posted ABC Biographies for them in ABC Biography of #36 Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857) of Massachusetts and ABC Biography of #37 Hannah (Sawtell) Hildreth (1789-1857) Of New England.

Two weeks ago I asked Anthropic Claude to create a description of the Zachariah Hildreth family life and work in Townsend, Massachusetts in 1834, based on the biography and social history, and posted Ask AI: "Describe the Life of the Zachariah Hildreth Family In Townsend, Massachusetts in 1834." And then last week I asked Anthropic Claude to develop a historical fiction narrative about Zachariah and Hannah's day in October 1834 from their perspectives, in Ask AI: "Describe a Day In the Life of Zachariah and Hannah (Sawtell) Hildreth in October 1834."

At the end of the Anthropic Claude response, I asked Claude to tell a story about the same day in October 1834 from the perspective of their daughter Clarissa (age 17) and their son James (age 14). Here is the result:

(AI NotebookLM infographic -- A Day in the Life of Clarissa Hildreth and James Hildreth in October 1834)

Here is the Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 Medium response: 


A Day In the Life of Daughter Clarissa and Son

 James Hildreth in October 1834


October 1834 — Clarissa's Day, Age 17

I wake to the sound of Father's boots on the stairs and know before I even open my eyes that it's earlier than I'd like. Mother is already below — I can hear her at the fire — and I know without being told that today is washing day, which means my hands will be raw by noon and there'll be no getting out of it.

I get the kettle going and start slicing bread before Mother has to ask, because I like the look she gives me when I've thought of it myself rather than been told. Elizabeth comes down after me, still half asleep, and I set her after the eggs while I mind the porridge. It's strange to think that not so very long ago I was the one being sent after eggs, and now it's Elizabeth, and Moses and Edward still small enough to be underfoot rather than useful. I suppose that's simply how a family goes — everyone moves up a step as the next one comes along behind.

Father and James and Milo eat quickly and are gone to the cornfield before the sun is properly up. Father said something to Mother about the frost — he's been watching the sky all week the way he watches everything, careful and quiet, never a wasted word. I don't think I've ever heard my father say ten words together unless it was about weather or work, but I've noticed he says a great deal without words at all. The way he looked at the cornfield yesterday evening, standing at the fence a long while before coming in to supper — that told me more than talking would have.

The washing takes the whole morning. Mother and I work the lye soap into everything gray with summer, and my hands ache before we're even halfway through, but I don't complain of it because Mother never does, and I'd be ashamed to be softer than she is. She's forty-four this year and has never in my memory sat idle a single day. I think sometimes about what her life must have been before I knew her — she came from the Sawtells, and I know she was younger than Father when they married — but she doesn't speak much of before, only of now, and of what wants doing.

In the afternoon, Mother sends Elizabeth down the road with pears for Mrs. Sawtell, and while she's gone Mother and I sit over the mending and she lets me go on about the Fletcher girl's coming wedding longer than I think she's really interested in, which is Mother's way of being kind to me. I like these afternoons best — just the two of us and the mending basket and the fire, and Mother listening even when I'm sure she's heard sillier talk from sillier girls.

I can hear Father at his cooper's bench in the barn most of the afternoon, that steady knocking of his mallet that's been the sound of this house my whole life. I asked him once, when I was younger, why he didn't just farm and leave off the barrel-making, and he looked at me like I'd asked something foolish and said a man ought to have two ways of feeding his family, not one, in case one should fail him. I think about that sometimes — how careful he is, how he never seems to trust entirely to good fortune.

James comes in near dusk looking pleased with himself in that way boys get when they've done a full day's man's work, with Milo trailing behind trying to look just as worn out and proud. I tease James a little over supper about thinking too well of himself, and he takes it good-naturedly enough, though he always did have more patience for my teasing than Elizabeth does.

After supper I read from the almanac while Father dozes with Edward against him and Mother mends by the fire. I stumble over the long words sometimes and nobody minds, though I catch Mother smiling at me over her needle once or twice, and I think — not for the first time — that I should like to be exactly the kind of mother she is, someday, when it's my turn. Patient, and always working, and never once, that I have seen, complaining of any of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 1834 — James's Day, Age 14

Father wakes me before light, same as every morning this week, and I'm glad of it rather than sorry, because I like the early cold and the quiet of the house before everyone's stirring. I dress quick and I'm down before Milo's even awake, which I take some satisfaction in, though I'd never say so.

Father's at the fire already when I come down, same as always. He doesn't say much of a morning — never has — but he looked at me over his coffee today and said something about the frost holding off the pumpkins, and I understood well enough that meant he was satisfied with how the day looked. I've learned to read my father that way. He's not a man who wastes words, but if you pay attention you can tell exactly what he's thinking by the little he does say, and by what he does instead.

Milo begs to come to the field with us and Father lets him, which pleases me — I remember well enough wanting to be let along at that age, and Father let me too, when I was younger than Milo is now. We're out at the cornfield with the wagon before full light, and it's good hard work, cutting and husking and hauling, the kind that leaves your back aching by noon but your mind free to think its own thoughts.

I think, working alongside Father, about how much of what I know I've learned from watching him rather than being told — the way he tests a stalk before cutting it, the way he reads the sky, the careful, unhurried way he does everything, as though he's already decided that rushing never got a man anywhere faster in the end. He asks me once, midmorning, whether I think the Baldwin apples will be good this year, and when I say I expect so, since the summer was dry, he only nods, but I can tell he's pleased I've been paying attention to more than just the corn.

We get every ear in before midday, which satisfies him more than he'll say outright, though I catch something like pride in the way he looks over the full wagon. Father goes off to his cooper's bench after dinner, same as most afternoons this time of year — he's got barrels to finish before the cider pressing, and I don't think that man has ever in his life let a season catch him unprepared. I go back out with Milo to finish hauling, and by the time we're done the boy is worn clean out but wanting badly to know if he did a man's work today. I tell him he did, because it's true, and because I remember Father telling me the same thing once, and how much it meant.

Mother has supper ready when we come in — beans and good bread and stewed pumpkin — and I eat like I haven't eaten in a week, which earns me some teasing from Clarissa that I take in good humor, since she's always had a sharper tongue than Elizabeth and I'd rather be teased by her than have her cross with me.

I think sometimes about Mother, too, though I don't say so — how she's up before any of us most days and still going long after we've all gone up to bed, and how she never once, that I've seen, complains of the work, any more than Father complains of his. I suppose that's what a marriage is, watching the two of them — not much said between them, but everything understood.

After supper, with Clarissa reading from the almanac and Father dozing with Edward against him, I sit by the fire a while and think that I wouldn't mind, someday, having exactly this — a wife who works as hard and says as little about it as Mother does, and children coming up behind me the way I came up behind Aaron. It seems to me a good life, the kind Father's built here, even if he's never said as much himself.

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

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

This is a different way to look at a family's life -- the daughter's recount (like an "activity report" or a blog post (!)) of a day in her life, and the son's recount of the same day.  

This is historical fiction based on known events in the lives of my ancestors -- it might have been this way. Zachariah and Hannah (Sawtell) Hildreth are my 3rd great-grandparents through their son Edward Hildreth (1831-1899), and I have significant information about this family 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 190 years ago. This description of their family life in 1830's 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 Hildreth family in 1834 Massachusetts 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


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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Findmpast Friday: Discover Life at Sea With Over 150,000 New Naval Additions

   I received this information from Findmypast today:

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


Explore medical records from Portsmouth and beyond.

We've bolstered our extensive collection of Royal Navy records this week, with two new sets of medical records digitised in partnership with the Royal Navy Museums.

Spanning over 160 years, these additions offer valuable insight into the health of Navymen and illuminate seafaring experiences in vivid detail.

Hampshire, Portsmouth Dock Medical Books

This brand new collection comprises 150,038 medical records, covering the years 1810 to 1815 and 1850 to 1955.

British Royal Navy, Medical Discharge Books

The 2,792 records within this new collection cover medical discharges from the Royal Navy between 1786 and 1801.

New pages from Clonmel to Camberwell

300,944 pages joined our newspaper archive this week. We added five brand new publications, and updated 32 of our existing titles.

New titles
  • Birmingham Mercury, 1848-1849, 1851-1853
  • Bishop Auckland Herald, 1857-1865
  • Carlow Morning Post, 1828-1835
  • Clonmel Advertiser, 1828-1838
  • Sheffield Times, 1852-1856, 1858-1863, 1865-1872
Updated titles
  • Aberystwyth Observer, 1911, 1913
  • Brighton Argus, 1897, 1918
  • Camberwell News and South London Advertiser, 1877-1880
  • Canterbury Journal, 1874, 1876, 1878-1881, 1920
  • Croydon Guardian and Surrey County Gazette, 1914-1916
  • Current Prices of Grain at Dublin Corn Exchange, 1853-1858, 1860
  • Dublin Evening Post, 1737-1741
  • Dundee Weekly News, 1990, 1992-1993
  • East Kent Times, 1857-1858, 1860, 1865
  • Farmer’s Gazette and Journal of Practical Horticulture, 1962
  • Faversham News, 1988, 1990-1999
  • Fife Herald, 1895-1915
  • Galloway News and Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser, 1999
  • Hampshire Independent, 1853-1857, 1896-1897, 1911
  • Heanor Observer, 1912, 1917, 1924, 1936, 1952
  • Hemel Hempstead Gazette, 1877
  • Hull Daily Mail, 2001-2005
  • Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 1919-1920
  • Kirkcaldy Times, 1887
  • London Evening Standard, 1909-1910
  • Newry Examiner and Louth Advertiser, 1875-1876, 1878-1880
  • North British Advertiser & Ladies’ Journal, 1888
  • Northern Star 1792, 1792-1794
  • Nuneaton Chronicle, 1901-1910
  • Pictures, 1912
  • Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser, 2003-2005
  • Southern Reporter and Cork Commercial Courier, 1871
  • Suffolk and Essex Free Press, 1970-1973
  • Ulster General Advertiser, 1872-1873
  • Waterford Mail, 1870
  • Waterford News, 1881, 1883, 1885
  • Wexford Independent, 1831-1835
A Family History Of... The Somme

As the fighting intensifies, the war’s reach into the Attenborough household becomes inescapable.

Host and genealogist Jen Baldwin is joined by Somme specialist Harvey Henson to trace this tragic story, from the shattered landscape of Ginchy to the first tanks that appeared at Flers-Courcelette. Watchg this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWz6FJqF6mE.

More on this topic:                    english records

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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.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/07/findmpast-friday-discover-life-at-sea.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, Instagram, Threads or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

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Thursday, July 16, 2026

Added and Updated MyHeritage Record Collections - Week of 10 to 16 July 2026

  The following Record Collections were ADDED or Updated in the MyHeritage Collections Catalog during the week of  10 to 16 July 2026:


There are no new or updated record collections this week. The top "new" collection was added last week.

The number of collections at the top of the list shows 1,698 collections (an increase of 2 from last week, but there are no new collections listed above) with 40,039,176,391  records (an increase of over 4.330 billion records from last week - but it was 40,399,469,537 six weeks ago!).

Seven weeks ago, the "Last Updated" list showed 7,550 collections.  What happened to over 5,800 collections that are not on any collection list now?  See the list for nine weeks ago in 

Added and Updated MyHeritage Record Collections - Week of 8 to 14 May 2026.


Something is very wrong with the "Last Updated" collection list!!!  Or did MyHeritage remove or combine over 5,800 record collections?

The Family Tree collections are not on the "Last Updated" list at all.  I collected the latest numbers for the Family Tree collections from the "Number of Records" list which does have the Family Tree collections (and a total of 1,698 collections).
 The number of entries in the family tree collections were last updated this week.  

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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/2026/07/added-and-updated-myheritage-record_01244391979.html

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Ask AI: "Describe Sarah Knapp’s Life at Age 14 in Newton, New Jersey in 1832"

 I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with information about a teenage girl's life in  Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey in 1832. My 2nd great-grandmother, Sarah Knapp (1818-1904) was age 14 in 1858.  The ABC Biography for Sarah (Knapp) Auble is ABC Biography of #29 Sarah G. (Knapp) Auble (1818-1904) of New Jersey, Indiana and Illinois.

My Prompt for Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 Medium was:  "Please describe the life of 14-year-old Sarah Knapp in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey in 1832, based on the attached biography. Consider family, work, education, community activities, entertainment, fun?"

(AI NotebookLM infographic -- Sarah Knapp's Life at Age 14 in 1832)

Here is the Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 response:


Sarah G. Knapp: A Portrait at Fourteen, Newton, New Jersey, 1832

Sarah's World

In 1832, fourteen-year-old Sarah G. Knapp stood at that particular threshold of life—no longer a child, not yet a woman, but very much a working member of a bustling household. Born in January 1818 in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey, Sarah had spent her entire life in the small community her family had helped establish. She was the ninth of William and Sarah Knapp's eleven children, part of a large family that anchored her identity and shaped her daily existence.

By 1832, her father William was 57 years old, a respected shoemaker and Justice of the Peace in Newton. Her mother, also named Sarah, was 47. The elder Sarah Knapp had spent nearly three decades raising children, and young Sarah had grown up watching her mother manage an extraordinary household.

Family Constellation

At fourteen, Sarah occupied an interesting position within her large family. Her older siblings were scattered across different life stages: Joseph, Samuel, Cyrus, Catherine, Benjamin, and Charles were all adults by 1832, with several already married and starting their own families elsewhere. Her closest companions in the household would have been her nearer-aged siblings—Hannah Maria (16), and her younger brothers William Jr. (9) and Manning (7). The baby of the family, Elsie Morford, was just one year old in 1832, having been born the previous April.

This meant that at fourteen, Sarah likely served as something between an older sister and a second mother to the youngest children. In large families of this era, teenage daughters routinely took on substantial childcare responsibilities, helping their mothers manage households with children spanning many years in age.

Daily Chores and Domestic Work

Sarah's days would have begun before dawn. As a teenage daughter in a shoemaker's household, her labor was essential to the family's functioning. Her responsibilities likely included:

Morning duties would have started with tending the fire, which needed constant attention through the night and required rekindling each morning. She would have helped prepare breakfast—perhaps cornmeal mush, bread, and whatever preserved meats or eggs were available.

Household maintenance occupied much of her day. This included fetching water from the well (a task requiring multiple trips daily for cooking, cleaning, and washing), sweeping floors, making beds, and general tidying. With younger siblings in the house, Sarah would have spent considerable time watching over Manning and baby Elsie, especially while her mother attended to other tasks.

Textile work was a constant occupation for girls Sarah's age. She would have been learning or already skilled in sewing, mending, and possibly spinning if the family kept any fiber-producing animals or purchased raw materials. Knitting stockings and mittens, patching worn clothing, and helping construct new garments would have filled many hours, particularly in evenings by candlelight or during quieter parts of the day.

Food preparation beyond basic cooking included tasks like churning butter if the family kept a cow, preserving foods for winter (pickling vegetables, drying fruits), and helping with the twice-weekly bread baking that fed such a large household.

Garden work would have engaged Sarah during growing seasons—planting, weeding, and harvesting vegetables that supplemented the family's diet and reduced their dependence on purchased food.

Education

By 1832, educational opportunities for girls in rural New Jersey remained limited but were slowly improving. Sarah likely had attended a local school, possibly a one-room schoolhouse, though her attendance would have been irregular and dependent on the seasons and her household responsibilities.

The curriculum for girls typically emphasized reading, writing, and basic arithmetic—skills considered necessary for practical life and religious observance. Given her family's Methodist faith, reading was especially valued as essential for Bible study and religious literacy. Sarah's education likely balanced formal schooling with practical instruction at home from her mother, learning the domestic skills that would prepare her for eventual marriage and household management.

Girls of this era and social class rarely received education beyond basic literacy and numeracy. Advanced subjects, if taught at all in local schools, were typically reserved for boys who might pursue trades, business, or professional occupations. Sarah's education would have been geared toward her expected future role as a wife, mother, and household manager.

Religious and Community Life

The Methodist Episcopal Church remained central to the Knapp family's identity in 1832. As a young teenager, Sarah would have attended Sunday services regularly, likely still traveling with her family to worship, though by this time the congregation may have progressed from meeting in barns to a proper church building, given the community's growth over the preceding decade.

Church attendance provided Sarah with important social connections beyond her immediate family. Sunday services, prayer meetings, and religious gatherings offered opportunities to interact with other young people in the community—interactions that were carefully supervised but nonetheless significant for a girl her age. These religious activities weren't merely obligations but represented genuine social outlets in a world with few public entertainments.

Sarah's father's position as Justice of the Peace meant her family held recognized standing in Newton. This status likely brought certain social expectations and opportunities—perhaps invitations to gatherings hosted by other prominent families, or a role in community events that reflected her family's respectability.

Entertainment and Leisure

Fun and entertainment for a fourteen-year-old girl in 1832 Newton looked quite different from later eras but was not absent from Sarah's life.

Domestic evening activities likely provided regular entertainment. Family time around the hearth might include storytelling, listening to her father or older siblings read aloud from newspapers or books, or simple games that didn't require special equipment. The Sussex Register newspaper, which had featured her family in various notices over the years, would have brought news and stories to discuss.

Music may have played a role in Sarah's entertainment, whether through church hymns, family singing, or if the family owned any simple instruments. Singing was widely accessible entertainment that required no special equipment and could be enjoyed by the whole family.

Seasonal celebrations would have punctuated the year with special meaning. Harvest time might bring communal activities. Christmas, while observed more modestly by Methodists than by some other denominations, still likely meant special foods and family gathering. Such occasions provided welcome breaks from routine labor.

Social gatherings with peers at church functions or community events would have been Sarah's primary opportunity to interact with other young people her age, under the watchful supervision expected for respectable young women of this era. These gatherings, though restrained by the social conventions of the time, still offered laughter, conversation, and the simple pleasure of youthful company.

Outdoor activities during warmer months might have included walks, picking berries or wildflowers, or helping with outdoor family activities that combined necessary work with fresh air and family togetherness.

Sarah's Prospects

At fourteen, Sarah stood on the cusp of her teenage years with her future still largely undetermined but following patterns common to young women of her social position. Her older sister Catherine remained unmarried at this time, while her sister Hannah, just a year younger, would marry within the decade. Sarah herself would eventually marry David Auble in 1844, when she was 26—still years in her future in 1832.

For now, in 1832, Sarah's world centered on family, faith, and the countless small tasks that kept a large household functioning. Her days were filled with purpose and responsibility beyond what might be expected of a modern fourteen-year-old, yet she remained embedded in a supportive family structure that valued her contributions while preparing her for her eventual role as an independent household manager in her own right.

Sarah's life at fourteen represents the experience of countless young women in early nineteenth-century America—girls whose labor was essential to family survival, whose education was practical rather than academic, and whose entertainment came from the simple pleasures of family, faith, and community rather than commercial amusements. Yet within these constraints, Sarah surely found moments of joy, connection, and the particular satisfaction of contributing meaningfully to her family's wellbeing.

Note: This portrait combines documented facts about Sarah G. Knapp and her family with historically grounded inference about daily life for a girl of her age, location, and social position in 1832 New Jersey. Specific personal details about Sarah's individual experiences, thoughts, or activities beyond the genealogical record are speculative reconstructions based on typical patterns of the era, clearly presented as such.

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3)  The Google NotebookLM Video Overview of this post is below. 

4)  As genealogists, we can rarely find the 19th century town or church records for Wisconsin families, but we can find census, occupation, military, land and probate records. In addition, there are books and websites about the daily lives of people in those times.  The AI tools have been pre-trained on historical events, social history, geography, literature and other disciplines so they can provide information for questions like this one, and by 2025 they have the ability to search the Internet.  

5)  After I read these types of social history summaries, I wish that I could be a time traveler for one day to visit the Knapp family in New Jersey 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


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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