ABC Biography of the Zachariah Hildreth (1728-1784) and Elizabeth Prescott (1734-1812) Family of Massachusetts

 Using the ABC method described in Using Artificial Intelligence In the Ancestor Biography Creation (ABC) Process, here is another ancestor couple biography using the Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 AI tool.

1) The genealogical sketches for my fifth great-grandparents, Zachariah Hildreth (a Revolutionary War soldier) and Elizabeth Prescott, including family members, record abstracts and sources, are in 52 Ancestors - Week 121: #144 Zachariah Hildreth (1728-1784)

and  52 Ancestors - Week 122: #145 Elizabeth (Prescott) Hildreth (1734-1812).

(AI NotebookLM Infographic - Zachariah and Elizabeth (Prescott) Family)

2) For the Claude AI biography, I attached a PDF of the two  genealogical sketches for the specific ancestors using the plus (+) icon, and then prompted the AI tool with:  "You are an expert genealogist and family historian. Please create a biography based on information in the attached files for the Zachariah and Elizabewth (Prescott) Hildreth family. Include parents, siblings, spouses and children (with birth and death dates and places). Summarize life events, add historical events as appropriate, but do not add or embellish any extra genealogical details. Use section headings. Expand the information in each section to add more details. The tone should be engaging and suitable for family members."

3)  The Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 biography (lightly edited for accuracy) is: 

The Story of Zachariah and Elizabeth Hildreth

A Revolutionary War Family of Westford, Massachusetts

Zachariah Hildreth and Elizabeth Prescott were part of the fabric of colonial Massachusetts, living through the Revolutionary War era in the small town of Westford. Their story is one of hard work, faith, community service, and a growing family that would help shape the region for generations to come. This is their story, pieced together from town records, probate documents, and family histories.

Zachariah’s Early Years

Zachariah Hildreth was born on December 28, 1728, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts Bay Colony, to James Hildreth and Dorothy Prescott. His birth was carefully recorded in the Chelmsford town records, as was the custom of the time. James and Dorothy had married in 1721 and went on to have a large family of nine children who survived infancy.

Zachariah grew up in a bustling household with eight siblings. His older brother Oliver, born in 1723, would eventually settle in Townsend. His older sister Rebecca married James Dutton in 1750. Among his younger siblings were Anna, two sisters named Dorothy (the first died as a toddler), Amos, Lucy, and Samuel, though young Samuel died at just three years old in 1748.

As a young man, Zachariah began to make his own way in the world. In February 1753, just before his marriage, the Westford selectmen paid him one pound and two shillings for delivering eleven loads of wood to Mr. Craft—likely a minister or town official—for his “support and comfort the winter past.” It was honest work, the kind that built character and reputation in a small colonial town.

Elizabeth’s Beginnings

Elizabeth Prescott was born on September 15, 1734, in Westford, Massachusetts Bay Colony. She was the third child of Jonas Prescott and his second wife, Elizabeth Harwood. Her father Jonas served as the town clerk and carefully recorded his daughter’s birth in his own hand in the town records.

Elizabeth’s early childhood was marked by tragedy. She had an older brother, Elijah, who died within days of his birth in 1732. Her mother Elizabeth Harwood bore another son, Isaac, in 1738, but he too died in infancy. A younger brother Benjamin was born in 1739 but lived only sixteen months. These losses were heartbreakingly common in colonial New England, where childhood mortality was a constant shadow over family life.

When Elizabeth was just five years old, her mother died in 1739. Jonas Prescott remarried the following year to Rebecca Jones, and they would have two more children. Elizabeth grew up in this blended family, learning the skills she would need as a wife and mother in colonial Massachusetts—spinning, weaving, cooking, preserving food, and managing a household.

Building a Life Together

Zachariah and Elizabeth were married on April 12, 1753, in Westford. He was 24 years old, and she was 18. The marriage was recorded simply in the town records: “Zechariah Hildreth to Elizabeth Prescott both of Westford.” That December, just eight months after their wedding, they joined the Second Church in Chelmsford as members together, declaring their faith publicly as a married couple.

The couple settled into life in Westford and began raising what would become a remarkably large family. Their first child, a son they named Zachariah after his father, was born on January 13, 1754. Over the next twenty-one years, Elizabeth would give birth to eleven more children: Elizabeth (1755), Hannah (1758), and then twins Timothy and Esther in 1760, followed by James (1762), Lucy (1764), Jonas (1766), Ruth (1768), Edy (1771), Jesse (1773), and finally Mehitable in 1775.

Remarkably, all twelve children survived infancy and most lived to adulthood—a testament to Elizabeth’s care and perhaps a bit of good fortune in an era of high childhood mortality. The household must have been lively and loud, with children of all ages learning their trades, doing chores, and growing up together in their Westford home.

Making a Living in Colonial Massachusetts

The town records paint a picture of Zachariah as a hardworking man who contributed regularly to the community. Year after year, he appears in the selectmen’s orders for payment—usually for working on the highways (the roads that connected the town) or for delivering wood to Mr. Craft.

In January 1755, he received two pounds and two pence for highway work. In February of that year, he was paid one pound, four shillings, and eight pence for wood and pine delivered to Mr. Craft. The payments continued through the years: in 1757, one pound and ten shillings for highway work; in 1758, four shillings for wood; in 1759, multiple payments totaling several pounds for wood, corn, and “sundry other articles.”

These weren’t large sums, but they were steady. Zachariah was providing essential services—maintaining the roads that everyone used and supplying firewood to keep homes warm through brutal New England winters. In 1773, he took on the role of town constable, a position of trust and authority. That year he collected sixty-one pounds, fifteen shillings, and six pence in five payments—substantial money for the time.

Service in the Revolution

When tensions with Britain erupted into war in 1775, Zachariah stepped up to serve. By April 1776, he had been commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in Captain Zachariah Wright’s 8th Company, which was also known as the 2nd Westford Company, part of the 6th Middlesex County Regiment of the Massachusetts militia.

This was the height of the Revolutionary War. The battles of Lexington and Concord had been fought just a year earlier, less than ten miles from Westford. The siege of Boston was ending, and the Declaration of Independence would be signed just a few months later. Zachariah was 47 years old at the time of his commission, with a wife and nine children at home (the youngest, Jesse, was just two years old, and Elizabeth was pregnant with their last child, Mehitable).

The records don’t tell us what Lieutenant Hildreth did during the war years, but the militia companies were called up regularly to defend against British raids, guard prisoners, and support the Continental Army. It was dangerous work, and it took him away from his farm and family during crucial planting and harvest seasons.

Final Years

By 1781, Zachariah’s health was failing. On May 9 of that year, feeling “sick and weak in body but of a sound disposing mind,” he drafted his will. It’s a remarkable document that gives us a window into his character and concerns.

He began with the traditional religious language of the era, commending his soul to God and expressing his hope for “full and free pardon of all my sins and to inherit everlasting life.” Then he got down to the practical business of providing for his family.

To his “beloved wife Elizabeth,” he left considerable property: two cows and a heifer of her choosing, one pig, two sheep and two lambs, two feather beds with bedding, half the household furniture, and a third of all his possessions. She would have the use of half the house, half the cellar, the well, half the barn, his clock and case of drawers, and specific pieces of land. He also left her use of a pair of oxen and farming tools so she could work the land and support herself.

Interestingly, he left his oldest son Zachariah only five shillings, and his daughter Hannah only five pounds, explaining that “I have given them portions out of my estate already.” This suggests he had already helped them get established in their own homes—young Zachariah had married Elizabeth Keyes in 1777, and Hannah had married Timothy Hildreth (a cousin) that same year.

The rest of his estate was to be divided among his other four sons (Timothy, James, Jonas, and Jesse) and six daughters (Elizabeth, Esther, Lucy, Ruth, Edy, and Mehitable), with sons receiving double shares compared to daughters—a common practice that reflected the greater financial burdens men faced in that era. He appointed his son Timothy and a local physician, Dr. Asaph Fletcher, as executors.

Lieutenant Zachariah Hildreth died on April 18, 1784, just shy of his 58th birthday (though his gravestone mistakenly gives his birth year as 1754). He was buried in Westlawn Cemetery in Westford, where his gravestone still stands today.

The inventory of his estate, taken in July 1785, valued his personal property at 181 pounds, 7 shillings, and 1 pence, with real estate worth 582 pounds, 13 shillings—a substantial estate that reflected a lifetime of hard work. His son Timothy, as executor, carefully paid out the legacies to each sibling over the following years.

Elizabeth’s Widowhood

After Zachariah’s death, Elizabeth lived for another 28 years. She was just 49 years old when she was widowed, still vigorous enough to manage property and maintain relationships with her large, extended family. She likely lived with one or more of her children during these years, moving between households as was common for widows.

Elizabeth drafted her own will on August 1, 1808, when she was 73 years old. By this time, two of her sons had died—James in 1789 at just 26 years old, and Jonas in 1808. Her will reveals her continued closeness to her daughters. She left all her clothing to be divided among her six daughters: Hannah, Esther, Lucy, Ruth, Edy, and Mehitable. To Edy, who apparently never married and may have been caring for her, she left two cows, two beds with bedding, and all the household furniture.

She gave four acres of woodland to her son-in-law William Whiting, who had married her daughter Lucy. She forgave debts that her son Timothy and the children of her late son Jonas owed her—notes totaling 188 dollars, which represented significant sums. To her sons Zachariah and “John” (there’s no John in the birth records, so this is likely Jesse or a recording error), she left one dollar each, they likely havng had their portion of Zachariah's estate.

Elizabeth died on May 1, 1812, at the age of 77, in Westford. She was buried beside Zachariah in Westlawn Cemetery. Her gravestone reads simply: “In memory of Elizabeth Hildreth wife of Zachariah Hildreth, who died May 1, 1812 AE 77.”

Their Children and Descendants

The twelve children of Zachariah and Elizabeth grew up to scatter across Massachusetts, raising their own families and continuing the Hildreth and Prescott lines.

• Zachariah Jr. (1754–1829) married twice (first to Elizabeth Keyes who died in 1793, and then to Abigail Hart) and had sixteen children between his two wives. He eventually settled in Townsend, Massachusetts, where he died at age 75

• Elizabeth (1755–1803) married Samuel Richardson in 1784. They had no children, and she died at 47 in Westford.

• Hannah (1758–1826) married her cousin Timothy Hildreth in 1777 when she was just 19. They had ten children and moved to Sterling, Massachusetts, where she died at 67.

• Esther (1760–?) was one of the twins. She married Thomas Brown in 1791 and had three children. Her death date is not recorded.

• Timothy (1760–?), Esther’s twin, left no further records after his birth. He may have died young or moved away.

• James (1762–1789) died unmarried at just 26 in Townsend, perhaps working with his older brother Zachariah there.

• Lucy (1764–1845) married William Whiting in 1786 and had five children. She lived the longest of all the siblings, dying at age 81 in Westford.

• Jonas (1766–1808) married Deliverance Johnson in 1794 but died young at 41, leaving behind the debt his mother later forgave in her will.

• Ruth (1768–1829) married Abel Hildreth in 1802 when she was 34—quite late for a colonial marriage. They had ten children, and she died at 60 in Westford.

• Edy (1771–1819) apparently never married and seems to have cared for her mother in old age, which is why Elizabeth left her the bulk of her estate. She died at 47 in Westford.

• Jesse (1773–1840) married Olive Fletcher in 1801 and had ten children. He lived to 66, dying in Westford.

• Mehitable (1775–1819), the youngest, married twice—first to Seth Hildreth in 1797 (with whom she had two children) and then to Joseph Adams in 1805 (with whom she had three more). She died at 43 in Westford.

Living Through Revolutionary Times

The Hildreth family lived through extraordinary times. When Zachariah was born in 1728, Massachusetts was still a British colony under King George II. When he died in 1784, the American Revolution had been won, and the Constitution was just a few years from being ratified.

Life in Westford would have been shaped by agriculture and the changing seasons. The town, incorporated in 1729, was still relatively young and small—probably no more than a few hundred families. Everyone knew everyone else. The church was the center of social life, and town meetings decided matters of common concern.

The family would have experienced the growing tensions with Britain firsthand. The Stamp Act of 1765 affected everyone. The Boston Massacre in 1770 would have been hotly discussed. The Boston Tea Party in 1773 happened the same year Zachariah served as constable. And then came April 19, 1775—the day British soldiers marched through nearby towns on their way to Concord, sparking the war that would consume the next eight years.

Through it all, Zachariah and Elizabeth kept their household running, raised their children, and contributed to their community. They weren’t famous figures or wealthy landowners, but they were exactly the kind of people who made the American Revolution possible and built the foundation of the new nation.

Legacy

Today, Zachariah and Elizabeth Hildreth rest side by side in Westlawn Cemetery in Westford, their gravestones weathered by more than two centuries of New England winters. Their descendants spread across America, carrying forward the Hildreth and Prescott names.

What they left behind was more than property and genealogical records. They left a legacy of service, faith, hard work, and family. They witnessed the birth of a nation and helped build a community. They raised twelve children in an era when simply surviving childhood was an achievement.

This is the story of our ancestors—ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives during revolutionary times. May we remember them well.

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4) An Audio Overview (essentially a podcast) created by the Google NotebookLM AI tool) describing and celebrating the lives of Zachariah and Elizabeth (Prescott) Hildreth can be heard here (click on "Audio Overview" and wait for it to load).

5)  The Video Overview discussing the lives of Zachariah and Elizabeth (Prescott) Hildreth   created by the Google NotebookLM AI tool is: 

6)  I edited the Claude biography text to correct minor inconsistencies and errors. Every large language model (LLM) AI tool writes descriptive text much better than I can write. I was an aerospace engineer in my former life, and my research reports and genealogical sketches reflect "just the facts gleaned from my research." The AI tools are very perceptive, insightful and create readable text in seconds, including local and national historical events and social history detail when requested.

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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

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Added and Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - Week of 24 to 30 January 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 30 January 2026, there are now 6,633 searchable and full-text transcribed image collections on FamilySearch Full-Text Search this week, an increase of 9 from last week. There are over 2.403 BILLION "results" in the collections.  It is not possible to see which collections are new.  

2)  As of 30 January 2026, there are now 24,532 browsable (some indexed, none transcribed) image collections on FamilySearch Images this week, a decrease of 11 from last week. There are over 5.894 BILLION images in these collections.  There are 2,101 collections from the United States, 6,943 from Europe and 221 from Canada.  It is not possible to see which collections are new.  

3)  As of 30 January 2026, there are 3,432 Historical Record Collections (many indexed, browsable) on FamilySearch (an increase of 1 from last week) on the Signed In screen (and 3,432 on the Signed Out screen). 

 The added, deleted, and updated collections this week from FamilySearch (from a list supplied by Marshall Clow):

--- Collections Deleted ---

--- Collections Added ---

*  Italy, Potenza, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1864-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000546); 15,644 indexed records with 5,060 record images, ADDED 30-Oct-2025

--- Collections Updated ---

Belgium, Antwerp, Civil Registration and Church Records, 1798-1909 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4496124); 250,806 indexed records with 192,768 record images (was 169,771 records with 149,173 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Belgium, Brabant, Civil Registration and Church Records, 1704-1916 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4496123); 1,638,075 indexed records with 893,752 record images (was 1,568,969 records with 867,710 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Belgium, East Flanders, Church and Civil Registration, 1541-1920 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000027); 283,911 indexed records with 84,695 record images (was 93,648 records with 24,630 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Belgium, East Flanders, Civil Registration, 1541-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2138513); 922,612 indexed records with 2,944,655 record images (was 922,559 records with 2,944,655 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Belgium, Flemish Brabant, Civil Registration and Church Records, 1797-1920 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000062); 38,340 indexed records with 17,453 record images (was 32,911 records with 14,468 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026

Belgium, Limburg, Civil Registration, 1798-1906 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2138507); 81,944 indexed records with 842,559 record images (was 81,943 records with 842,559 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
Belgium, Luxembourg, Civil Registration, 1580-1920 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2138510); Browse 1,124,415 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 1,124,415 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Belgium, West Flanders, Civil Registration and Church Records, 1582-1932 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000063); 181,251 indexed records with 74,073 record images (was 146,112 records with 60,818 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Belgium, West Flanders, Civil Registration, 1582-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2139860); 305,201 indexed records with 2,612,466 record images (was 297,725 records with 2,612,466 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Benin, Civil Registration of Deaths, 1891-2016 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2534492); 75,592 indexed records with 21,173 record images (was 75,415 records with 21,173 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026

Brazil, Foreigner Files, 1653-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000160); 134,960 indexed records with 2,579,875 record images (was 134,960 records with 2,444,925 images), UPDATED 30-Jan-2026
British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2562514); 4,037,798 indexed records with 271,979 record images (was 4,015,477 records with 271,979 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
British Newspaper Archives, Obituaries (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2562508); 723,394 indexed records with 237,537 record images (was 717,216 records with 237,537 images), UPDATED 26-Jan-2026
Delaware, Vital Records, 1650-1974 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1447341); 2,513,715 indexed records with 3,133,093 record images (was 1,620,702 records with 3,133,093 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Denmark, Baptisms, 1618-1923 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1778463); Index only (5,014,769 records), no images (was 5,168,807 records with 0 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026

Denmark, Burials, 1640-1917 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1520593); Index only (596,238 records), no images (was 627,187 records with 0 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Denmark, Census, 1911 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2691890); 12,286 indexed records with 251,268 record images (was 83,659 records with 251,268 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Denmark, Church Records, 1484-1941 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2078555); 17,803,602 indexed records with 2,399,826 record images (was 18,269,711 records with 2,399,826 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Denmark, Copenhagen City, Civil Marriages, 1739-1965, Index 1877-1965 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2341913); 14,015 indexed records with 112,568 record images (was 12,816 records with 112,568 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Denmark, Deeds and Mortgages, 1572-1928 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2421847); Browse 4,364,468 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 4,364,468 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026

Denmark, Estate Records, 1436-1964 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2015318); Browse 2,608,645 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 2,608,645 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Denmark, Marriages, 1635-1916 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1520592); Index only (1,253,965 records), no images (was 1,293,766 records with 0 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Denmark, Probate Indexes, 1674-1851 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2026233); 132,940 indexed records with 234,543 record images (was 57,123 records with 234,543 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
England Marriages, 1538–1973 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473015); Index only (10,305,628 records), no images (was 10,303,580 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2451051); Index only (8,412,182 records), no images (was 8,379,884 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026

England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473014); Index only (39,150,293 records), no images (was 39,135,391 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
Germany, Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473000); 23,511,149 indexed records with 29,147,064 record images (was 23,518,081 records with 29,147,064 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1500-1971 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3015626); 71,449,825 indexed records with 13,806,705 record images (was 71,447,594 records with 13,806,705 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Germany, Marriages, 1558-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473009); Index only (5,284,334 records), no images (was 5,285,690 records with 0 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Germany, Prussia, East Prussia, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1551-1992 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4110912); 4,770,280 indexed records with 874,059 record images (was 4,705,840 records with 874,059 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026

Germany, Prussia, Pomerania, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1544-1966 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3665083); 2,167,743 indexed records with 749,943 record images (was 2,151,798 records with 749,943 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Germany, Prussia, Posen, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1430-1998 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4116415); 11,921,853 indexed records with 1,872,814 record images (was 12,543,071 records with 1,872,814 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Germany, Prussia, West Prussia, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1537-1981 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4111605); 9,800,500 indexed records with 1,067,888 record images (was 9,831,321 records with 1,067,888 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Honduras, Civil Registration, 1841-1968 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2135627); 12,302,978 indexed records with 337,976 record images (was 12,302,981 records with 337,976 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
India, Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1584960); Index only (432,831 records), no images (was 431,599 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026

India, Deaths and Burials, 1719-1948 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1584968); Index only (372,980 records), no images (was 372,306 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
India, Marriages, 1792-1948 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1584967); Index only (119,671 records), no images (was 119,404 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
Italy, Alessandria, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1800-1865 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2197595); 12,477 indexed records with 12,025 record images (was 12,477 records with 7,197 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Bari, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1908 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1968511); 7,599,648 indexed records with 2,870,392 record images (was 7,593,992 records with 2,870,392 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Benevento, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1810-1942 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2475030); 617,591 indexed records with 1,827,400 record images (was 511,982 records with 1,827,400 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026

Italy, Cremona, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1744-1942 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1987747); 1,373,411 indexed records with 1,325,362 record images (was 1,372,836 records with 1,325,362 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Cuneo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1795-1915 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1392991); 120,844 indexed records with 267,978 record images (was 120,754 records with 267,978 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Genova, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1796-1812, 1838-1859, 1866-1899 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1928859); 555,749 indexed records with 445,302 record images (was 554,444 records with 445,302 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Lecce, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1901-1941 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2310702); 852,324 indexed records with 3,307,040 record images (was 837,989 records with 3,307,040 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Lecco, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1911-1947 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3031547); 129,243 indexed records with 97,800 record images (was 13,191 records with 11,698 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026

Italy, Palermo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1820-1947 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2608509); 1,913,991 indexed records with 4,331,932 record images (was 1,913,991 records with 4,331,932 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Pescara, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2013532); 1,232,671 indexed records with 2,022,109 record images (was 1,150,062 records with 2,022,109 images), UPDATED 26-Jan-2026
Italy, Piacenza, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1662-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4117582); 1,462,285 indexed records with 641,969 record images (was 1,458,343 records with 640,514 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Rieti, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1840-1945 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2146202); 287,781 indexed records with 448,819 record images (was 287,284 records with 448,819 images), UPDATED 26-Jan-2026
Italy, Torino, Diocese of Torino, Catholic Church Records, 1801-1899 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000113); 2,579,536 indexed records with 936,156 record images (was 1,986,339 records with 751,310 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026

Italy, Toscana, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1804-1874 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1932364); 6,841,697 indexed records with 3,042,917 record images (was 6,732,218 records with 3,042,917 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Italy, Trento, Diocesi di Trento, Catholic Church Records, 1548-1937 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1430983); 1,985,100 indexed records with 86,924 record images (was 1,985,100 records with 86,924 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Italy, Udine, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1815, 1871-1911 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1939238); 696,560 indexed records with 1,262,279 record images (was 696,589 records with 1,262,279 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
Italy, Vercelli, Vercelli, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1802-1813, 1838-1942 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1939214); 77,378 indexed records with 1,506,772 record images (was 70,053 records with 1,499,389 images), UPDATED 23-Jan-2026
Liberia, Vital Records, 1912-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2100287); 113,941 indexed records with 24,406 record images (was 112,105 records with 24,406 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026

Micronesia, Civil Registration, 1883-1986 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2761211); 97,604 indexed records with 127,027 record images (was 126,101 records with 127,027 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Micronesia, Pohnpei, Civil Registration, 1948-2009 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1886069); 75,421 indexed records with 79,408 record images (was 75,431 records with 79,408 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Micronesia, Pohnpei, Court Records, 1951-2010 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1979263); Browse 401,066 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 401,066 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Micronesia, Pohnpei, Land Records, 1971-2007 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1498320); Browse 479,425 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 479,425 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Namibia, Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1904-2010 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2365261); 135,761 indexed records with 17,342 record images (was 135,730 records with 17,342 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026

Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1852584); 5,500,037 indexed records with 20,274,621 record images (was 5,264,264 records with 20,274,621 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Bicol, Church Records, 1738-1989 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000336); 19,273 indexed records with 23,142 record images (was 27,112 records with 23,142 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Births and Baptisms, 1642-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1500711); Index only (182,665 records), no images (was 182,666 records with 0 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Camarines Sur, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres, Parish Registers, 1716-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1457939); 767,057 indexed records with 136,616 record images (was 777,556 records with 136,616 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Catholic Church Records, 1520-2014 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2861657); 11,993,975 indexed records with 2,919,172 record images (was 12,240,955 records with 2,919,172 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026

Philippines, Civil Registration (Local), 1888-1986 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1410394); 668,432 indexed records with 6,699,351 record images (was 661,386 records with 6,699,351 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Court Records, 1838-1936 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2094274); Browse 522,632 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 522,632 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Deaths and Burials, 1726-1998 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1500714); Index only (2,786,099 records), no images (was 2,781,591 records with 0 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Eastern Samar, Roman Catholic Diocese of Borongan, Parish Registers, 1842-1984 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2379876); 227,168 indexed records with 57,624 record images (was 233,423 records with 57,624 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Eastern Visayas, Church Records, 1716-2014 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000329); 294,799 indexed records with 267,236 record images (was 318,586 records with 267,236 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026

Philippines, La Union, Diocese of San Fernando de La Union, 1621-1985 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2071967); 1,041,484 indexed records with 33,723 record images (was 1,009,686 records with 33,723 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Lingayen-Dagupan Catholic Archdiocese Parish Registers, 1615-1982 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1646454); 1,053,919 indexed records with 169,282 record images (was 1,030,309 records with 169,282 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899-1984 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1686086); 637,126 indexed records with 5,857,674 record images (was 637,126 records with 5,857,674 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Marriages, 1723-1957 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1500713); Index only (778,630 records), no images (was 792,565 records with 0 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Negros Occidental, Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod, Parish Registers, 1755-1976 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2157100); 268,199 indexed records with 163,253 record images (was 268,199 records with 163,253 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026

Philippines, Pangasinan, Civil Registration, 1945-1981 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1989160); 47,980 indexed records with 151,466 record images (was 44,066 records with 151,466 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Philippines, Western Visayas, Church Records, 1712-2006 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000338); 65,997 indexed records with 99,217 record images (was 79,193 records with 99,217 images), UPDATED 27-Jan-2026
Poland, Church Books, 1568-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4135958); 5,410,381 indexed records with 1,151,120 record images (was 6,709,401 records with 1,151,120 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Poland, Częstochowa Roman Catholic Church Books, 1226-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2115410); Browse 1,902,391 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 1,902,391 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Poland, Evangelical Church Books, 1700-2005 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2564996); Browse 168,622 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 168,622 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026

Poland, Gliwice, Roman Catholic Church Books, 1599-1976 

(https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2114433); Browse 185,526 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 185,526 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Poland, Lublin, Roman Catholic Church Books, 1784-1964 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1867931); 310,044 indexed records with 397,530 record images (was 326,092 records with 397,530 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Poland, Radom, Roman Catholic Church Books, 1587-1966 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1407440); 101,352 indexed records with 1,262,022 record images (was 101,352 records with 1,262,022 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Poland, Tarnow, Roman Catholic Diocese Church Books, 1612-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1985025); Index only (715,356 records), no images (was 705,085 records with 0 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
Scotland, Church Records and Kirk Session Records, 1658-1919 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2390848); Index only (235,176 records), no images (was 229,965 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026

South Africa, Cape, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court, 1822-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2517051); 2,065,946 indexed records with 1,167,010 record images (was 2,004,994 records with 1,167,010 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1468076); 1,230,219 indexed records with 355,318 record images (was 1,213,168 records with 355,318 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
South Africa, Civil Death Registration, 1953-1967 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3732506); 709,500 indexed records with 1,226,793 record images (was 706,619 records with 1,226,793 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Records (Stellenbosch Archive), 1690-2011 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1392488); 42,066 indexed records with 496,315 record images (was 42,066 records with 496,315 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers (Cape Town Archives), 1660-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1478678); 2,890,979 indexed records with 45,728 record images (was 2,884,069 records with 45,728 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026

South Africa, KwaZulu Natal, Vital Records, 1868-1976 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3511741); 610,424 indexed records with 902,019 record images (was 609,926 records with 902,019 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
South Africa, Orange Free State, Probate Records from the Master of the Supreme Court, 1832-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3040532); 532,187 indexed records with 82,306 record images (was 521,965 records with 82,306 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
South Africa, Pietermaritzburg, Estate Files 1846-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2573604); 357,852 indexed records with 316,664 record images (was 343,581 records with 316,664 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
South Africa, Transvaal, Civil Death, 1869-1954 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2998108); 960,655 indexed records with 1,081,282 record images (was 938,224 records with 1,081,282 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026
South Africa, Transvaal, Probate Records from the Master of the Supreme Court, 1869-1961 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2520237); 1,870,522 indexed records with 1,516,203 record images (was 1,821,263 records with 1,516,203 images), UPDATED 29-Jan-2026

Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1880 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2142779); 134,384 indexed records with 48,947 record images (was 134,395 records with 48,947 images), UPDATED 26-Jan-2026
Ukraine, Kyiv, Confession Lists, 1741-1918 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2290980); 26,342,676 indexed records with 40,448 record images (was 26,342,676 records with 40,448 images), UPDATED 28-Jan-2026
United Kingdom, British India Office, Births and Baptisms, 1712-1965 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000023); 461,715 indexed records with 145,138 record images (was 460,458 records with 145,138 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
United Kingdom, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2125045); 4,215,127 indexed records with 43,542,691 record images (was 4,175,754 records with 43,542,691 images), UPDATED 26-Jan-2026
Wales, Brecknockshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075043); 202,792 indexed records with 22,467 record images (was 202,792 records with 22,467 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026

Wales, Caernarvonshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075045); 93,339 indexed records with 29,167 record images (was 88,066 records with 29,167 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
Wales, Carmarthenshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1403176); 464,062 indexed records with 51,516 record images (was 460,262 records with 51,516 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
Wales, Denbighshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1419318); 692,437 indexed records with 718,898 record images (was 691,721 records with 718,898 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
Wales, Flintshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1426674); 498,887 indexed records with 518,367 record images (was 498,023 records with 518,367 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026
Wales, Glamorgan, Parish Register Marriages, 1837-1923 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1392564); Index only (56,282 records), no images (was 54,302 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026

Wales, Glamorganshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075047); 734,794 indexed records with 753,761 record images (was 732,603 records with 753,761 images), UPDATED 25-Jan-2026

--- Collections with new images ---

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Civil Registration, 1861-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000041); 1 indexed records with 111,689 record images (was 1 records with 111,688 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Argentina, Military Records, 1911-1936 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000280); 1 indexed records with 2,926,841 record images (was 1 records with 2,926,835 images), last updated 31-Oct-2024
Brazil, Alagoas, Civil Registration, 1876-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469403); 1 indexed records with 454,069 record images (was 1 records with 454,034 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Brazil, Maranhão, Civil Registration, 1827-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469402); 1 indexed records with 905,885 record images (was 1 records with 905,871 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Find a Grave Index (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2221801); 262,294,375 indexed records with 95,841,026 record images (was 262,294,375 records with 88,641,494 images), last updated 19-Dec-2025

Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3155890); 74,499 indexed records with 67,077 record images (was 74,499 records with 66,952 images), last updated 18-Jan-2026
Italy, Diocesi di Piazza Armerina, Catholic Church Records, 1553-1964 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000379); 839,680 indexed records with 117,347 record images (was 839,680 records with 117,180 images), last updated 21-Nov-2025
Philippines, Central Luzon, Civil Registration, 1852-2010 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000349); 1 indexed records with 718,467 record images (was 1 records with 718,007 images), last updated 16-Nov-2024
Philippines, Central Visayas, Civil Registration, 1914-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000194); 1 indexed records with 884,053 record images (was 1 records with 883,913 images), last updated 16-Nov-2024

United States, Census, 1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4464515); 157,892,854 indexed records with 52,731,471 record images (was 157,892,854 records with 52,730,002 images), last updated 16-Jun-2024
United States, Obituary Records, 2014-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000145); 1 indexed records with 28,204,240 record images (was 1 records with 28,204,225 images), last updated 22-Jul-2024

--- Collections with images removed ---

Canada Census, 1921 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000285); 8,626,062 indexed records with 184,298 record images (was 8,626,062 records with 186,167 images), last updated 15-Jan-2026
France, Calvados, Census, 1856 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279960); 57,909 indexed records with 4,444 record images (was 57,909 records with 6,110 images), last updated 17-Jan-2026
France, Calvados, Census, 1876 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279948); 20,609 indexed records with 4,372 record images (was 20,609 records with 4,988 images), last updated 17-Jan-2026
France, Calvados, Census, 1891 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279959); 42,902 indexed records with 4,867 record images (was 42,902 records with 5,365 images), last updated 17-Jan-2026
Italy, Florence, Archdiocese of Florence, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Catholic Church Records, 1450-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000378); 728,802 indexed records with 50,038 record images (was 728,802 records with 50,958 images), last updated 19-Nov-2025

Italy, Potenza, Archdiocese of Potenza, Catholic Church Records, 1572-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000374); 84,153 indexed records with 5,961 record images (was 84,153 records with 6,435 images), last updated 19-Nov-2025

--- Collections with new records ---

Italy, Ragusa, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1900-1940 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2068330); 307,776 indexed records with 1,460,681 record images (was 307,775 records with 1,460,681 images), last updated 09-Dec-2025

--- Collections with records removed ---

California, Birth Index, 1905-1995 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2001879); Index only (24,589,393 records), no images (was 24,589,394 records with 0 images), last updated 01-Mar-2012
England and Wales, Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2285338); Index only (132,174,236 records), no images (was 132,174,239 records with 0 images), last updated 02-Oct-2014
England, Lancashire, Parish Registers 1538-1910 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1465701); Index only (1,207,649 records), no images (was 1,207,650 records with 0 images), last updated 14-Jun-2024
Minnesota, Birth Index, 1935-2002 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1949334); Index only (4,267,572 records), no images (was 4,267,573 records with 0 images), last updated 06-May-2014
Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1949342); Index only (17,102,114 records), no images (was 17,102,115 records with 0 images), last updated 17-Feb-2012

United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages, 1980-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2333694); 28,662,188 indexed records with 46,919,022 record images (was 28,662,189 records with 46,919,022 images), last updated 06-Jan-2026
United States, Public Records, 1970-2009 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2199956); Index only (875,600,890 records), no images (was 875,600,931 records with 0 images), last updated 23-Dec-2025
United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000290); Index only (413,859,344 records), no images (was 413,859,416 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:

• 0 removed entries
• 1  added entries 
• 106 updated entries
• 17 entries with more or fewer images 
• 9 entries with more or fewer records

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

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

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/01/added-and-updated-familysearch-record_30.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 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.

Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.

Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 24 to 30 January 2026

   The following genealogy record collections were added to the Ancestry.com Card Catalog page by "Date Updated" during the period from 24 to 30 January 2026:

The ADDED and Updated collections include:

• Global, Find a Grave® Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current; 23,164,559 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® for burials at sea and other select burial locations. 
• Italy, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 461,314 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• Brazil, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 248,203 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• Germany, Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; 4,560,579 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• Mexico, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 94,933 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., Database of Enslaved Persons, 1780-1865; 17,185 indexed records without record images, ADDED 1/29/2026. This collection contains an index of records pertaining to free and enslaved people in the Southern United States between the years of 1780 and 1865.
• Norway, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 253,068 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• Sweden, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 1,167,626 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current; 24,458,579 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; 184,757,106 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• Australia and New Zealand, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; 12,577,723 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• Canada, Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; 12,033,774 indexed records without record images, Updated 1/29/2026. 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. 
• Grafton and Rockingham Counties, New Hampshire, U.S., Index to Naturalizations, 1839-1919; 9,627 indexed records with record images, ADDED 1/28/2026.  This collection contains naturalization records created in two New Hampshire counties. The records for Grafton County are dated between 1773 and 1906.

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

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

By my count, there are 2 NEW record collections ADDED this past week, per the list above.  There are now 33,877 collections available as of 30 January 2026, a DECREASE of 44 from last week.   It appears Ancestry removed 46 existing record collections this past week. 

I was curious if Ancestry changes the number of entries in the Public and Private Member Trees.  Here is a benchmark for 30 January 2026:

• Public Member Trees -- 15,788,170,592 entries
• Private Member Trees -- 6,436,697,197 entries

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

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/2026/01/added-and-updated-ancestrycom-record_02003940558.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 Twitter, Facebook, 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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Life Memoir of Nicholas Brocke (1855-1938) of Nebraska and Idaho

I wrote an AI-assisted ABC biography for my wife's great-grandparents Nicholas Brocke (1855-1938) and Anna Greiser (1859-1936) in ABC Biography of John Nicholas Brocke (1855-1938) and Anna Grieser (1859-1936) Family of Idaho based on my genealogical research over 38 years.

I wondered what Nicholas Brocke might say in a life memoir told to his grandchildren in 1937. 

(AI Google NotebookLM Infographic for Nicholas Brocke's memoir)

1)  I requested Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 to create a memoir told by John Kemp about his life in 1794.  The prompt was:  "Please write a life memoir for Nicholas Brocke based on the attached biography, as he might tell to his grandchildren in 1937."

2)  The AI Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 memoir (edited for accuracy and completeness) is:   

My Story: As Told by Nicholas Brocke to His

 Grandchildren

A Memoir Shared in Kendrick, Idaho - 1937

---

Well now, gather 'round children, and let me tell you about the life I've lived. I'm an old man now—eighty-two years old—and your grandmother Anna passed last year, God rest her soul. But I've got stories enough to fill a book, and I want you to know where you come from before I join her.

The Early Days: A Michigan Boy

I was born on January 24, 1855, in Michigan. Now, I know that sounds like ancient history to you young ones, but that's how it was. My parents—your great-grandparents—were Johann Heinrich Brocke, though everyone called him Peter, and Christina Webber. They weren't born Americans like you. No sir, they came all the way from Herbede, Prussia—that's in Germany—back in 1849, before I was even thought of.

They landed in Baltimore, Maryland, both of them young and single, not knowing a soul in this country. Can you imagine that kind of courage? They met there, fell in love, and married around 1850. My father, he was a worker, I'll tell you that. First, he worked three years for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad—hard, dangerous work laying tracks and keeping the trains running. Then he spent three years up in the Lake Superior copper mines. That was brutal work, going deep into the earth every day, but it paid better than most jobs.

I had brothers and sisters, of course. My older sister Catharine was born in 1851 in Wheeling, Virginia right on the Ohio River. Then came me in 1855. After me came Franklin, then Charles—your Uncle Charles who's still here in Idaho with us—and finally little Mary, though we lost her at an early age.

Nebraska Territory: Growing Up on the Frontier

When I was just a little boy, maybe three years old, Pa decided we'd had enough of mines and cities. We moved to Iowa first, then in 1858—I would've been three—we pushed on to northwestern Nebraska. Now, children, when I say Nebraska, you need to understand it wasn't even a state yet. It was Nebraska Territory, wild and wide open. We settled in Cedar County, in a place that got named St. James, and later they named the whole precinct after us—Brocke Precinct. Made Pa proud, that did.

I remember that 1860 census taker coming around. I was just five years old, but I remember because it was such a fuss. They wrote our name down as "Brookes" and listed me as "Nickolas." My sister Catharine was twelve by then, and baby Charles was only one. The census man asked Pa all sorts of questions—how much property he owned, where we were born. Pa told him he had $700 in personal property. Doesn't sound like much now, but for a farmer starting out on the frontier, that was something.

By 1870, when I was fifteen, I was already working on the farm alongside Pa. The census that year shows we had built up quite a bit—Pa had $2,500 in real estate and $2,390 in personal property. That's what hard work and good land will do for you. I was getting my education in the public schools when I could, but farm work came first. That's just how it was.

Meeting Your Grandmother

Now here's where the story gets interesting for you children, because this is where your grandmother enters the picture.

Anna Grieser—oh, she was something special. She was born November 17, 1859, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents, Ignatius and Katherine Grieser, were German immigrants too, from Baden-Württemberg. Ignatius was a skilled carpenter, and they did well in St. Louis. Anna was the oldest of what would eventually be seven children, so she learned early how to take care of little ones—good practice for our own brood, as it turned out!

The Grieser family moved to Cedar County, Nebraska, sometime in the 1870s. I don't recall exactly when I first laid eyes on Anna, but I knew pretty quick she was the girl for me. She was smart, strong, and had that quiet determination you need to make it on the frontier. Her father died in 1879, poor soul, but by then Anna and I were already married.

We got married on April 24, 1877, right there in Cedar County. I was twenty-two years old, and Anna was just seventeen. I know that seems young to you modern folks, but out on the frontier, you didn't wait around. You needed a partner to build a life with, and Anna was the best partner a man could ask for.

The Journey West to Idaho

Not long after we married, we made the biggest decision of our lives. Anna's parents Ignatz and Katherine and all Anna's brothers and sisters—all six of them—decided to head west to Idaho Territory. It was 1878, and Idaho was about as wild as you could get. We talked it over, Anna and I, and decided we'd go too. Why not? We were young, strong, and ready for adventure.

We packed everything we owned onto an immigrant train. Can you picture it? All of us—me and Anna, her parents, her brothers Frank, Adolph, and Charles, her sisters Amelia, Katherine, and Lizzie—all heading into the unknown together. The train ride itself was an adventure, I'll tell you. Days and days of rattling along, sleeping sitting up, eating whatever we'd packed or could buy at stops along the way.

When we finally got to Idaho and made our way to what would become Kendrick, it was beautiful country. Mountains, forests, rich soil—but wild. There were hardly any people, just a few settlers scattered here and there. I staked a claim for 160 acres of land. That's what the government allowed—160 acres if you'd work it and improve it. And work it we did!

Building Our Farm

Those first years were hard, children. Harder than any of you have ever known. We had to clear the land, build a cabin, get crops in the ground—and your grandmother was pregnant with our son John that whole first year. He was born February 6, 1878, right here in Kendrick. First of our eight children, born in Idaho Territory before it was even a state!

At first, we settled on land about nine miles south of Moscow. I farmed it for ten years, getting better at it every year, learning what crops worked in this soil, what the weather would do. We grew grains, we tried fruit trees, and I discovered white navy beans grew real well. Those beans were worth their weight in gold to us—I could trade them at the local stores for whatever we needed. Money was scarce, but beans? We had plenty of those!

In 1888, I made a decision that proved to be a good one. I sold that first farm and bought 160 acres three and a half miles west of Kendrick. That's where we've been ever since, and that's the farm you children know. That June, I entered my claim officially, and I set about making it into something special.

A Modern Farm

Now, I wasn't content to just do things the old way. I wanted to make our farm as modern and efficient as possible. I built us a good, solid house—not fancy, but comfortable and well-built. I put up large barns for the animals and equipment. But here's what I was really proud of: I installed a pumping outfit.

You children take water for granted, but back then, most farms relied on wells you had to pump by hand or streams you had to carry water from. Not me. I got a pumping system that brought water right to the house and could pump it all over the farm wherever we needed it for irrigation. The neighbors thought I was crazy, spending money on such a contraption, but it paid for itself many times over. Those irrigated fields produced crops like you wouldn't believe!

I grew both grain and fruit, and I made sure everything on the place looked neat and well-kept. A man's farm tells you what kind of man he is, and I wanted people to see that Nicholas Brocke was practical, progressive, and took pride in his work.

Our Family Grows

Your grandmother and I, we were blessed with eight children. Eight! And every single one of them survived to adulthood, which is a miracle when you think about how many families lost little ones back then.

After John came Frank in 1879, born right there in Genesee. Then Etta in 1881—she was born in Oregon, of all places. I think we were visiting and I was looking at some land there, I can't quite recall now. Then came Caroline in 1883, and Amelia in 1884. Both Idaho girls. Joseph came along in 1888, then Charles in 1892, and finally Nicholas—we named him after me—in 1894.

We raised all of them in the Catholic faith. Every Saturday night we'd get cleaned up and on Sunday morning go to Mass, and we had the children baptized proper. We taught them to work hard, respect others, and do their duty. And they've all turned out fine, every one of them. Started their own families, worked hard, made us proud.

Your mothers and fathers—John, Frank, Etta, Caroline, Amelia, Joseph, Charles, and Nicholas—they all helped build this farm when they were young. Even the little ones had chores. We all worked together, and that's how we made it.

Being Part of the Community

I never believed a man should just keep to himself. We're all in this together, building communities and making life better for everyone. So I got involved in local affairs.

I served as school trustee here in Kendrick, making sure the local children had a decent school to attend and good teachers to learn from. I also served as highway commissioner, which meant making sure the roads were passable—and believe me, that was no small task in the early days! Roads would turn to mud in spring, get rutted in summer, freeze in winter. Keeping them in decent shape took real work.

I joined the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the Woodmen of the World too. Those organizations did good work helping members when times were tough, and they were a way for men to socialize and support each other. Many's the meeting I attended, and later, when I got older and couldn't farm as hard anymore, I worked as the janitor at the lodge hall. Kept me busy and useful.

Politically, I've always been a Democrat. Always believed the Democratic party stood for the working man, the farmer, the immigrant trying to make good. Some folks around here are Republicans, and that's fine—we can disagree and still be neighbors. That's what makes America great.

The Later Years

By 1910, I'd paid off the mortgage on the farm. That was a proud day, let me tell you. Owning your land free and clear—that's real security. The census taker that year noted it down: "owns farm free of mortgage." Those words meant everything to us.

As I got older, I couldn't work the fields like I used to. My back wasn't what it was, my hands got stiff, my energy wasn't the same. So I took easier work—that janitor job at the lodge hall I mentioned. It wasn't much, but it kept me active and around people. Your grandmother and I, we lived comfortably. By 1930, our house was worth $2,500, and we had everything we needed.

Losing My Anna

Last year—1936—was the hardest year of my life. Your grandmother Anna was forgetful and took sick with influenza. She was seventy-six years old, and her body just couldn't fight it off. She passed away on March 19, right here in Kendrick.

Fifty-nine years we were married. Fifty-nine years! She was my partner in everything—building the farm, raising the children, making a life here in Idaho. She was only seventeen when I married her, just a girl really, but she grew into the strongest woman I ever knew. She never complained, even when things were hard. She worked alongside me, kept the house, raised eight children, tended the garden, cooked endless meals, nursed us through sicknesses—she did it all.

When I had to give information for her death certificate, I could barely speak. They asked me her age, her birthplace, the cause of death. The words stuck in my throat. They buried her in American Ridge Cemetery in Juliaetta, and part of me went into that grave with her.

What I've Learned

So here I am, eighty-two years old, sitting here in Kendrick, Idaho, telling you children my story. I've lived through things you can barely imagine. I was born before the Civil War. I remember when Idaho was still a territory. I've seen the railroad come through, the telephone wires go up, the automobile replace the horse and wagon. The world has changed beyond recognition.

But some things don't change. Hard work still matters. Family still matters. Doing your duty and being true to your word still matters. Your grandmother and I came here with nothing but our youth and our determination. We built a farm from raw land. We raised eight children to be good people. We helped build a community where there was only wilderness.

I'm a self-made man—that's what they wrote about me in a book back in 1899, and I suppose it's true. But I didn't do it alone. I had your grandmother beside me every step of the way, and I had good neighbors, good friends, and most important of all, faith in God and in the future.

You children have it easier than we did, and that's good—that's how it should be. Every generation should have it a little better than the last. But don't forget where you came from. You come from people who weren't afraid of hard work, who crossed oceans and continents to make a better life, who turned wilderness into farmland, who built something from nothing.

Remember your great-grandparents from Prussia who had the courage to come to America. Remember your grandmother Anna, who came west on an immigrant train when she was barely eighteen. Remember that you're part of a family that doesn't give up, that works hard, that takes care of each other.

And remember me, old Nicholas Brocke, who planted apple trees he knew he might not live to see bear fruit, who dug irrigation ditches that would water fields for generations, who built a farm that will feed your children and your children's children.

That's my story, children. That's where you come from. Make me proud. Make your grandmother proud. Work hard, be kind, and when you're my age, you'll have your own stories to tell your grandchildren.

Now, who wants to help old Grandpa walk out to look at the fields one more time? These old legs aren't what they used to be, but I can still appreciate a good stand of wheat when I see one.

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Nicholas Brocke passed away on December 14, 1938, in Lewiston, Idaho, just sixteen months after sharing these memories. He was laid to rest beside his beloved Anna in American Ridge Cemetery, where they remain together still.

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3)  The Video Overview of Nicholas Brocke's memoir, created by the Google NotebookLM AI tool, is:

5)  I edited the Claude memoir text to correct minor inconsistencies and errors. Every large language model (LLM) AI tool writes descriptive text much better than I can write. The AI tools are very perceptive, insightful and create readable text in seconds, including local and national historical events and social history detail when requested.

6)  This is historical fiction, based on my own genealogical research. It is what Nicholas Brocke might have told his grandchildren.

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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

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