Friday, July 31, 2026

Added and Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - Week of 25 to 31 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 31 July 2026, there are now 6,718 searchable and full-text transcribed image collections on FamilySearch Full-Text Search this week, an increase of 42 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 31 July 2026, there are now 25,641 browsable (some indexed, none transcribed) image collections on FamilySearch Images this week, an increase of 53 from last week. There are over 6.115 BILLION images in these collections.  There are 2,139 collections from the United States, 7,307 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 31 July 2026, there are 3,463 Historical Record Collections (many indexed, many browsable) on FamilySearch (an increase of 0 from last week):

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

--- Collections Deleted ---

--- Collections Added ---

--- Collections Updated ---

Democratic Republic of the Congo, National Identity Cards, 1884-2019 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000100); 627,386 indexed records with 10,089,338 record images (was 627,378 records with 10,089,338 images), UPDATED 28-Jul-2026
Italy, Firenze, Census, 1808-1871 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000441); 532,851 indexed records with 40,045 record images (was 219,325 records with 27,542 images), UPDATED 28-Jul-2026
Mexico, Aguascalientes, Catholic Church Records, 1601-1962 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1502404); 955,476 indexed records with 618,532 record images (was 954,902 records with 618,532 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Baja California and Baja California Sur, Catholic Church Records, 1750-1984 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1506640); 62,346 indexed records with 29,943 record images (was 60,085 records with 29,943 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Campeche, Catholic Church Records, 1638-2003 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473200); 472,155 indexed records with 189,697 record images (was 472,028 records with 189,697 images), UPDATED 28-Jul-2026

Mexico, Chiapas, Catholic Church Records, 1557-1978 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1616412); 1,442,987 indexed records with 968,865 record images (was 1,442,313 records with 968,865 images), UPDATED 28-Jul-2026
Mexico, Chihuahua, Catholic Church Records, 1632-2005 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1521780); 1,141,727 indexed records with 378,612 record images (was 1,134,092 records with 378,612 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Coahuila, Catholic Church Records, 1627-1978 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1502401); 1,395,378 indexed records with 393,502 record images (was 1,394,845 records with 393,502 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1514-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1615259); 4,621,624 indexed records with 4,263,289 record images (was 4,608,313 records with 4,263,289 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Durango, Catholic Church Records, 1604-1985 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1554576); 1,556,128 indexed records with 504,812 record images (was 1,554,977 records with 504,812 images), UPDATED 28-Jul-2026

Mexico, Guanajuato, Catholic Church Records, 1519-1984 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1860831); 12,344,060 indexed records with 4,584,983 record images (was 12,301,590 records with 4,584,983 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Guerrero, Catholic Church Records, 1576-1979 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1823323); 2,582,454 indexed records with 1,584,621 record images (was 2,559,828 records with 1,584,621 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Hidalgo, Catholic Church Records, 1546-1971 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1804358); 5,103,959 indexed records with 1,750,627 record images (was 5,088,537 records with 1,750,627 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Jalisco, Catholic Church Records, 1590-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1874591); 9,749,114 indexed records with 5,797,486 record images (was 9,682,007 records with 5,797,486 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Michoacán, Catholic Church Records, 1555-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1883388); 7,178,319 indexed records with 5,283,986 record images (was 7,159,405 records with 5,283,986 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026

Mexico, Morelos, Catholic Church Records, 1598-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837907); 945,013 indexed records with 531,787 record images (was 916,379 records with 531,787 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, México, Catholic Church Records, 1567-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837908); 9,291,031 indexed records with 4,823,124 record images (was 9,260,695 records with 4,823,124 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Nayarit, Catholic Church Records, 1596-1967 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1883377); 810,556 indexed records with 499,694 record images (was 805,878 records with 499,694 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Nuevo León, Catholic Church Records, 1544-1982 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473204); 1,159,456 indexed records with 447,381 record images (was 1,149,728 records with 447,381 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Oaxaca, Catholic Church Records, 1559-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1909191); 6,880,559 indexed records with 3,458,764 record images (was 6,850,610 records with 3,458,764 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026

Mexico, Puebla, Catholic Church Records, 1545-2009 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837906); 7,154,158 indexed records with 6,124,553 record images (was 7,113,969 records with 6,124,553 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Querétaro, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1881200); 2,737,274 indexed records with 1,380,077 record images (was 2,731,619 records with 1,380,077 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Catholic Church Records, 1586-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1860864); 4,981,020 indexed records with 2,162,812 record images (was 4,941,900 records with 2,162,812 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Sinaloa, Catholic Church Records, 1671-1968 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473206); 911,096 indexed records with 521,512 record images (was 906,504 records with 521,512 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Sonora, Catholic Church Records, 1657-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473203); 629,605 indexed records with 383,518 record images (was 626,560 records with 383,518 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026

Mexico, Tamaulipas, Catholic Church Records, 1703-1964 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1790934); 813,178 indexed records with 199,328 record images (was 808,916 records with 199,328 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Tlaxcala, Catholic Church Records, 1576-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837905); 1,812,937 indexed records with 1,012,693 record images (was 1,810,128 records with 1,012,693 images), UPDATED 28-Jul-2026
Mexico, Veracruz, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1978 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1883382); 4,001,945 indexed records with 2,563,917 record images (was 4,008,971 records with 2,563,917 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
Mexico, Yucatán, Catholic Church Records, 1543-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1909116); 3,053,617 indexed records with 1,234,534 record images (was 3,048,878 records with 1,234,534 images), UPDATED 28-Jul-2026
Mexico, Zacatecas, Catholic Church Records, 1605-1980 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1804458); 3,123,450 indexed records with 1,663,800 record images (was 3,118,149 records with 1,663,800 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026

New York, New York City, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3288447); 2,333,631 indexed records with 2,109,884 record images (was 2,333,631 records with 2,109,884 images), UPDATED 30-Jul-2026
Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1852584); 6,757,579 indexed records with 20,274,621 record images (was 6,731,924 records with 20,274,621 images), UPDATED 30-Jul-2026
Spain, Madrid, Municipal Census Records, 1910-1945 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000004); 6,768,235 indexed records with 2,997,904 record images (was 1,749,267 records with 687,683 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026
United States, Indexes to Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers (NARA M629, M694, M872), 1784-1858, 1899-1901 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2120733); 222,576 indexed records with 204,549 record images (was 222,484 records with 204,524 images), UPDATED 30-Jul-2026
United States, Public Records, 1970-2009 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2199956); Index only (875,600,548 records), no images (was 875,600,557 records with 0 images), UPDATED 29-Jul-2026

--- Collections with new images ---

Alabama, Births and Christenings, 1881-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1661470); 158,893 indexed records with 157,082 record images (was 158,893 records with 157,078 images), last updated 07-Apr-2026
Argentina, Buenos Aires, Civil Registration, 1861-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000041); 1 indexed records with 111,717 record images (was 1 records with 111,716 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Argentina, Military Records, 1911-1936 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000280); 2,929,239 indexed records with 2,929,295 record images (was 2,929,239 records with 2,929,293 images), last updated 03-Apr-2026
Arkansas, Births and Christenings, 1812-1965 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1674674); 3,332 indexed records with 5,171 record images (was 3,332 records with 5,169 images), last updated 17-Nov-2023
Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1770729); 411,266 indexed records with 531,822 record images (was 411,266 records with 390,469 images), last updated 17-Jun-2026

Australia, Deaths and Burials, 1816-1980 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1770857); 89,956 indexed records with 108,863 record images (was 89,956 records with 66,515 images), last updated 17-Jun-2026
Australia, Marriages, 1810-1980 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1770858); 129,689 indexed records with 151,371 record images (was 129,689 records with 96,365 images), last updated 17-Jun-2026
BillionGraves Index (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2026973); 31,122,746 indexed records with 31,122,743 record images (was 31,122,746 records with 29,003,599 images), last updated 02-Jun-2026
Brazil, Alagoas, Civil Registration, 1876-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469403); 1 indexed records with 454,240 record images (was 1 records with 454,238 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Brazil, Maranhão, Civil Registration, 1827-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469402); 1 indexed records with 906,243 record images (was 1 records with 906,220 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024

England and Wales, Census, 1911 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1921547); 36,354,828 indexed records with 8,898,289 record images (was 36,354,828 records with 8,898,195 images), last updated 01-Aug-2019
England, Manchester, Miscellaneous Records, 1700-1916 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075052); 10,592,399 indexed records with 15,918,118 record images (was 10,592,399 records with 15,918,117 images), last updated 26-Dec-2025
England, Somerset, Church Records, 1501-1999 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4380193); 4,285,771 indexed records with 4,834,219 record images (was 4,285,771 records with 4,777,050 images), last updated 04-Jan-2026
France, Loire-Atlantique, Civil Registration, 1792-1960 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3288440); 2,710,678 indexed records with 2,921,446 record images (was 2,710,678 records with 2,728,494 images), last updated 03-Feb-2026
Guatemala, Deaths, 1760-1880 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1520636); 20,912 indexed records with 20,912 record images (was 20,912 records with 16,995 images), last updated 04-Feb-2020

Italy, Deaths and Burials, 1806-1910 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1708705); 76,671 indexed records with 428,973 record images (was 76,671 records with 108,255 images), last updated 28-Mar-2026
Netherlands, Archival Indexes, Public Records (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2841008); 5,886,927 indexed records with 5,886,927 record images (was 5,886,927 records with 5,886,925 images), last updated 04-Mar-2019
New Zealand, Civil Records Indexes, 1800-1966 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2697870); 2,331,241 indexed records with 48,603 record images (was 2,331,241 records with 2 images), last updated 08-Jun-2026
United Kingdom, British Armed Forces and Overseas Vital Records, 1761-2005 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4324570); 2,878,200 indexed records with 2,878,200 record images (was 2,878,200 records with 2,767,114 images), last updated 22-Sep-2021
United Kingdom, Funeral Notices, 1914-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000184); 4,987,936 indexed records with 4,972,635 record images (was 4,987,936 records with 4,972,609 images), last updated 28-Oct-2023

United States, Census, 1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4464515); 157,892,854 indexed records with 52,752,814 record images (was 157,892,854 records with 52,750,591 images), last updated 16-Jun-2024
United States, Google, United States Inventors Index (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000136); 1,048,575 indexed records with 1,047,941 record images (was 1,048,575 records with 1,046,402 images), last updated 21-Nov-2023
United States, Obituary Records, 2014-2023 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000145); 1 indexed records with 28,206,724 record images (was 1 records with 28,206,708 images), last updated 22-Jul-2024
Wales, Anglesey, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2072798); 162,277 indexed records with 484,848 record images (was 162,277 records with 484,820 images), last updated 23-Sep-2025
Wales, Denbighshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1419318); 692,437 indexed records with 718,898 record images (was 692,437 records with 336,997 images), last 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 498,887 records with 484,753 images), last 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 734,794 records with 739,791 images), last updated 25-Jan-2026
Wales, Montgomeryshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075048); 380,258 indexed records with 416,043 record images (was 380,258 records with 415,934 images), last updated 23-Sep-2025
Wales, Pembrokeshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1419323); 317,650 indexed records with 378,652 record images (was 317,650 records with 374,830 images), last updated 23-Sep-2025
Wales, Radnorshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075050); 101,258 indexed records with 115,726 record images (was 101,258 records with 115,670 images), last updated 23-Sep-2025

West Virginia, Births, 1853-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1417341); 987,420 indexed records with 1,289,651 record images (was 987,420 records with 1,289,126 images), last updated 07-Apr-2026
West Virginia, Deaths, 1804-1999 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1417434); 2,214,804 indexed records with 2,379,671 record images (was 2,214,804 records with 2,378,801 images), last updated 07-Apr-2026
West Virginia, Marriages, 1780-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408729); 190,572 indexed records with 1,504,144 record images (was 190,572 records with 35,262 images), last updated 07-Apr-2026

--- Collections with images removed ---

England and Wales, Census, 1921 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000564); 31,698,408 indexed records with 10,036,169 record images (was 31,698,408 records with 31,698,408 images), last updated 12-May-2026
United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000016); 63,700,462 indexed records with 24,608,027 record images (was 63,700,462 records with 63,700,462 images), last updated 12-Feb-2023
Wales, Monmouthshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075051); 182,928 indexed records with 297,723 record images (was 182,928 records with 432,421 images), last updated 26-Dec-2025

--- Collections with new records ---

United States, Census, 1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1810731); 125,179,951 indexed records with 2,957,015 record images (was 125,136,362 records with 2,957,015 images), last updated 22-Jul-2026

--- Collections with records removed ---

Indiana, Marriages, 1811-2019 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1410397); 5,338,731 indexed records with 1,259,299 record images (was 5,339,975 records with 1,259,299 images), last updated 27-Feb-2026
United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000290); Index only (413,857,915 records), no images (was 413,857,926 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:

  • 3,463 Historical Record Collection entries
  • 0 removed entries
  • 0 added entries 
  • 35 updated entries
  • 36 entries with more or fewer images 
  • 3 entries with more or fewer records
Marshall's list shows 3,463 Historical Record Collections this week, an increase of 0 collections. The image above shows 3,463 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 25 to 31 July 2026

   The following genealogy record collections were added to the Ancestry.com Card Catalog page by "Date Updated" during the period from 25 to 31 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 is 1 NEW record collections ADDED this past week, per the list above. There are now 33,966 collections available as of 31 July, an INCREASE of 1 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_01290416462.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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Checking Out Jason Duncan's "Ancestor Map Builder 2.0"

Jason Duncan unveiled his browser app "Ancestor Map Builder 2.0" one week ago on his Substack page -- see https://webjmd.substack.com/p/ancestor-map-builder-20.  It looked interesting to me.

Jason describes the development of his app as:

The other day I had an idea about creating a single map to show where all of my ancestors lived by representing each of them with a pin that was located at the place where they were born. Connecting lines would link the parent to the child, and together these lines would trace the the paths that led, generation by generation, to my birth in 1976.

So that’s what I did, and I really like the results!

You can see the Ancestor Map that Jason created at https://webjmd.com/ancestormap/. His Substack post describes the background for the app and provides directions for building an Ancestor Map of your own using his app. The App is currently FREE to use.

The link to try out this app is https://webjmd.com/mymapbuilder/.

So I did. I clicked on the link to "Ancestor Map Builder 2.0" to build my own ancestor map.

The first step is to add or upload your ancestor data.  There are four options -- upload a GEDCOM file, upload a CSV file, add names and places manually (type or copy/paste), or use an existing map. I chose to enter my GEDCOM file (I picked the one with only my direct ancestors -- all 2,955 of them).  After uploading the file, it listed all of the ancestors for each generation!  

The second step is to select the place that your key person (that was me!) was born, so I did that and typed in my birthplace and clicked the place on the map.

For the GEDCOM option, the list will prompt you to use the map to identify the location of the birthplace of each ancestor.  There is a field on the left that highlights the next ancestor on your list and the birthplace, if known.  Go to the map and maneuver to the place on the map and then click your mouse.  The map covers the entire world, but not every town. I used my mouse wheel to Zoom in and out (there are + (zoom in) and - (zoom out) buttons at the top left of the map), and dragged the map right or left, up or down, to get to the approximate area I wanted to click. 

I did this through my 2nd great-grandparents (so 32 ancestors and birth locations).  That took about an hour. I made some mistakes, and was able to correct them by figuring out who the ancestor was, and then clicking the red "!" link on the ancestor list and going to the map to click on the correct location. 

I can save the map at any stage to my computer. I saved the MapBuilder link to my Desktop.

Here is my map in it's present status:

I can Zoom in on any region or location - here is my Map zoomed into the eastern USA where almost all of my recent ancestors were born: 


(Oops, that has three of my errors before I fixed them!)  

Errors happen when you click on the map by mistake. 

The lines are color-coded by grandparents birthplaces.

Note that this is a straight-line application -- it doesn't show you the actual migration paths -- only the birthplace from one generation to another.

If I add two more generations (another 96 ancestors), the map will get busier but will probably be more useful and show several morel ines from Europe

Try this -- it may be helpful and useful to you.  And even fun!

I learned that my ancestors all had a compass that led them to the Southwest area of North America, but I already knew that!  

My wife's map will be much more interesting!

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

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/07/checking-out-jason-duncans-ancestor-map.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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Ask AI: "Describe The Life of Mary Jane Sovereen at Age 14 in Norfolk County, Ontario in 1855" (Part 1)

 I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with information about a teenage girl's life in  Norfolk County, Canada West in 1855. My 2nd great-grandmother, Mary Jane Sovereen (1840-1874)  was age 15 in 1855.  The ABC Biography for Mary Jane (Sovereen) Kemp is ABC Biography of #31 Mary Jane (Sovereen) Kemp (1840-1874) of Ontario.

My Prompt for Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 Medium was:  "Please describe the life of 14-year-old Mary Jane Sovereen in Norfolk County, Canada West in 1855, based on the attached biography. Consider family, work, education, community activities, entertainment, fun?"

(AI NotebookLM infographic -- Mary Jane Sovereen's Life at Age 14 in 1855)

Here is the Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 response (Part 1 below, Part 2 later):

Mary Jane Sovereen in 1855

A Young Woman's Life at Age Fourteen

Windham Township, Norfolk County, Canada West (Part 1 of 2)

Who Was Mary Jane Sovereen?

In 1855, Mary Jane Sovereen was fourteen years old — the eldest surviving child of Alexander and Elizabeth (Putman) Sovereen, and the only young woman of significance in her household. Born December 29, 1840, in Windham, Norfolk County, she had grown up watching her parents build their farm from cleared wilderness, and she had already witnessed more sorrow than most modern children ever will.

She had outlived four younger siblings:

  • Frederick (1842-1846), who died at age three when Mary Jane was five

  • Rosella Elizabeth (1844-1845), dead before her first birthday

  • Amart Ann (1846-1849), who died at age two

  • Rachel E. (1848-1849), who lived only sixteen months

By 1855, the living Sovereen children were:

  • Mary Jane herself (age 14)

  • Gertrude Ann (age 4)

  • Sarah Adelaide (age 2)

  • Nancy Amelia (just born February 22, 1855)

The gap between Mary Jane and her next surviving sibling Gertrude was a decade of grief — four babies born and lost between 1842 and 1849. Mary Jane had grown up largely as an only child, the sole survivor among her parents' first six children, until Gertrude's healthy arrival in 1851.

This experience of loss — watching her parents bury baby after baby — had shaped Mary Jane profoundly. She understood, at fourteen, that life was fragile and precious. She had comforted her grieving mother, helped her father with the endless work, and had perhaps felt the particular loneliness of being the only child in a house haunted by empty cradles.

By 1855, with three younger sisters now living (and a new baby sister Nancy just arrived that February), Mary Jane was no longer alone. She was the eldest daughter in a growing family, and with that position came both responsibility and purpose.

Her Family in 1855

Her Parents

Alexander Sovereen (age 40) was at the height of his physical powers in 1855. He was a well-established farmer, known throughout Windham Township for his extraordinary work ethic and his skill with a grain cradle. He was a man of few words about sentiment but many about farming, faith, and the proper way to do things. Mary Jane would have known his expectations well — she had grown up trying to meet them.

Her father was also, beneath his pioneer toughness, a man of deep feeling. She had seen him grieve for the babies they lost. She had watched him sit with her mother in those dark times. She knew his generosity — no one turned away from the door — and his humor: he could tell a wonderful story about her grandfather Frederick scaring John McCall with wolf howls, and he told it with great relish. She was proud of him, and somewhat in awe of him.

Elizabeth "Eliza" Sovereen (age 35) was Mary Jane's closest companion and most important teacher. Her mother was a capable, hardworking woman who managed the domestic economy of the farm with skill and quiet authority. Eliza could read and write — an advantage she had over her husband — and she made sure Mary Jane learned both.

The relationship between Mary Jane and her mother in 1855 was entering a new phase. Mary Jane was no longer a child to be cared for but a young woman to be trained — a partner in the domestic work of the household. This shift would have been gradual, but by fourteen it was well underway. They worked side by side most of every day, and in that proximity, a mother and daughter either drew close or found friction. Given what we know of the Sovereen household's warmth, they were likely close.

The arrival of baby Nancy in February 1855 meant Eliza was occupied with a newborn while also managing a two-year-old Sarah and a four-year-old Gertrude. Mary Jane would have been essential.

Her Siblings

Gertrude Ann (age 4) — Mary Jane's little sister was four years old in 1855, a lively toddler emerging from babyhood. After years of watching siblings die, Gertrude's survival to this age must have been a source of deep relief to the whole family. Mary Jane, who had been largely an only child until Gertrude's birth in 1851, likely adored this little sister — she was old enough to help care for her, young enough to delight in her.

Sarah Adelaide (age 2) — The middle toddler, Sarah was a two-year-old in the busy, into-everything stage. She required constant supervision.

Nancy Amelia (born February 22, 1855) — The newest arrival. Baby Nancy had just come into the world months before this portrait finds us. As the eldest daughter, Mary Jane would have had significant involvement in caring for this newborn — rocking her, watching her while Eliza worked, singing her to sleep.

The household in 1855, then, was: a capable and hardworking father of forty, a mother of thirty-five nursing a newborn, a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and Mary Jane — fourteen and indispensable.

Extended Family

Mary Jane would also have known:

  • Her grandfather Frederick Sovereen (age 69) and grandmother Mary Jane (Hutchison) Sovereen (age 63) — her father's parents, still living and still a presence in the family. Named for her grandmother, Mary Jane would have felt a particular connection.

  • Her uncle William Lewis Sovereen (age 44) and his family — her father's elder brother, the one who had received better schooling, who lived nearby

  • Uncle Jacob Sovereen (age 39) — her father's younger brother

  • The Putman family — her mother's relatives, including perhaps her uncle Peter Putman, who would later live with the family

Her Education

The Local School

By 1855, education in Canada West had improved significantly from the primitive log-cabin schools of her father's youth. The Common Schools Act of 1850, championed by Egerton Ryerson, had established a more systematic public school system, and Windham Township would have had a functioning common school — a one-room schoolhouse serving children of all ages.

Mary Jane would have been attending this school, though her attendance would have been subject to family needs — helping with younger children, busy seasons on the farm, or winter weather.

The Schoolhouse:

  • A simple frame or log building

  • A single room with rows of benches and desks

  • A wood stove in the center for heat

  • A blackboard at the front

  • Slates and chalk for student writing (paper was expensive)

  • Perhaps a few basic textbooks shared among students

The Teacher: A single teacher — possibly male, possibly female — covered all ages and all subjects. Teachers in rural Ontario in the 1850s were often young, sometimes barely older than their eldest students, and were paid very little. They boarded with local families on a rotating basis, likely including the Sovereen household at some point, given the family's hospitality.

What Mary Jane Learned: By age fourteen, Mary Jane would have covered:

  • Reading: She could read competently — the 1891 census records that the Sovereen family could read and write, a standard that was clearly upheld through the generations

  • Writing and penmanship: Practiced carefully on her slate, copying letters and words

  • Arithmetic: The four operations, fractions, and practical calculation — measuring, money, simple accounting

  • Grammar: Parts of speech, sentence structure, parsing

  • Geography: The British Empire, Canada, maps and capitals

  • History: British and Canadian history, the story of the colony

  • Needlework: Sewing was often taught in schools as a practical female skill

  • Religious and moral instruction: Scripture reading, prayers, moral lessons — standard in Canadian schools of the era

Limitations: At fourteen, Mary Jane was approaching the end of her formal schooling. Girls in rural Ontario in the 1850s typically left school between twelve and fifteen to take up full-time domestic responsibilities. Secondary education — grammar schools — existed but were in larger towns like Simcoe and largely inaccessible or unnecessary for farm daughters. Mary Jane's education, while better than her father's, was thoroughly practical and would end soon.

What She Valued: Having grown up watching her father struggle with his limited literacy — unable to read easily, unable to help his own children with their lessons — Mary Jane would have understood the value of education. Her mother Eliza could read and write, and was likely the one who heard Mary Jane's lessons and helped her practice. This gift from mother to daughter was significant.

Her Work and Chores

In 1855, with a newborn in the house, a toddler, a four-year-old, and a mother who was recovering from childbirth and nursing, Mary Jane Sovereen was not merely helping around the house. She was carrying a substantial portion of the domestic workload.

Daily Responsibilities

Morning:

  • Rising early — before the younger children — to help start the fire and begin breakfast

  • Fetching water from the well or creek (heavy buckets, multiple trips)

  • Helping prepare the morning meal: porridge, bread, salt pork, milk

  • Washing dishes and tidying the kitchen

  • Making beds and airing bedding when weather permitted

Child Care: With baby Nancy just born, this was Mary Jane's most urgent daily responsibility:

  • Rocking and soothing the baby when Eliza was occupied

  • Watching Gertrude (4) and Sarah (2) — keeping them out of danger

  • Entertaining the small ones — singing songs, telling simple stories

  • Changing and washing baby linens

  • Walking the older toddlers outside when weather permitted, giving Eliza rest

Food Preparation: By fourteen, Mary Jane was fully capable of preparing meals:

  • Baking bread (a daily or twice-daily task — bread was the staff of life)

  • Making porridge, stews, and simple cooked dishes

  • Churning butter (hard, repetitive work taking thirty to sixty minutes)

  • Preserving food in season — pickling vegetables, making jam, drying apples

  • Preparing the midday dinner and evening supper

Laundry: Washing clothes in 1855 was an enormous physical undertaking:

  • Carrying and heating large quantities of water

  • Scrubbing clothes on a washboard with homemade lye soap

  • Wringing everything by hand

  • Hanging clothes to dry (outdoors in good weather, indoors in winter)

  • Ironing with heavy flat irons heated on the stove

  • Laundry day was an all-day ordeal, typically Monday

Sewing and Mending: In a family of six, clothing required constant attention:

  • Mending tears, replacing buttons, darning socks and stockings

  • Sewing new garments — by hand, since sewing machines were not yet in the household

  • Knitting stockings, mittens, and scarves through winter evenings

  • Perhaps helping make quilts — both practical necessity and social activity

Dairy Work:

  • Milking cows morning and evening (a task that fell to women and older children)

  • Separating cream, making butter and simple cheeses

  • Washing dairy equipment

Kitchen Garden: When season allowed:

  • Planting, weeding, and tending the vegetable garden

  • Harvesting vegetables and herbs

  • Carrying produce to the root cellar for storage

Animal Care:

  • Feeding and watering chickens

  • Collecting eggs

  • Possibly helping with other small animals

Seasonal Work

Spring: Planting the kitchen garden, maple sugaring (collecting sap and boiling syrup — a sweet, exhausting process), spring cleaning of the house

Summer: Preserving and pickling as vegetables came in, berry picking (both work and pleasure), haying (carrying food to workers in the field), washing and airing all the winter bedding and clothing

Fall: Harvest preservation in earnest — pickling, drying, making apple butter, storing root vegetables; butchering time (preparing and preserving pork); making candles and soap before winter

Winter: Spinning and weaving if the family had a wheel and loom, knitting, mending, indoor repairs, managing fuel for constant fires

To be continued in Part 2...

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The Google NotebookLM Video Overview of this story is below and on my YouTube channel: 

As genealogists, we can occasionally find the 19th century town or church records for Canadian families, but we can usually 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.  

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

Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 seems to vary the lengths of similar stories.  In this case, Mary Jane Sovereen's life at age 14 in 1855 was 11 pages (over 3,900 words).   Last week's story about Rebecca Spangler at age 14 in 1846 was only 4 pages (about 1,000 words).  I used the same Claude model (Sonnet 5 Medium) for both.  Perhaps the day of the week or the time of day of the story request is critical?  

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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 Lives Lived on Yorkshire's Canals

 I received this information from Findmypast today:

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Uncover transport stories with new records this week.

We've added two unique new sets to our record collection this week. Spanning over 150 years, these fascinating canal records tell the story of West Yorkshire's waterways through the eyes of the people who worked on them.

We've also bolstered our newspaper archive with some new additions spanning Britain and Ireland.

England, Huddersfield Canal Company

This brand new collection consists of 10,473 records from the Huddersfield Canal Company. These records stretch back as far as the late 18th century.

England, Calder and Hebble Navigation Company

This week's second new set comprises 90,905 records from the Calder and Hebble Navigation Company, covering the years 1796 to 1949.

New pages from Carlow to Croydon

261,496 pages joined our newspaper archive this week, with five brand new titles added and 46 existing publications updated.

A Family History Of... The Somme

In this special episode, Jen Baldwin turns to a wartime story that’s closer to home - one discovered within the family tree of her guest, Harvey Henson, Somme specialist and Communications Coordinator at the Commonwealth Graves Commission.

Harvey joins Jen to trace the story of his ancestor, Private Harold Ranson, who was killed during the Somme campaign. Watch the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBVuXZJtUt8

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-lives-lived.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 30, 2026

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

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

The number of collections at the top of the list shows 1,702 collections (an increase of 2 from last week) with 40,088,953,152  records (an increase of over 15 million records from last week).  

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 1,702 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.

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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_01896785800.html

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

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