After developing the AI-assisted ABC Biography of #13 Abbey Ardelle "Della" (Smith) Carringer (1862-1944) of Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and California, I wondered what life was like for my great-grandmother Della Smith at age 15 in 1877 in Concordia, Kansas.
I asked Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 for information and here is the story about Della Smith's life in 1877 at age 15:
Della Smith's Life in Concordia, Kansas at Age 15 (1877)
Family Life
At 15 years old in 1877, Della Smith was living with her family in Lincoln township near Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas. Her home life was bustling and entrepreneurial. Her father, Devier J. Smith, ran a livery and sale stable - one of the most important businesses in any frontier town. The stable would have been a hub of activity, with horses coming and going, travelers needing transportation, and locals renting horses and wagons. Della likely helped with the business in various ways, perhaps keeping books or assisting customers.
Her mother, Abbie A. Smith, worked as a milliner, creating fashionable hats for the women of Concordia. This was skilled, artistic work that brought in substantial income - Abbie had $340 in personal property of her own. Della may have watched her mother work, learning the value of having a trade and seeing firsthand how a woman could be financially independent and creative. The household included her 11-year-old brother David, her 8-year-old sister Mary (called "Matie"), and her two-year-old brother, Lucian, so Della, as the eldest, likely helped supervise and care for her younger siblings.
The family was relatively prosperous by frontier standards, with $750 in real property and over $1,500 in combined assets. This meant they likely lived in a decent house and had enough resources to invest in education and cultural pursuits for their children.
Education
Formal education on the Kansas frontier in the 1870s was often limited and irregular. Schools might only be in session a few months a year, and many children stopped attending after learning basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, Della's later career as a music teacher indicates she received special instruction in music during these years. This was uncommon and suggests her family valued education and cultural refinement enough to pay for private lessons or encourage her natural talent.
Music education would have included learning to read musical notation, developing vocal or instrumental skills (likely piano, which was the most common parlor instrument), and studying music theory. This was considered an important accomplishment for young ladies of the time, as musical ability was a social asset. The fact that both Della and her sister Matie became music teachers suggests their parents prioritized this education for their daughters.
Beyond music, Della would have been learning the practical skills expected of young women: sewing, cooking, managing a household, and basic bookkeeping - all of which she demonstrated competence in later life.
Interests and Talents
Della's interests clearly centered around the arts. Music was her primary passion, and by 15 she was likely already accomplished enough to be giving informal lessons or performing at community gatherings. Her later work as both a music teacher and art teacher, plus her design work on furniture and painting, suggests she had a broad artistic sensibility that was developing during these teenage years.
She was also developing her business acumen. Growing up watching both parents run their own enterprises, she learned about managing money, negotiating deals, and the importance of property ownership. The scrapbook she kept during these years shows another interest - she collected newspaper clippings about local events, national news, political developments, her father's biography, and advertisements. This suggests intellectual curiosity and an interest in the wider world beyond her small Kansas town.
Entertainment and Social Life
Entertainment in a frontier Kansas town like Concordia in 1877 was largely community-created. There were no movie theaters or radio, so people made their own fun. Social gatherings often centered around churches, schools, and community halls. Della likely attended:
Church socials and box suppers: These were major social events where young people could socialize under supervision
Musical performances and recitals: As a musician, Della may have performed at local events
Literary societies and reading circles: Where people gathered to read aloud and discuss literature
Holiday celebrations: Fourth of July, Christmas, and other occasions brought the community together
Dances: Square dances and social dances were popular entertainment, often with live music
Her father's livery stable would have kept the family informed of travelers passing through, bringing news from other places and occasionally entertainment like traveling theater troupes or lecturers.
Fun and Recreation
At 15, Della would have been transitioning from childhood play to more adult pursuits, but there was still time for fun:
Music practice and performance: This was both work and pleasure for Della
Reading: Books were precious on the frontier, but families shared them and newspapers
Walking and exploring: The Kansas prairie had its own beauty, and young people enjoyed outdoor activities
Visiting with friends: Social calls were an important part of life, with young ladies visiting each other's homes
Working on her scrapbook: Collecting and arranging clippings was a creative hobby
Helping with family businesses: While this was work, teenagers often found socializing with customers enjoyable
Community events: Anything that brought people together was both entertainment and social opportunity
The Setting: Concordia in 1877
Concordia and Cloud County were still relatively new settlements. Kansas had only become a state in 1861, and this area was actively being settled during the 1870s. The town would have had wooden buildings along dusty streets, with the constant sound of hammers and saws as new structures went up. The prairie stretched endlessly around them, with farms carved out of the grassland.
Life could be harsh - hot summers, cold winters, the threat of prairie fires, grasshopper plagues, and the uncertainty of frontier economics. But there was also optimism and opportunity. The Smith family had come seeking a better life, and by 1877 they were achieving some success.
A Pivotal Time
At 15 in 1877, Della was on the cusp of adulthood. In just a few years, she would be expected to either marry or support herself through work. Her musical education and her parents' example of entrepreneurship were preparing her for independence. She was developing the skills, interests, and resilience that would serve her throughout her life - from teaching music in Kansas, to performing in theaters in Wano, to managing property and raising a family in San Diego.
The artistic sensibility, business savvy, and adaptability that characterized her adult life were all taking root during these formative years in Concordia, Kansas.
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3) The Google NotebookLM Video Overview of this story is below.
5) After I read these types of social history summaries, I wish that I could be a time traveler for one day to visit the Smith family in Kansas in 1877 and witness their daily lives. I'm glad that the general lifestyles and occupations are known from historical records and eyewitness accounts.
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