GenSmarts Genealogy Software


GenSmarts Version History

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.6.22 to 1.0.6.27


Added analysis for several more free online records:

- Canadian World War One Records
- Canadian Western Land Grants
- Canadian Naturalization Records
- More Canadian 1871, 1901, 1906 Census Links
- Pennsylvania Civil War Records
- Pennsylvania WW1 Records
- Pennsylvania Rev War Records
- England Wills

A few other bug fixes

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.6.21


Fixed bug that was causing Kiosk mode to be in place
Other internal changes

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.6.20


Fixed bug in new green mouse/red mouse definition that was causing too many green mice
Added support for generating census suggestions for widows
Cleaned up some low probability suggestions that were being generated involving females and land patents
Added a button on the main window (the "confused" button) that links to the new training material that we've begun posting online

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.6.10 through 1.0.6.19


Lots of internal changes for a soon to be announced major feature :-)
Added "inline" comments in the TO DO EXPLANATION as to how any estimates were arrived at (if they factored into the research suggestion)
Changed the definition of red mouse/green mouse so that now green includes things that are free AND things you subscribe to. Red means "stop", Greeen means "go".
Fixed the re-occuring error message if you had no internet connection and tried to go online.
The INI file can now be located in the working directory, consistent with other files. This is for "advanced" GenSmarts pilots only :-)

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.6.09


Godfrey made some changes that required us to update how we access Heritage Quest via Godfrey library. We made the changes in such a way that we shouldn't have to update the software itself next time this happens... if you use GenSmarts to access Heritage Quest via Godfrey - you'll need this release or higher now.

This version also contains some internal changes to how Kiosk mode works...

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.6.08


For some reason, there seem to be a few Windows installations (a fraction of 1 percent, based on what we're seeing reported) out there that don't properly release all the storage when GenSmarts exits. This causes GenSmarts to think another copy of GenSmarts is running and produce a message to that effect on startup. This version avoids using that feature of Windows, so as to bypass the apparent problem.






Here's what's new: Version 1.0.6.07


(1) Added 4000+ volumes from Chicago's Newberry library




Here's what's new: Version 1.0.6.05 - 1.0.6.06


(1) More Free USA Vital Records Sites:


Arizona Births 1887-1928
Arizona Deaths 1878-1953
Ohio Deaths 1913-1937
Oregon Deaths 1903-1930


(2) A couple of additional states WWI registrations from Ancestry.com

(3) Fixed a problem with maiden names on death record lookups

(4) A "read only" mode for libraries to keep GenSmarts from saving any data. In GenSmarts.ini, in the FILES section, add this line:

ReadOnly=TRUE





Here's what's new: Version 1.0.5.17 - 1.0.6.01

Five changes:

(1) A few changes to the "auto update" module to make it more reliable.
(2) Improved Large Fonts display (for those that use that Windows option).



Here's what's new: Version 1.0.5.11 - 16


(1) Fixed the Windows/95/98 restriction/error - this one works fine on all version of Windows now.

(2) Fixed two or three small bugs.
(3) Improved compression of the install file - it's now under 6MB.
(4) Added a search of Ancestry.com's US census index for non-subscribers.
(5) Added a new tool and increased the reliability of GenSmarts ability to launch a web page.
(6) Fixed a variety of typos in the help file, as well as added a couple of sections to catch up with recent features.
(7) Added a support newsletter signup window in the registered version so "over the counter purchased" users get an opportunity to sign up.
(8) Added a HELP... option to check for updates - not fully implemented on our website yet, but we'll get to that shortly.
(9) Fixed a bug in HELP... Send Your File to GenSmarts Support...
(10) Made some changed to the GenSmarts "updater" to hopefully improve the reliability of upgrades.
(11) Added a new TO DO LIST report "FULL" that contains all the text displayed in the on screen EXPLANATION.



Here's what's new: Version 1.0.5.10

Five changes:

(1) Added support for "hot swapping" to your record keeping software, if it's running. See TOOLS... GO TO INDIVIDUAL... When presented with the search screen in your record keeping software, the record id (or name if you use Family Tree Maker) of the person you were looking at in GenSmarts will be in the clipboard, ready to CTRL-V paste it. Depending on your software, you may have to switch to "search by id" mode. Note that there's a "hot key" in GenSmarts displayed next to the GO TO INDIVIDUAL option - you can use that from the keyboard for a "hotter" swap.

(2) Fixed a variety of small bugs.
(3) Added some additional options to the Heritage Quest access mechanism to enable access from a few libraries we found that did things a bit differently than others.
(4) Fixed a bug with 1.0.5.9 where call#'s and microfilm roll#'s were being omitted.
(5) Fixed a bug with 1.0.5.9 that was blocking access to many Ancestry.com db's.



Here's what's new: Version 1.0.5.09

Version 1.0.5.9 has some fairly major structural changes to the way Research Results are handled. This will increase the speed at which they load and also enable us to better integrate with your genealogy software (RootsMagic, TMG, etc.).



Here's what's new: Version 1.0.5.00

A couple of bug fixes:

(1) Custom geography was not loading if no "working directory" was provided in the short cut - fixed.

(2) Place name cleanup FIND box now will initiate the search if ENTER is pressed.

(3) Custom geography... county's are now be removed from the list if deleted.

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.30 - 42

Three big enanchements and one little one:

(1) Added Houston's Clayton library - analysis for several thousand volumes in their genealogy collection.

(2) Added more Ancestry.com - several thousand additional databases now being analyzed for.

(3) Added the ability to let users add geography to GenSmarts (not records yet... just geography)

(4) TMG users can now use CTRL-I to "hot key" back and forth between GenSmarts and TMG. CTRL-V will paste the record id of the person you're looking at in GenSmarts.

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.26 - 29

A couple of bugs and enhancements:

(1) Fixed a bug that was preventing a couple of the TOOLS...SETTINGS...SUBSCRIPTIONS TAB items from being saved.

(2) Fixed a bug that was causing the USA county lookup to only work 80% or so of the time, depending on the style of your place names.

(3) Enhanced ategory (B) Data Cleanup/Place Name issues... to now also provide known city names in the explanation, if we've got 'em.

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.24 - 25

A couple of usability tweaks:

(1) A double click on a person in the My Genealogy File tab, now takes you to the To Do list tab, with the search criteria set to display suggestions for only the parents, spouses, and children of the person selected. Previously, the Query tab was populated and the display shifted there on a double click to allow experimentation with different data. The Query tab is still populated in the same way, though you'll have to manually shift the display if that's your destination.

(2) A RESET button was added next to the To Do List <=SEARCH box, to make it easy to clear the search criteria.

(3) For category (B) Data Cleanup/Place Name issues... where GenSmarts doesn't recognize a county within a state... we now will provide suggestions of actual county names if their names are close to what we see from your file.

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.22 - 23

Our first cut at supporting direct reading of Ancestral Quest (*.AQ) and Ancestry Family Tree (*.AFT) files. We've tested with the current versions of each of these... older version are a bit of an unknown until we get some user feedback...

Also, one bug fix...

(1) The right mouse button didn't work on the suggestions generated via KIOSK mode or the QUERY tab. Fixed.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.21

new email/copy on the My Genealogy File tab
A couple of new things...

(1) A new button on the My Genealogy File tab which will generate an email (or simply copy to the clipboard) the background info of the people selected in the list. Try it and hit the HELP button for a little more explanation.

(2) People of unknown sex should now show up in generated text as "he/she"

(3) Changed the Welcome Wizard so that it defaults less often to having you open the sample file.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.18 - 20

Fixed two bugs...

(1) For those that had their internet settings as "Modem/Always Ask To Go Online"... no update check was being done if YES was choosen when asked.

(2) Kiosk mode was getting a "list out of bounds" error.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.17

You can now "exclude" place names from the data cleanup place names list. They don't really go away, but rather show up with an "X" in the display so you have a visual indicator that you've dealt with this place name. Future versions will give you some display options around this. To use this, select a line in the data cleanup/place names tab that has a place name (you can't exclude "missing" place names yet), right click with your mouse and select the EXCLUDE option. Note the change in the display, which will "stick" between GenSmarts runs. See the help text for more info - it's the last item in the FAQ section.


Also... added a couple of INI file options. In the ANALYSIS section, you can use:

MaxYearForMissingPlaceName=1900

to specify the threshold for when GenSmarts will include a note in the data cleanup place names list for a "missing" item that you likely know.

and you can use:

MinYearForPlaceNameCleanup=1700

to specify the threshold for when GenSmarts will consider adding items to the data cleanup list. Places associated with events older than this won't be shown in the data cleanup list.

The values 1700 and 1900 can be any years, you'd like of course. You won't find them in GenSmarts.ini file, but you can add these lines in the Analysis section if you want to change the defaults (currently 1700 and 1900 as shown).


Also... the mouse wheel (for those of you that have one) will now work if you simply have the mouse over what you want to scoll - you don't have to click to select it first.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.15

A new feature for TMG V5 users - you can now filter the TO DO list using TMG flags, both default and custom in the TO DO list SEARCH box. Percent signs are use to mark the beginning and ending of each 'flag phrase'. Here's some examples of this, using a couple of the default flags:

%SEX=F% {only displays suggesitons for people with a sex flag of "F"}

%SEX=-M% +census {only displays suggestions containing the phrase CENSUS and then only for people who don't have a SEX flag of M}

%LIVING=+Y+?% %SEX=M% +birth {only displays suggestions containing the phrase birth for males who are or might be living}

Since this works for custom TMG 5 flags as well, you can do things like define a "GenSmarts" flag if you want, to mark the people you want to focus on with GenSmarts. Then a TO DO List SEARCH box phrase of %GenSmarts=Y% shrinks the To Do list to just those people's suggestions.

Also... fixed a Gedcom import bug that was dropping the first census event
Also... will now ignore curly bracket phrases in place names e.g. "Chicago, IL {my home town}"
Also... added an GenSmarts.INI file option in the Analysis section - specify the following line in the ANALYSIS section if you don't want GenSmarts to always try to do a global state lookup if no country is recognized:

alwaysTryStateLookup=FALSE

Take a place name like "Ontario, CA" - that will always resolve to California with alwaysTryStateLookup=TRUE (the default), because there's no recognized country/country abbreviation, but it gets a hit on CA for California. With the alwaysTryStateLookup=FALSE setting, this will resolve to an unknown if the default country isn't the USA (or unspecified).Despite the fact that the word STATE appears in the option name, it's not a US centric option - it applies equally to the first sub-country geographic division (e.g. COUNTY for ENGLAND)



Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.14

We're still working on cleaning up and verifying the Ancestry.com data referenced in Version 1.0.4.13 below, as well as adding in Houston's Clayton library. It'll be a few more days yet until that's done, and... rather than include our working copy of all that data (which is a bit messy at the moment), we simply reverted back to the same data that was in 1.0.4.10. That way, this version should be a quite usable improvement to 1.0.4.10, and in a few days when we get the data from Ancestry.com and Clayton cleaned up we'll put both pieces back together again.


Here's A Rundown On Changes In Version 1.0.4.14:

1) (TMG only) Any event that relates to a Gedcom BIRT type is now considered by GenSmarts to be a Birth event. Same for Death/DEAT, and Marraige/MARR.
2) (TMG/RootsMagic/Legacy) Bug fixed in the ADO level detection mechanism (see forum xxx) for description.
3) Inclusion/exclusion in the TO DO list search box, so you can do things like "-CENSUS" to remove all the suggestions with the word CENSUS in them. This is the same capability that was added in 1.0.4.13 below.
4) Removed new Ancestry.com entries from 1.0.4.13 for the time being, as per above comment.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.13

Version 1.0.4.13 adds over 1000 additional Ancestry.com databases to what GenSmarts analyzes for. A few other changes as well... see below for a complete description.

Here's A Rundown On Changes In Version 1.0.4.13

- Added over 1000 additional Ancestry.com databases to what GenSmarts analyzes for.
- The "<=SEARCH" box on the To Do list tab will now take "+" and "-" and some other boolean operators - see the help text for a complete descripiton.
- Fixed a bug that was preventing TMG files from being found when use the File Open Wizard.
- Fixed a bug that was preventing some place names that used Saint, St., Mount, or Mt. from being recognized.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.11 through 1.0.4.13

- Added over 1000 additional Ancestry.com databases to what GenSmarts analyzes for.
- The "<=SEARCH" box on the To Do list tab will now take "+" and "-" and some other boolean operators - see the help text for a complete descripiton.
- Fixed a bug that was preventing TMG files from being found when use the File Open Wizard.
- Fixed a bug that was preventing some place names that used Saint, St., Mount, or Mt. from being recognized.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.4.00 through 1.0.4.10

- Fixed a bug in the importing of TMG files - if you had specified witnesses to census events... they were coming in attributed to different people
- Kiosk mode is new - see TOOLS...SETTINGS...DISPLAY this is usefull if you don't have a file to load (e.g. in a library setting). It doesn't take affect until you set it, close, and restart GenSmarts
- Fixed a bug that was causing duplicate spouse deaths to sometimes show up in the chronology.
- Fixed a few other obscure bugs
- When this one settles in, we'll queue it for auto update


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.3.20 through 1.0.4.0

- Lots of enhancements, including support for more countries and research sources
- More description to follow over the next couple of days
- We'll set this up for an automatic update soon, but you can download now and install if you like


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.3.16 through 1.0.3.20

- Mostly changes unique to the trial version
- Fixed a bug in reading version 4 TMG files, that was introduced in version 1.0.3.16
- As per previous advice, this is probably not worth upgrading to if you 1.0.3.10 or later. Unless... you use TMG V4 and you want the change to the way we handle witnesses to Census events that was added in 1.0.3.16. - Also, as was the case with 1.0.3.16, we haven't distributed this version as an automatic update, since it doesn't seem to be of significant general interest.



Here's what's new: Version 1.0.3.11 through 1.0.3.16

- A variety of improvements to the way access keys work to enable the software. We don't suggest bothering with upgrading to this version simply for these changes, since they don't affect those of you who already have the software installed.
- A small enhancement to the way we read TMG files. We now will note, as events, when you have people listed as a witness to a census. This was done by request, as we understand many of you use this technique (rather than actual events) to record people you've found listed on a census.
- We haven't distributed this version as an automatic update, since it doesn't seem to be of significant general interest. Hopefully we'll add another research source or two (we've been experimenting with the Godfrey library) and we'll send that out generally before the end of December.



Here's what's new: Version 1.0.3.10

- Fixed bug that was causing obsolete suggestions to be deleted from the TO DO list. Obsolete suggestions are those suggestions which GenSmarts previously made, and were marked with a Research Result (probably a Not Found), but that no longer make sense, either because of changes in your data or improvements in GenSmarts. The intent was to continue to carry these in your TO DO list, as you had marked them, but with an comment that GenSmarts now considered them obsolete. To delete them, you could simply CLEAR the research results and they would go away. This bug was preventing them from being carried in the TO DO list, so they effectively were being deleted for you. While some might consider this a feature (saves you from deleting all those NOT FOUND's yourself), that wasn't the intent - we wanted to let the user decide if they wanted to keep that specific research result or not.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.3.9

- Fixed bug that was causing the AVAILABLE ONLINE button to route you to the "TRIAL OFFERS" page
- Fixed a related bug that was not initializing SMARTLINK/SMARTSEARCH correctly for modem users


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.3.2 through 1.0.3.8

- Fixed bug in Rootsweb searches that was preventing SmartLink and SmartSearch from working correctly
- Removed previously unknown limit in the number of different TMG census type tags GenSmarts could support
- Improved error handling/correction when missing/outdated Microsoft drivers needed for FDB/TMG/RMG files are detected
- Added state name to TO DO list display for county record suggestions
- Obsolete suggestions can now be deleted by simply CLEARing the research result they've been marked with
- Fixed bug in IL Marriage search that wasn't putting a required space between surname and given name
- Added timeout on update and broadcast message check so GenSmarts won't make you wait if the internet connection is slow
- Fixed bug that was causing some internet connections to not detect available updates



Here's what's new: Version 1.0.3.0 through 1.0.3.1

- Fixed a bug in Gedcom loading - CENS tags that didn't have both a place and a date
- Enhanced pre-req checking for RMG/TMG files by looking at the version of VFPODBC.DLL present - needs to be 6.1 or greater
- Versions of MS VFPODBC.DLL and ADO are now on the HELP...ABOUT... screen
- Turned off the debug log (oops, didn't mean to leave this on post-beta)


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.2.33 through 1.0.2.37

- Added Dallas Public Library
- Cleaned up chronology sizing in People detail level report
- Fixed a bug where the load of some TMG files would fail due to an extra '_' being used in the lower level file names
- V5 names are now better supported (though were broken for awhile in 1.0.2.33 and 1.0.2.34)
- Expanded the definition of what a census tag is in TMG - it's either the original plain CENSUS tag, or has gedcom equivalent of CENS, or contains the word CENSUS in the name but not the word T (e.g. CENS-NT-FND wouln't fit)
- Fixed some bugs in place name handling of locations with the word DISTRICT in them


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.2.28 through 1.0.2.32

- Fixed occasional glitch in interface with IE where GenSmarts would pop a "IE is taking a long time (x seconds so far)..." message too soon, and behind IE where you couldn't see it
- The suggestion engine is a bit more aggressive about using partial events (either a date or a place, but not both) in coming up with recommendations. This, coupled with the changes in date estimating, should increase the number of suggestions.
- The next generation of date estimating is in this one. There's explanations provided for any dates estimated on the "MY GENEALOGY FILE" tab, and a new sub-tab in the DATA CLEANUP tab that contains anything we came across that might indicate an illogical situation in your data.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.2.24 through 1.0.2.28

- Added support for CENSUS events. No more suggestions to check what you've already recorded!
- Fixed a bug that was preventing a few people from reading PJC, TMG and RMG files.


Here's what's new: Version 1.0.2.22 through 1.0.2.24

- Added support for Genealogy.com's census collection. SMARTLINK/SEARCH work for 1860,70 and 1910 now, and we'll be SMARTLINK/SEARCH for the rest of their indexed census later this evening (9/29).
- Fixed a bug that was causing a loop when loading larger Gedcom files.
- Turned off the "bug report", which was occasionally causing ACCESS VIOLATIONS on Win95/98. We had gotten in the habit of leaving it enabled pro-actively in the beta versions, but will go back to using it by exception - just when we need it to figure out a problem. This specific technology just doesn't play well with the older platforms. Other benefit is the install file is about 300K less without it...

Here's what's new: Version 1.0.2.14 through 1.0.2.21

- The new "AVAILABLE ONLINE" linking technology is in. The help text has been updated, here's an excerpt about the new functionallity in the AVAILABLE ONLINE button:

"Pressing the small down arrow on the right edge of the button produces a drop down menu which allows you to control the how the link to the site is executed. BROWSE will launch the browser you've specified in the TOOLS...SETTINGS... menu option. Depending on the site, search criteria may or may not be applied and submitted. SMARTLINK, launches MS Internet Explorer and fills in the search criteria for you to review/tailor/submit. SMARTSEARCH is identical to SMARTLINK and additionally, the search is submitted for processing. By default, when you press the AVAILABLE ONLINE button, a SMARTLINK is performed. You can change this default to be either BROWSE or SMARTSEARCH, if you prefer, by using the TOOLS...SETTINGS... menu option (INTEGRATION tab)."

- This one also includes the new Welcome Wizard. See the HELP menu... and give it a try.
- Performance improvements for RootsMagic loading.
- Support for a default country to assist place name recognition.
- Other place name recognition improvements, including associating "district" with "county".


Version 1.0.2.12 through 1.0.2.14

- Added NEHGS to the list of subscriptions (only a couple of online datasets to get started, FILTER by NEHGS in the TO DO List to see if you've got any hits)
- NEHGS seems to be having some problems with their site, especially in the evening, so be patient with bugs in the AVAILABLE ONLINE
- Added the new pre-1916 Illinois death database, let us know what you think - it seems pretty sparse
- Added support for TMG V5 multiple data sets
- Cleaned up a shutdown error that a couple of people had reported
- ID's now display all over the place
- Living people now shouldn't have a "D. (unknown)" displayed
- A couple of various place name issues were fixed
- If you always want GenSmarts to come up maximized, you can add this to your GenSmarts.INI file, in the [Display] category (add it if it doesn't exist):

launchMaximized=TRUE


Version 1.0.2.10 & 1.0.2.11

- Cleaned up some place name recognition bugs.
- Added support for the Living flag in Legacy, TMG, and RMG.
- Cleaned up some issues with names having commas.
- Cleaned up a time out error which popped up occasionally on slow PCs.
- Cleaned up the unknown country and state that was showing up in the explanation test on SSDI suggestions.