Gensmarts…

Let me first say I like this program and have used it since pretty much the beginning. I rarely use the TO DO LIST function in Gensmarts, but prefer the CUSTOMIZE RECORDS FEATURE. But today’s blog is about using the TO DO LIST function, with filters to narrow down the suggestions.

Today’s blog is on a feature of Gensmarts that I am starting to really love. Let me say that the support for this program is awesome. Aaron seems to always be online to answer my questions.

So to the TO DO LIST Filter function and how it is going to make me more genealogically organized this year. (Or how I am avoiding looking for the camera. )

First off, you need a group of records to search. I personally am working on Wilson County, TN marriages from 1838- 1884.

So I am going to filter the TO DO list window for United States, Tennessee and Wilson. Next I want Gensmarts to look for possible marriages that have missing data, or missing sources. Because I tend to look for everyone, including my 16th cousin 8 times removed in marriage records, I am letting Gensmarts use my entire database.
I want it to remove suggestions from the list as I find the record, so I have it filter for suggestions with NO STATUS. (more about status later.)

Now my marriage roll is indexed, by male names only. So I am going to enter the phrase %SEX-M% into the search phrase window. This is a special phrase that Gensmarts uses for The Master Genealogist’s (my genealogy program) custom flags. (Don’t I feel special today.)

So now I have a list of all males, who possibly married in Wilson County, TN who I need some sort of data or source for. Now I am going to select OK and when the list comes up, I am going to sort it by surname, because that is how my index is sorted.

Now it’s just a matter of working my way down the list.

Now to status. Gensmarts ships with some status buttons defined already. Found, not found, plan to search, Ignored. I created a few of my own: Phone a friend, Email, and most importantly Another Film. Another Film means this person won’t be found on this roll of microfilm, but another roll, so for now the task is done. We can revisit those when we work on that roll of film.

So as I work my way down the list, as I find someone, I put in the data in TMG, source it, and then mark them FOUND. If I already have a date from another source and know they aren’t on this film, I mark them ANOTHER FILM. As I mark them, they disappear from my list! That’s the best part. As I work, my TO DO LIST gets smaller.

Once that list is done, I am done with this roll of film and ready to get down the next one.

Now most people say that Gensmarts is mainly geared toward the US and if you use the built in suggestions it probably is. But if you use the TO DO LIST function and filter it yourself, you can have it use any record set you have.

In a cemetery? Filter for people of that surname.
Marriage index book? Use my example above.
Deed book at courthouse? Use my example above, filter for land tags.