U.S. Cities Galore is the result of a collaborative effort between Frustration Solutions, LLC; and Imaginality Productions, Inc.

Operating System: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP
Computer CPU: 120 Mhz or faster.
RAM: 32 MB or higher
Hard Disk Space: 15 MB
CD-ROM drive: Not required
Video Display: 800x600 resolution or higher

The program includes five functions. The first function titled "Lookup County" provides genealogy researchers or hobbyists with the ability to quickly access a comprehensive database which includes more than 303,000 locations, i.e., (boroughs, townships, towns, and cities) in the United States with their associated county. Say goodbye to atlases and maps with their small print. If you have ever spent time trying to look up the county for your ancestors' births, christenings, marriages, deaths, or burials, you will find U.S. Cities Galore the solution to your manual lookup efforts. Users can be working in any of the well-known genealogy programs and when the information at hand is incomplete, U.S. Cities Galore can be opened. By typing in the state and the city, the county is quickly identified. Then by simply using the copy and paste function common to Window-based programs, users can return to their genealogy program and paste the result in the appropriate location.

A new feature has been added. Where possible we have included the longitude and latitude for the cities selected in the standard format of degrees, minutes, and seconds. These are shown on the window form and cannot be copied. This information is available on the Lookup County, Lookup Cities within a County, and Lookup by City windows as the city is selected.

The second function also utilizes this powerful database to help the user determine the correct spelling of the township, borough, village, or city. This function is titled "Lookup List of Cities within a County." This time the user is prompted to enter the state and county. A list of all the boroughs, townships, towns, and cities within the county are shown and can be selected for copying. The three functions, (Lookup County, Lookup List of Cities within a County, and Lookup by City) will eliminate the need for other reference material such as gazetteers or atlases.

"Lookup by City" is a brand new lookup function with version 2 of U.S. CitiesGalore. In this screen the user need only type in the name of the city and depress the tab key or enter key. The scroll screen immediately shows all of the occurences of this city name in every state. The associated county is also shown. Since many city names will be duplicated a number of times, the user can also type in the state so that the search is narrowed. Once the desired result can be seen in the scroll box, the user can highlight it with a click of the mouse. This activates the Copy All button, allowing the user to click on it and then paste the result to any other genealogy program or to a word document.

D. Cleanup
The fourth, most powerful function is "Cleanup." Users are prompted to "Open a GEDCOM file." To open a GEDCOM file,the user will have first created one using their individual genealogy program. Creating a GEDCOM file is common to all genealogy programs and is usually found under the file menu, titled ﾑExport'. Users can create a GEDCOM file that includes part or all of their existing data. A GEDCOM file is the standard file format for sharing data between users. Regardless of the type of Genealogy Program one has, and the different kinds of formats that are used, all can create a standard GEDCOM file. Simply, use the help section in your Genealogy Program to learn how to create a GEDCOM file of your genealogy data. We recommend that users include all the data that they have on their ancestors and descendants, so that after processing the file with the U.S. CitiesGalore "Cleanup" function they can restore the data intact back into their genealogy program. Besides, if all the data are processed, there is no need to merge the data later. Having created the GEDCOM file, the users can open the GEDCOM file in the Cleanup function. As U.S. CitiesGalore opens the file, it scans the file for all Record Event types and opens a Preferences windows.

The Preference window allows the user to conform all their U.S. data to their personal standards. The states can be spelled out or abbreviated using the official two-letter U.S. Postal abbreviation. For counties the user can select one of three options: (1) the word County can be added after the name of the county; (2) the abbreviation ﾓCo.ﾔ can be added; or (3) simply the name of the county. At the bottom of the window is a list of all of the Record Events that were found in the initial screening of the file. The user can select all or deselect any that do not include a city, county, state location. The user is then prompted to process the file using these preferences.

Now the full power of U.S. CitiesGalore is utilized. Every individual record is reviewed to determine the correctness of the location information for all the event types that were found in the file that the user selected. Each location consisting of city, county, and state is checked to see if the spelling is correct. If the user has entered only the city and state information, U.S. CitiesGalore adds the county information. After the file is processed, the results are displayed showing the name of the individual, the event, and the location as they originally appeared and then the location as it appears in the processed file. A legend by each event tells the user if the location was corrected by U.S. CitiesGalore (a circle with a checkmark), if it was correct to begin with (a green circle), if information is missing, incomplete or out of country (a red circle),which does not allow U.S. CitiesGalore to correct the information. In some cases a circle with an M in it will indicate that the name of the city appears in more than one county in the state.
A Status Report is provided to show how many records were processed with the above-mentioned statistics. Simply click on the button labeled ﾓStatus Reportﾔ. Users now have two options. They can save the newly processed file as it is and then import the file back into their genealogy program or they can let U.S. CitiesGalore help them make needed corrections to their data. This is done by either clicking on the Find & Fix button, or by clicking on individual records and making corrections, using the Edit functions (highlight any record and right click to open the edit menu). A full range of edit functions is provided including a much improved Find and Replace and also the ability to export the browse screen results to a text file. The advantage of U.S. CitiesGalore editing capability is that all the records are accessible on a browse screen and the records can be sorted in many different manners.

To see how this is done, in the browse screen, click on the column header New Location and a sub menu appears prompting the user to sort the column in one of five ways. They are: (1) Alphabetical Assending; (2) Alphabetical Descending; (3) Reverse Assending (reverse assending sorts from the largest to the smallest from right to left); (4) Reverse Descending; or (5) the Original Order. The advantage to these different ways of sorting is that they put the records in an order that allows the user to see all the common mistakes. The Reverse Assending and Descending are new features and add another dimension to effectively find mistakes. Additionally, all common mistakes can be corrected quickly by fixing the first mistake, and then copying the correction to all the remaining records. This is done by using the Control+C key to copy (or right clicking and selecting Copy) and then selecting the first incorrect record, depressing the shift key and then clicking on the last incorrect record, thus highlighting all the incorrect records. With all the incorrect records highlighted, the user can then use the Control+V key or right click to open the sub menu and then select Paste. Those who use U.S. Cities Galore will love this Cleanup feature of finding all the records with the same mistake and replacing them with corrected information.

The Find & Fix function simplifies the correction process. When users select this button with a mouse click or the Control+W key, U.S. CitiesGalore searches for the first record that needs fixing. Once found, basic logic is applied to determine which Lookup window will help users make corrections. One of the Lookup windows is automatically opened and the information from the record is used to populate the form, as well as position the scroll screen on the most likely location. The location is highlighted boldly above the window so that the user always knows which location is selected. If users see the correct location, they click on it and then click on the Copy and Paste into Record button. They are immediately returned to the browse screen with the cursor positioned on the record that has been corrected. Once again the Find & Fix button can be selected and the process is repeated. Each time that users are returned to the browse screen, the legend and Status Report are updated. If users are unable to select an appropriate location, while in the Lookup window, they select the No change - Goto Next button. The program then searches for the next record that needs correcting and once again populates the Lookup window with the new information. Using these steps users can quickly step through all records that need correcting, and that have enough information to be corrected. When users return to the browse screen, they will notice that the legend for each record that was reviewed has been changed to either a circle outlined in blue with a check mark to designate that it has been fixed or a red circle with a checkmark designating that it was reviewed but not fixed. Those records which U.S. CitiesGalore will not review are those where the name of the state is missing. These will show up information is not complete or outside U.S. Database. Every time a correction or a review of a record is made the Status Report is updated. This only occurs with the Find and Fix function. When multiple records are selected and corrected with the copy and paste function, the Status Report is not updated. For an uptodate status report, the user need only process the file again after saving it.

All functions and action buttons can be selected by using the mouse or control keys on the keyboard. The Find and Replace function has also been greatly improved and will move quickly from one entry to the next. When using the Find and Replace function it is best to first put the file back to its natural order.

The last function. This function was added so that users would be able to further personalize the database. As the database was being gathered from many available sources including internet web sites, it grew from 39,000 to more than 193,000 locations. Even with this significant effort, we recognized that there are locations that existed in the 1600s and 1700s and even the 1800s that do not exist today. We wanted to give our users the ability to add these locations in their own data base and if they want, to share them with us so that in future versions we can add them. Additionally there are towns in the United States like Du Bois that in one state it is spelled DuBois and another state spells it Du Bois. Every effort was made to spell it as it would appear on official correspondence. Unfortunately, the U.S. Postal Guide was not a reliable source. They rely mainly on the zip code to get the mail there. We did our best, but users have the final word. We give users the capability to add missing towns, and to edit existing towns so that the full capabilities of the program can be used. County and state names cannot be modified but a location consisting of a borough, township, town, or city, etc., and its associated county and state can be added or edited. Once added, U.S. Cities Galore will use the added information when processing a GEDCOM file. Obviously care must be taken when editing an existing location. It is recommended that the user not delete an original location from the database, even though we have provided that capability.

When U.S. Cities Galore first opens, the user sees a menu at the top of the form consisting of four items: File, Edit, View, and Help.

Immediately below the menu are five tabs representing the five functions that are described in Section II. Each tab is a form which allows the user to perform the different functions. Lookup County is the first tab and form and is opened when the program is opened. The four menu items and the five tabbed forms are always active and can be selected using the mouse or by use of function keys. Section IV gives a detailed description of the items in the Menu and Section V gives a detailed description of each of the five forms.

A description of the four menu items follows.

1. Open GEDCOM File (Ctrl + O) is only active when the Cleanup form has been activated. Once the Cleanup form is activated, this menu item is activated and can be selected from the menu, by entering Ctrl +O, or selecting the ﾑOpen GEDCOM fileﾒ button on the ﾑCleanupﾒ form. This function is described in detail in Section V.
   
   
2. Save As (Ctrl + S). This menu item is active when the Cleanup form has been activated and a GEDCOM File has been opened and processed. This function can be activated from the menu, by entering Ctrl+S, or selecting the ﾑSave Asﾒ button on the ﾑCleanupﾒ form. This function is also described in more detail in Section V.
   
   
3. Reopen. This menu item is active all the time. It allows the user to immediately reopen a GEDCOM file that was used in a prior session. The last four GEDCOM files that were opened are maintained on the drop-down list. The user only has to use the mouse to select the appropriate file.
   
   
4. Backup Database File is active all the time. This function allows the user to backup the U.S. Cities Galore database. It is highly recommended that the user does a backup after installing the program for the first time and then performs a backup each time that he or she adds or modifies a location in the database. This insures that if the user adds a number of new locations, and later the database files are corrupted, the user will be able to restore the database.
   
   
5. Restore Database Files. This menu item is active all the time. This function restores the database from the prior backup.
   
   
6. Exit. This menu item is always active. On selection, the user exits the program.
   

1. Undo (Ctrl+Z). This control is active when the user has opened and processed a GEDCOM file. If the user makes a mistake while editing, this function is available to undo the prior step. It can be selected from the menu or by using Ctrl+Z.
   
   
2. Copy (Ctrl+C) is only active when the user has highlighted a record in the ﾑCleanupﾒ browse screen. The Copy function can be selected from the menu, by use of Ctrl+C, or by a right click on the mouse and selecting Copy on the drop-down menu.
   
   
3. Cut (Ctrl+X). This control is only active when the user has highlighted a record in the ﾑCleanupﾒ browse screen. The Cut function can be selected from the menu, by use of Ctrl+X, or by a right click on the mouse and selecting Cut on the drop-down menu.
   
   
4. Paste (Ctrl+V). This control is active immediately after the user has copied something to the clipboard, whether in U.S. Cities Galore or in some other program. Its primary use is when the user is performing editing functions in the ﾑCleanupﾒ browse screen. The control can be activated whenever the user is in a field where typing is appropriate. To activate, the user selects Paste from the Menu or by entering Ctrl+V or when in the ﾑCleanupﾒ browse screen by a right click and selecting Paste from the drop-down menu.
   
   
5. Edit Record is active immediately following the processing of a GEDCOM file in the ﾑCleanupﾒ form. On selection from the menu, the first record in the browse screen is selected and the cursor is positioned in front of the first letter of the record. If the user has scrolled through the browse screen and arrived at another record and decides to edit it, he or she selects the ﾑEdit Recordﾒ from the menu or by a right click to open a sub menu and then selecting ﾑEdit Recordﾒ from the drop-down menu, or by simply clicking twice on the record.
   
   
6. Find & Replace (Ctrl+F). This menu item like the one above becomes active immediately following the processing of a GEDCOM file in the ﾑCleanupﾒ form. It can be selected from the menu or by a right click on the mouse to produce a drop-down menu. The ﾑFind & Replaceﾒ function is then available. It can also be activated when a record is highlighted in the browse screen in the ﾑCleanupﾒ form by entering Ctrl+F. The Find & Replace function is described in more detail in the following section under the ﾑCleanupﾒ form.
   
   
7. Find & Fix (Ctrl+W). This menu item like the one above becomes active immediately following the processing of a GEDCOM file in the ﾑCleanupﾒ form. It can be selected from the menu or by a right click on the mouse to produce a drop-down menu. The ﾑFind & Fixﾒ function is then available. It can also be activated when a record is highlighted in the browse screen in the ﾑCleanupﾒ form by clicking on the 'Find and Fix' button. The Find & Fix function is described in more detail in the following section under the ﾑCleanupﾒ form.
   
   
8. Preferences (Ctrl+P). This menu is always active from any window. It can be selected from the Edit menu or by using the Ctrl+P keys. The Preference window is immediately opened and selections can be made which are immediately implemented. All subsequent lookups will reflect the current status of the user preferences.
   

1. Help File(F1). The Help file is always active. When selected the ﾑHelp Fileﾒ opens to the form or menu item that currently has focus. The same purpose is accomplished by clicking on the ﾑHelp Menuﾒ and then selecting 'Help'.
   
   
2. Lookup County (F3). This item is always active. It activates the ﾑLookup Countyﾒ form. Clicking on the tab or pressing the F3 function key accomplishes the same purpose.
   
   
3. Lookup List of Cities within a County (F4). This item is always active. It activates the ﾑLookup List of Cities within a Countyﾒ form. Clicking on the tab or pressing the F4 function key accomplishes the same purpose.
   
   
4. Lookup by City (F5). This menu item is always active. When selected the ﾑLooup by Cityﾒ window is opened. Clicking on the ﾑLookup by Cityﾒ form tab or pressing the F5 function key produces the same result.
   
   
5. Cleanup (F6). This menu item is always active. The ﾑCleanupﾒ form is opened when selected. Clicking on the form tab or pressing the F6 function key accomplishes the same result.
   
   
6. Add or Modify Locations (F7). This menu item is always active. It activates the ﾑAdd or Modify Locationsﾒ form. Clicking on the form tab or pressing the F7 function key produces the same result.
   

1. Help (F1). This menu item is always active. This help file is opened when the menu item is selected. The user can also open this help file by entering F1.
   
   
2. Check for Updates. This menu item is always active and can be at checked at any time. If updates are available they will be free of charge.
   
   
3. About. This menu item is always active. The user selects the menu item and the about splash screen is opened giving recognition to the developers of U.S. Cities Galore and how a person might contact the principles involved.
   

When the form is first activated, the cursor is in the "State" entry field. The user has the normal options for moving around the form including the mouse, typing, tabbing, or pressing the enter key in some cases.

These are the steps:

1. Users begin by selecting a state, either by typing or by using the mouse to click on the scroll buttons until the state is visible in the window. As soon as a state is selected, the city scroll is activated. By tabbing the user is advanced to the "City" entry field. The mouse can also be use to click in the "City" entry field.
   
   
2. Type in the name of the city or use the mouse and click on the city scroll buttons until the city is visible in the window, then select by clicking. On clicking, the program searches for the county and displays the county in the "County" field and the city, county, and state in the "All" field. The "Copy County" and "Copy All" buttons are activated and the "Copy County" button is highlighted. Tab and the highlight moves to the "Copy County" button.
   
   
3. Use the space bar or a mouse click to copy the county. Or the user tabs to move the highlight to the "Copy All" button.
   
   
4. Use the space bar or a mouse click to copy the entire listing of the city, county, state. Or the user tabs to move the highlight to the "New Search" button.
   
   
5. Use the space bar or a mouse click to begin a New Search. Further tabbing moves the cursor or highlight through these same five steps.
   
   
6. As the different buttons are activated, the user can always use the mouse and select the button by clicking on it rather than tabbing.
   

When the form is first activated, the cursor is in the ﾑStateﾒ entry field. The user has the same options, as described in the ﾑLookup Countyﾒ form for moving around this form.

These are the steps.

1. Begin typing in the name of the state in the entry field or use the mouse to click on the scroll buttons until the state is visible in the scroll window for selection. As soon as the state is selected, the county scroll window becomes active. Tabbing or use of the mouse takes the user to the county entry field.
   
   
2. Begin typing in the name of the county or use the mouse to click on the scroll buttons until the county is visible in the scroll window for selection. As soon as the county is selected, the city scroll window becomes active. Tabbing or use of the mouse takes the user to the city entry field.
   
   
3. Begin typing in the name of the city or use the mouse to click on the scroll buttons until the city is visible. Select the city by clicking on it or if typing, once the correct city is in the window, tab. This moves the highlight to the ﾑCopy Cityﾒ button.
   
   
4. Use the space bar or a mouse click to copy the city. Or the user tabs to move the highlight to the ﾑCopy Allﾒ button.
   
   
5. Use the space bar or a mouse click to copy the entire listing of city, county, and state. Or a tab to move the highlight to the ﾑNew Searchﾒ button.
   
   
6. Use the space bar or a mouse click to begin a new search. This action clears all the entry fields and positions the cursor in the ﾑStateﾒ entry field. Or a tab to move the cursor back to the ﾑStateﾒ entry field without clearing the fields. Continued tabbing moves the cursor in the same order as before.
   
   
7. The user can use the mouse to select any active button at any time to avoid tabbing.
   

When the form is first activated, the cursor is in the "City" entry field. Type in the name of the city and then press the tab or enter key. A listing of all the locations of the city appears in the scroll screen to the right. The user can use the mouse to scroll through all the listings. The user can also tab or click in the "State" entry field to filter the search to a particular state. Simply begin typing the name of the state to move the scroll screen to that state. After clicking on the specific entry, the user can then tab or click on the "Copy All" button to copy the result. Another tab moves the highlight to the "New Search" button. The space bar or a mouse click will clear the screen and place the cursor in the "City" entry field to begin a new search.

When the form is activated, the ﾑOpen GEDCOM fileﾒ button is highlighted. The user has the same options as before for navigating in the form. Additionally, when in the browse screen, the user will be able to right click or click on the right button to have an ﾑEditﾒ drop-down menu to appear. The steps are as follows:

1. Open GEDCOM file. With the ﾑOpen GEDCOM fileﾒ button highlighted, click on the button or use the space bar. A standard dialogue window is opened for identifying the location of the GEDCOM file that the user has prepared. If the file is not visible, use the mouse to click on the folder at the top of the dialogue window and direct the selection of the path to where the GEDCOM file is saved. The file will then appear in the display window. Select the file by clicking on it and then click on the ﾑOpenﾒ button. The dialogue window is closed and the user is returned to the ﾑCleanupﾒ form with the ﾑPreference screenﾒ in view.
   
   The default values are shown and the highlight is on the ﾑUse Full State Name (e.g., California). The user must use the mouse to select or deselect the preferences.
   
   These are the steps:
   
   1. The radio button for ﾑUse Full State Nameﾒ is activated. To change the preference to ﾑUse State Abbreviation (e.g., CA)ﾒ, use the Mouse and click on the corresponding radio button.
      
      
   2. The next preference is to decide if the word ﾑCountyﾒ or the abbreviation "Co." is to be added after the name of the county in the user records. The default value is to "Only show the name of the county" Once again the user clicks on the radio button that reflects the user's preference.
      
      
   3. The next section of the form identifies those events which were found when the file was opened. They include all event types. If the user does not want the program to verify one or more of the events, he or she uses the mouse and clicks on the associated check box to deselect it. The program will continue to use these default values each time it processes a GEDCOM file until the user returns to this screen and makes a change.
   
   When a GEDCOM file is processed, the program verifies each location for each event. The program is flexible in allowing the name of the church as well as the city, county, and state for the Christening event. The name of the cemetery can be added for burial events, and the street address can be added for residence events. Many genealogists when entering information that is incomplete will put in leading commas to show that the name of the city or county is unknown. For instance if a person is born in Texas, but the city and county are unknown, the genealogist would enter it as: , , Texas. When data is entered in this manner the full potential of the program is unleashed because it knows exactly what table to check to determine if the name is spelled accurately.
   
   
2. Process File or Cancel. Click on the ﾑProcess Fileﾒ button or the "Cancel" button. The space bar can also be used when the button is activated. The "Process File" button causes the program to verify every location for every event that was selected in the ﾑPreferenceﾒ form. When the processing is complete, the ﾑStatus Reportﾒ button is highlighted.
   
   
3. Status Report. Click on the ﾑStatus Reportﾒ button or use the space bar. The Status Report window opens with the status report. Click on the ﾑPrintﾒ Icon and a ﾑPrintﾒ dialogue window is opened. The ﾑOKﾒ button is highlighted. Usually the user only needs to click on the ﾑOKﾒ button. The other settings are standard and do not need to be adjusted. Once ﾑOKﾒ is selected, the report is printed and the ﾑPrintﾒ dialogue window is closed. Click on the ﾑCloseﾒ button to return to the ﾑCleanupﾒ form. A quick examination of the Status Report shows the current completeness and correctness of the processed file.
   
   Total number of locations that were verified. The number indicates the total number of locations that were verified. This number includes every location for every event for every person. This number will remain constant as successive processing of the same file occurs. In the browse area of the ﾑCleanupﾒ form, each line represents a specific event for a specific person. The number of lines in the browse screens represents the total number of locations that were verified.
   
   Number of locations corrected by U.S. Cities Galore. This includes those records where the user had entered only the city and state. U.S. Cities Galore did the lookup and found the appropriate county and entered the name of the county in the updated GEDCOM file. In the browse screen these records have a circle with a blue check mark in the legend column.
   
   Number of locations with correct information. These lines in the browse screen are represented with a green circle in the legend column. These records already had a city, county, and state and were correctly spelled or recognized as accurate by Counties Galore.
   
   Number of locations with missing or incorrect information. In the browse screen these have a red circle in the legend column. These locations lacked the city, and perhaps the county, or even the state. If the city, county, and state were present, they were not found in the database. This could be because of misspelling, or that the city no longer exists, or that the database is incomplete. Using the edit function, which is described later, the user can correct these records quickly and improve the accuracy of his/her genealogy data.
   
   Number of locations with multiple counties for the city. Unfortunately for genealogists, many states have cities with the same name located in more than one county. In these situations, rather than guess, the program identifies these as situations where the user will need to pull out an atlas and from other records locate the appropriate county. The program identifies these in the browse screen with a blue ﾑMﾒ in the legend column.
   
   Percentage of Accurate records. The first time the report is printed the program adds the number of locations corrected by U.S. Cities Galore and the number of locations with correct information together and then divides by the total number of locations that were verified to obtain a ﾑPercentage of Accurate recordsﾒ. If the updated file is edited and corrections made and then saved with a new file name, it can be processed again. The second time that it is processed all the number of locations that were corrected by U.S. Cities Galore will now be seen as correct and so the number corrected by U.S. Cities Galore will drop to zero but the number of locations with correct information will increase. As the user prints or closes the Status Report he or she is returned to the ﾑCleanupﾒ form with the highlight on the first record in the browse screen.
   
   
4. Find & Fix. When the user selects this button, the program searches for the first record with a red circle or blue ﾑMﾒ in the legend column that has at least the state identified. Based on the information in the record, the program determines which of the ﾑLookupﾒ functions can help the user to identify the missing location. The program automatically selects either the ﾑLookup Countyﾒ window, or the ﾑLookup List of Cities within a Countyﾒ and opens the window, populating the form with the information that is in the record and putting the name of the location above the lookup window so that the user can quickly see what location is active. The user selects the appropriate city or county and selects the ﾑCopy and Paste into Recordﾒ button to cause the information in the original record to be updated. The user is returned to the browse screen. The legend is updated to reflect that the record is now correct, and the Status Report is also updated. When the ﾑFind & Fixﾒ button is selected again, the program moves to the next record that needs to be corrected. If the user does not have enough information to select the missing location, the ﾑNo Change - Goto Nextﾒ button is selected and the program automatically notes that the record was reviewed by putting a check on top of the red circle in the browse screen, but immediately finds the next record to be fixed and populates the appropriate Lookup window with the information.
   
   
5. Sorting the file for editing and global pasting.
   To enable the user to more quickly view all like mistakes, the user can click on the "New Location" column header. A sub-menu screen opens and allows the user to sort the file in five different ways. They are: (1) Alphabetical Ascending; (2) Alphabetical Descending; (3) Reverse Ascending; (4) Reverse Descending; and (5) No sort, (Natural order). Alphabetical Ascending and Descending are left justified. Reverse Ascending and Descending are right justified sorting on the largest entity to the smallest. This will put all of the entries for the state of Alabama together, then Alaska, Arkansas, etc. If the country USA is added, all entries with USA will be put together. This sorting puts all mistakes together. A correction can be made to one location and then copied using either Control+C or by right clicking and choosing "Copy". Then all the remaining locations that have the common mistake can be highlighted by selecting the first and then depress the Shift key and then selecting the last. Once all common locations are highlighted, the user can use the Control+V key or again right click and select "Paste". All the corrections are made at once.
   
   
6. Selecting a record to edit. Users can also choose to select a record for editing. The first record in the browse screen under the ﾑNew Locationﾒ column is highlighted ready for editing. Records that need editing are those with red circles or a blue ﾑMﾒ in the legend column. By using the mouse and the scroll buttons, the user can locate these records. While perusing, take note of those locations where the program added the county. These records have a circle with a blue check mark in them. The original GEDCOM file cannot be edited. As the file is processed, a new updated copy is made which can be edited. Editing can more easily be accomplished by using the mouse. Locate a record in the ﾑNew Locationﾒ column that has a red circle or a blue ﾑM in the legend column. Once the record is highlighted, right click on the mouse. This opens up an Edit dialogue window.
   
   
7. Editing Options - Cut, Copy, Paste, Edit Record. The standard ﾑCutﾒ, ﾑCopyﾒ, and ﾑPasteﾒ functions are available and perform as they do in any other Windows program. By clicking on ﾑEdit Recordﾒ the dialogue window is closed and the user is now able to edit the existing location information in that record.
   
   
8. Editing Option - Find and Replace. By clicking on the ﾑFind and Replaceﾒ function, a standard dialogue window is opened allowing the user to enter the information he or she wants to find and replace it with a corrected name or names. Often, several records will have the same location information. If there is a misspelling in one, it is likely that all need to be corrected. The ﾑFind and Replaceﾒ function allows the user to determine which records should be replaced with the corrected information.
   
   
9. Editing Option - Lookup County. The user can click on this function in the Edit drop-down menu or click on the ﾑLookup Countyﾒ Tab at the top of the window or press the F3 function key. The ﾑLookup Countyﾒ form is opened allowing the user to verify the name of the county. When a record has a blue ﾑMﾒ in the legend column, it means that the program was unable to identify the county because there is more than one county with a city of the same name. The user puts in the state and city information. A county will appear in the County field. However, the user should use the scroll buttons in the city scroll to find that there is another city with the same name. An example (perhaps the worst) is Jefferson, Indiana. When the user types in or selects Indiana and then types in Jefferson or selects it, a county is shown in the County field. However, if the user uses the mouse to scroll down, he or she will note that there are more than 25 cities in Indiana with the name of Jefferson, all in different counties. By clicking on each city named Jefferson, the user can discover all the different counties associated with a city named Jefferson. The user will have to use other information to determine which county he or she wants. Once decided, the complete entry can be copied with the ﾑCopy Allﾒ command. The user can then select the ﾑCleanupﾒ tab at the top of the window or press the F6 function key and return to the browse screen at the prior record location. Right clicking on the record allows the paste function to be selected and the corrected result replaces the existing location information.
   
   
10. Editing Option - Lookup List of Cities within a County. This lookup function is used when the record is missing the city or perhaps there are a city, county, and state in the record but there is a spelling error. By using the ﾑLookup List of Cities within a Countyﾒ the form is opened and the user enters the state and county information. As the user types the name of the county, he or she will discover if there is a misspelling in the county. If the county is correct, the user proceeds with typing in the name of the city in the city entry field. The city as it is currently spelled is located. If it is a spelling error, the ﾑCopy Allﾒ button allows the user to copy the selected information and by clicking on the ﾑCleanupﾒ tab or pressing the F6 function key he or she is returned to the record in the browse screen. The record can then be edited and the result pasted.
    
    
11. Editing Option - Lookup by City. This lookup function can also be used if only the city name is known and not the state.
    
    
12. Editing Option - Add or Modify Locations. There is another condition that the user might encounter. It is possible that the city in the original record no longer exists or the spelling of the city has changed from the original record. Consequently, the name of the city will not be in data base. In this situation, the user can select the ﾑAdd or Modify Locationﾒ function in the ﾑEditﾒ dialogue window. This takes the user to the ﾑAdd or Modify Locationﾒ form. By entering the state and county, the ﾑAdd Cityﾒ button is activated and highlighted. By clicking on the ﾑAdd Cityﾒ button, the ﾑAdd Cityﾒ dialogue window is opened. The name of the city is entered and the ﾑOKﾒ button is clicked. The dialogue window is closed and the user will see that the newly added city appears in the table. The next time the file is processed, the program will find the entry and show the location as correct with a green circle. The status report will be updated with the edited information and reflect an improvement in the percentage of accurate records.
    
    
13. Editing Option - Export to text file. While this is not strictly an editing function, the user can now export the contents of the browse screen to a text file for further manipulation.
    
    
14. Save As. Once the editing is completed or immediately after processing the file, the user can click on the ﾑSave Asﾒ button. The ﾑSave Asﾒ dialogue window is opened and the user is prompted to enter a new name for the processed file. After typing the name, click on the ﾑOKﾒ button. The dialogue window is closed and the user is returned to the ﾑCleanupﾒ window. The highlight is now on the ﾑProcessﾒ button.
    
    
15. Cycle: Process File - Status Report - Find & Fix/Editing - Save As. If editing has occurred, it is recommended that the user click on the ﾑProcess buttonﾒ. The newly saved file is processed and the information that was previously in the ﾑNew Locationﾒ column is now reflected in the ﾑOld Locationﾒ column. Once again the user is prompted to select the ﾑStatus Reportﾒ button. Select with a click and an updated status report is displayed showing the results of all the editing. The percentage of accurate records will be higher.
    
    This cycle of processing, printing, find & fix/ editing, saving, and then starting again can be continued until all the possible red circles and blue ﾑMﾒ legend records have been corrected. This final corrected GEDCOM file can then be imported back into the userﾒs Genealogy Program.
    

When the form opens the cursor is in ﾑStateﾒ entry field. The user has the same options as before. The steps are as follows:

1. Enter or Select the State. Begin typing the state or use the mouse to click on the scroll buttons until state is visible, then click on state or tab. This activates the county scroll and places the cursor in the ﾑCountyﾒ entry field.
   
   
2. Enter or Select the County. Begin typing or use mouse and click on county scroll buttons until the county is visible in the window, then select with a mouse click. This activates the ﾑAdd Cityﾒ button as well as the city scroll.
   
   
3. Add a City. If the user knows that they want to add a city, then he or she uses the mouse and clicks on the ﾑAdd Cityﾒ button. A dialogue window opens and the user types in the name of the new city and clicks on the ﾑOKﾒ button. The dialogue window is closed and the user is returned to the ﾑAdd or Modify Locationsﾒ form with the new city highlighted in the scroll window.
   
   
4. Edit name of City. If the user wants to edit or delete a city he or she should tab or use the mouse to select the ﾑCityﾒ entry field. The user begins typing the city or uses the mouse to click on the scroll buttons until the city is visible in the scroll window. Select the city with the mouse or tab once the correct city is highlighted. This moves the highlight to the ﾑEdit Cityﾒ button. Use the space bar or the mouse to activate the ﾑEdit Cityﾒ button dialogue window. When the window opens the user is allowed to edit the chosen city. Use the space bar or a mouse click on the ﾑOKﾒ button to return to the prior window. On returning the user will note that the changes have occurred and the newly edited city is highlighted.
   
   
5. Delete a City. If the user wishes to delete a city, the same process is used as described in four. Once the city has been selected and the highlight is on the ﾑEdit Cityﾒ button. The user tabs again to move the highlight to the ﾑDelete Cityﾒ button or simply uses the mouse and clicks on the button. A ﾑDelete Cityﾒ dialogue window is opened and the user is prompted to click on the ﾑYESﾒ or ﾑNOﾒ button. Use the space bar or the mouse to select. Once selected the user is returned to the prior window. The use of the ﾑDelete Cityﾒ function should be used sparingly if at all.
   
   
6. Copy All. Back in the ﾑAdd or Modify Locationsﾒ form, the user can tab to or select the ﾑCopy Allﾒ button. This feature works when a new city has been added or edited.
   
   
7. Begin a New Search. Tab again or use the mouse to select the ﾑNew Searchﾒ button. This clears the entry fields and scroll screens and places the cursor in the ﾑStateﾒ entry field. Successive tabbing causes the cursor or highlight to move through the above steps. The space bar or a mouse click is required to cause action to occur.
   

When the user sees words such as ﾑcityﾒ, ﾑtownshipﾒ, ﾑdistrictﾒ, "division", etc., used after the name of a location (all with small letters) they have a specific meaning. When ﾑcityﾒ is used, it is usually because the actual city also serves as a county. When ﾑtownshipﾒ, "district", or "division" is used, it denotes a land area that was usually 6 miles by 6 miles. As the area developed it often accommodated several towns or cities. Townships, districts, and divisions were the original land areas that the country was divided up into as the Federal Government made land available for homesteading. The word ﾑplantationﾒ is found only within one state, Maine. With the use of the small ﾓpﾔ the location represents more than a city or town.

Good luck in your family research pursuits. We hope that U.S. Cities Galore will perform well and help you have complete, consistent, and accurate records.