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Massachusetts Genealogical Council

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MGC Responds to Closures Hidden in the New York State FY 2026 Budget
MGC responds to the restrictive closure periods and extraordinary expenses proposed for vital records in New York State.
Susan O'Connor
Feb 103 min read
34 views


"You are Invited to a Meeting with the KGB"
Miriam Weiner will talk about her work to open records in the archives of Eastern Europe to genealogists everywhere.
Susan O'Connor
Oct 12, 20242 min read
40 views


Unearthing the secrets grandparents took to their graves!
An Evening with Anne Hanson Author of Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET via Zoom This...
smoconnor
Jan 4, 20242 min read
177 views
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What's New at the Massachusetts State Archives with John D. Warner, Archivist for the Commonwealth
Massachusetts Archivist Jack Warner, PhD, new additions to the vital records and Judicial Archives collections, and his favorites.
smoconnor
Nov 7, 20231 min read
186 views


David Rencher of FamilySearch Receives the 2023 Shirley Barnes Records Access Award
David E. Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer for FamilySearch International, was today awarded the 2023 Shirley Barnes Record Access Award.
Barbara Mathews
May 4, 20232 min read
108 views

The Research Room of the MA Registry of Vital Records and Statistics Is Now Open
It's my nemisis, that traffic circle. It had been a long time since I made the trek, east on the Mass Pike, south on I-93, off the ramp...
Barbara Mathews
Feb 21, 20236 min read
448 views
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Ireland gives adopted people access to birth records
On 30 June 2022 Irish President Michal D. Higgins signed The Birth Information and Tracing Act.
Susan O'Connor
Oct 31, 20223 min read
64 views
0 comments


2022 Shirley Barnes Records Access Award Goes to Morse, Kehs and Weintraub for One-Step Webpages
Massachusetts Genealogical Council Awards the Fourth Annual Shirley M. Barnes Records Access Award to Stephen P. Morse, Ph.D., Joel D. Weint
Barbara Mathews
Apr 26, 20222 min read
84 views
0 comments


Inside the Massachusetts State Archives with John D. Warner, Archivist for the Commonwealth
An Evening with John D. "Jack" Warner, Ph.D. Archivist of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 7:00 PM EDT via...
Susan O'Connor
May 21, 20213 min read
622 views
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MGC's Response to the USCIS Request for Feedback
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services asked for feedback about the impact of their policies. Now, they didn't do this...
bmathewz
May 18, 20212 min read
83 views
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Jan Meisels Allen of IAJGS Awarded 2021 Shirley Barnes Records Access Award
MGC announced on Sunday, May 15, 2021, that Jan Meisels Allen received the 2021 Shirley Barnes Records Access Award for her years of hard...
Barbara Mathews
May 16, 20211 min read
84 views
0 comments

National Coalition RPAC Sends Briefing Papers to Biden Administration
We humans are not the only ones that greet the new year with resolve to do better or fix things. As genealogists, some of the...
Linda MacIver
Jan 24, 20211 min read
39 views
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Brooke Schreier Ganz and Reclaim The Records Coming to MGC: Open Records and Education (M:O.R.E.)!
An evening with Brooke Schreier Ganz Founder and President of Reclaim The Records Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 7:00 PM via Zoom It's...
Barbara Mathews
Jan 22, 20212 min read
135 views
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Rich Venezia Wins 2020 Shirley Barnes Records Access Award
(VIRTUAL: April 4, 2020) At the opening of the bi-annual Virtual Conference "Origins and Destinations," the Massachusetts Genealogical...
Barbara Mathews
Apr 4, 20202 min read
40 views
0 comments
With Hard Data Governor Baker Gets Schooled
Hard data from the federal government shows that the longer a state closes vital records, the more likely it has higher consumer ID theft.
Barbara Mathews
Feb 20, 20203 min read
236 views
0 comments
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Proposes Significant Fee Increases
We don't often ask for your help, but this is a serious issue and a community-wide response is needed.
Linda MacIver
Nov 20, 20193 min read
101 views
The Value of Open Public Records
Attendees are encouraged to express their opinions and concerns in this open orum for discussion at the Boston Public Library.
Barbara Mathews
Oct 15, 20153 min read
20 views
0 comments
Bipartisan Budget Compromise Impacts Genealogists’ Access to the SSDI
The revenue-generating provision mandates that any death reported to the Social Security Administration be withheld from the Social Security
Barbara Mathews
Dec 17, 20141 min read
70 views
0 comments
How many deaths before the SSDI gets updated again?
The estimate then is that 9.4 million more deaths will occur in the U.S. before a single one of them is in the SSDI that we access.
Barbara Mathews
Nov 4, 20142 min read
13 views
0 comments
Please Sign RPAC’s Genealogists’ Declaration of Rights
Genealogists and anyone interested in open access to public records, please sign this petition!
Barbara Mathews
May 13, 20142 min read
15 views
0 comments
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