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Massachusetts Genealogical Council

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ACT NOW! Gov. Healey’s Supplemental Budget Contains Both Good and Very Bad News for Genealogists
Written by Susan M. O'Connor. There is an important legislative development that could significantly affect access to Massachusetts vital records and the future of genealogical research in the Commonwealth. What Has Happened On April 14, 2026, Governor Maura Healey submitted a supplemental funding proposal now designated as H.5377 to the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways and Means. Sections 43, 44, and 45 of the bill concern changes to Massachusetts vital records law.

Barbara Mathews
May 63 min read


10 Million Names Project Wins 2025 Shirley Barnes Records Access Award
This year the MGC board decided to recognize a project which excels in leveraging collaboration to create a virtual research center at 10MillionNames.org, hosted and supported by American Ancestors.
bmathewz
Oct 27, 20252 min read
MGC Releases M:O.R.E. Video of Massachusetts Town Clerks
MGC releases the video recording of the M:O.R.E. event featuring a panel of Massachusetts town clerks.

Barbara Mathews
May 1, 20251 min read


Massachusetts Town Clerks Panel Discussion, April 29, 2025
Join us for a special panel discussion featuring town clerks from four Massachusetts communities as they share insights into their vital role in preserving the historical records that genealogists rely on.

Susan O'Connor
Apr 17, 20251 min read


What's In My Vault: Confessions of a DPW Engineer
Sara Campbell, Secrets of my Vault: Confessions of a DPW Engineer
smoconnor
Apr 23, 20241 min read


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 3, 20242 min read


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


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


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


If we don't use oral history, we lose the voices of our ancestors and all that they witnessed.
Without oral history, we lose the voices of our ancestors and all that they witnessed. Kenvi Phillips tells us how to use these stories.

Barbara Mathews
Sep 8, 20222 min read


Register for MGC's Seminar Connections 2022
Connect...with expert speakers in live chats and interactive workshops. Connect...with other attendees and genealogists in Track Talks...

Barbara Mathews
Feb 1, 20222 min read


Coming Up: Insight about 17th Century Massachusetts that Wasn't Taught When We Were in School
An Evening with David J. Silverman This Land Is Their Land Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 7:00 PM ET via Zoom Co-sponsors: Afro-American...

Barbara Mathews
Nov 2, 20212 min read


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


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


Learn How Institutional Records Helped Amy Whorf McGuiggan Find Her Great Grandparents
An Evening with Amy Whorf McGuiggan Finding Emma: My Search for the Family My Grandfather Never Knew Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 7:00...

Barbara Mathews
Feb 18, 20212 min read


MGC Statement on Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice
We take responsibility for our part in recording and teaching American history and genealogy accurately. We look forward to becoming a genea

Barbara Mathews
Jul 18, 20201 min read
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
We’re Taking Genealogy to the State House!
Bring your lunch and listen to Sharon Sergeant, Polly FitzGerald Kimmitt,CG, and Mary Ellen Grogan present our second session on genealogy.

Barbara Mathews
Feb 27, 20141 min read
Vital Statistics and a Menace to Public Health
Little did I know that this would lead me to a Supreme Court case, coercive vaccinations, and the state vital record database.

Barbara Mathews
Jan 6, 20144 min read
What Is the 2011 Model Act and Regulations?
On 1 March 2013, NAPHSIS unilaterally released the draft version of the 2011 Model Act and Regulations. It was never approved by the CDC.

Barbara Mathews
Mar 16, 20134 min read
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