MassGenCouncil

Legislative Alert! Hearings Wednesday, July 25th at 10a.m.

2007-07-24T08:37:00.000-05:00

This is it, folks. The hearings for H-2154 (MGC's bill) and H-2213 & H-2218 will be held at the Massachusetts State House at 10:00a.m. in room A-1.

Come and let your voices be heard! For more information on these bills, please see our website at www.massgencouncil.org.

UPDATE ON BILLS BY SECRETARY GALVIN

2007-06-20T07:09:00.000-05:00

Two bills, H-3241 and H-3245 were viewed positively per a State House Newswire publication. See www.pastmassters.com.blogspot.com for more info.

MGC Newsletter and Seminar Info

2007-05-16T05:34:00.000-05:00

The MGC Newsletter with Annual Meeting and Seminar information for our July 14, 2007 event is in the mail. For those of you who have email and signed up to receive the newsletter this way, you should have already received it.

Our July 14th event is shaping up to be a great time. Our main speaker will be Marcia Melnyk, who will be giving four lectures that day as well as an Irish track from TIARA, and an Ethnic track featuring lectures on Russian, Wampanoag, Western European, African American, Italian, and Scottish research.

If you've never been to the Conference Center at Marlborough, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It operates as a corporate training center therefore all the amenities are available for learning. The auditorium even has small writing surfaces that you can pull up to take notes on! Also, as a side note the food is delicious!

This will be our third conference at this location. Please come and check it out, you'll be glad you did!

Public Hearing and Status on VR Access in Mass.

2007-04-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

This just in from our Civil Records Director-elect, Bernie Couming:

Massachusetts is one of approximately a dozen states where vital records are now and always have been legally identified as public records, and public access is guaranteed under Massachusetts state law. Certain sensitive areas
(such as illegitimate births and fetal deaths) are restricted by state regulation.

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin has submitted two bills (only one to become law). Bills H-3241 and H-3245 would expand the responsibility of his Office of Public Records to enforce rulings regarding denials of public access to public records. Public hearings are scheduled for Tuesday May 15, 2007 at the State House before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. Time to be announced. The Massachusetts Genealogical Council (MGC) strongly supports this legislation. Genealogists should write their legislators, (House and Senate) in support, and attend the hearing if at all possible.

A second public hearing on vital records bills, this time before the Joint Committee on Public Health, will take place on Wednesday, July 25th at 10:00 AM in Room A-1. The MGC urges you to attend and show your support for its bill, H-2154. The bill enhances current law and calls for activating the long dormant Vital Records and Statistics Committee, and oversight of the development of a computerized vital records system. It also reiterates public access assurances.

In Massachusetts, in addition to genealogists, opposition to restrictions on public access to vital records is supported by the Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association, the information service industry (heir search, land and real property search, probate legal services). Also opposed have been historians and funeral directors.

WARNING: There is “restrictive” legislation represented in two major bills,
H-2213 and H-2218. Among the many restrictive measures a new bureaucracy would be established to handle state licensing that would be required for genealogists. These bills will also be considered at the July 25th public hearing.

In Massachusetts, the promoters of public access restrictions have been some custodians of public records. In addition, politicians, worrying about identity theft, have supported these restrictions. This, despite the fact that almost 100% of identity theft is made by raiding mailboxes, stealing purses, hacking computers and other such directed methods.

In addition, another 30 bills have been filed under the headings of Vital Records or Identity Theft. These are under study by the MGC Legislative Committee.

Note that many of these issues are being introduced and passed in other states. We must be vigilant. Genealogists from other states can contribute to our efforts in Massachusetts by writing to the State House with their concerns as visitors seeking family history data whose financial contribution to hotels and restaurants is jeopardized by access restriction legislation.
See for contact information in the Massachusetts legislature. Very little legislation gets passed at the state house without visible public support.

The Federal Scenario

National public health organizations since the 1970’s have promoted common national standards among all the states to establish consistency for the benefit of national health statistics. These suggestions have been adopted or rejected by the various states.

More recently, federal laws are impacting services formerly only under state jurisdiction. The 2004 Intelligence Reform Law called for detailed regulations. These are now scheduled for release in August 2007 for public comment.

A related issue has already met with strong opposition in the March 1, 2007 release by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the proposed regulations for the Real ID Act. For example, this act calls for regulating birth certificates for driving license applications. The New Hampshire legislature has rejected this intrusion into its state’s affairs. The regulations can be found at http://tinyurl.com/yuhb3a website. That page is identified as “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: REAL ID”. At the bottom of the page is a link to the document. The 60-day public comment period for those regulations closes April 30, 2007. Public comment rights apply to all citizens.

New Vital Records Bills

2007-04-18T07:32:00.000-05:00

My apologies for the lack of updates on the website. Software issues have prevented updates from happening, but I am hopeful that they will be rectified soon. In any event, MGC has filed a new bill, House No. 2154. Sponsored by Peter Koutoujian, this is the newest version of our bill to be put forth regarding records access. You can print a PDF copy at www.mass.gov/legis and select the option to the left "Text of House Bills."

The other two bills, rewritten and consolidated from the "O'Brien Bills" are House No. 2213 and 2218. Be aware that the Federal regulations from the Department of Homeland Security may affect all of these bills at the state level. The Federal bill 6 CFR Part 37 "Minimum Standards for Driver's Licenses and Identification Cards Acceptable by Federal Agencies for Official Purposes" has been listed in the Federal Register and the link is available at the APG rootsweb list archives. It was posted by Sharon Sergeant.

If you are planning on attending NERGC (www.nergc.org) on the 26-29th of April in Hartford, Connecticut, MGC will be doing a panel discussion on the proposed regulations. If not, then plan to come to our Annual Meeting and Seminar on July 14th in Marlboro, Mass.

The Fight Begins Anew

2007-03-18T07:20:00.000-05:00

Looks like the Massachusetts Vital Records legislation is on the move again. The O'Brien bills have been merged into 2 bills: House bill No. 2218 and House bill No. 2213. The full text of these bills is available at www. state.ma.us/legis.

MGC's new proposed bill is House No. 2154.

MGC Meeting Today

2007-02-03T08:55:00.000-05:00

The Mass Gen Council will be meeting at NARA in Waltham from 1-4 today. On the docket for discussion: the program for the July 14th Annual Meeting and Seminar, as well as the new developments in the O'Brien bills.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

MASS VR LEGISLATION ON THE MOVE

2007-02-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

A recent posting in the Mass Town Clerks newsletter informs us that once again the O'Brien bills are on the move. We'll keep you updated as to what's happening as we go forward with a version of our own bill to counter this one.

Next Meeting February 3rd at NARA Waltham

2007-01-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

If you are in Waltham, Massachusetts on February 3rd, come to the Mass Gen Council's Board Meeting at NARA Waltham. The meeting runs from 1pm to 4pm and there will be updates on the conference in July as well as the legislation regarding public records access in Massachusetts.

Everyone is welcome!

NARA Budget Woes

2006-11-09T06:50:00.000-05:00

National Archives officials have provided a clarification of the budget situation. Outlined below is their assessment.Their facts show that action is again needed from NARA users. To affect NARA's current budget and future funding, action is needed within the next WEEK, while the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is considering NARA's budget!

Assessment of the financial situation at NARA:--The National Archives (including the presidential libraries) faces a budget shortfall of between $10 and $12 million for FY 2007. The shortfall is in base funding that supports the day-to-day operations of the archives and represents fixed must-pay bills (people, buildings, utilities, security).--The shortfall is caused by steep increases nationwide in utilities, security, information technology, and rent. (NARA comprises 36 facilities in 20 states and the District of Columbia).---In addition, NARA had to absorb across-the-board appropriation reductions and fund civilian pay raises for several fiscal years.--To survive, NARA has cut back on building security, instituted a hiring freeze, offered retirement buyouts, and reduced hours of service to the public.--It is no news that funding is tight for the non-homeland security civilian side of government right now...but what may be news is its impact on a program like the National Archives and the presidential library system.Consequently, everyone in the genealogical community is strongly urged to help. Here's what we all need to do-in the next week:1. Write to our congressmen and senators expressing our support for full funding of the National Archives program for FY 2007-including operations, the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) program, the repair and restorations projects, and the National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).2. Write to the director of OMB to ask for major "catch-up" funds in the NARA budget for FY 2008. Ongoing operation of NARA, a vital agency, requires it. Moreover, NARA's ability to take in the president's records and support his library in 2009 demands it. Write to:Mr. Rob PortmanDirector, Office of Management and Budget725 17th Street, N.W.Washington, DC 20503Fax: 202-395-3888Action in the next ONE WEEK is crucial, while the Office of Management and Budget is considering NARA's budget. Thank you, in advance, for helping the National Archives!

Next Meeting October 28th in Acton

2006-10-23T07:17:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the Mass Gen Council will be held at the Acton Public Library from 1-4p.m. All interested genealogists and delegates from genealogical organizations are encouraged to attend.

MGC Looks for Newsletter Editor

2006-10-13T15:26:00.000-05:00

This is a great opportunity for an individual looking to hone their writing and editing skills in a forum with a guaranteed audience. If you are interested in seeing your work in print and starting a clips file for your writing, this is a great way to begin.

The first few newsletters will be done with the current editor, yours truly, and then you'll be off and running on your own.

If you are interested in hearing more about this great opportunity, please contact Christine Sweet-Hart at info@pastmassters.com.

Newsletter at the Printer

2006-10-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

Great news for MGC members -- the newsletter is at the printers. Of course, those of you receiving it via email will be getting it sooner. Once the proof comes back, I'll send it out.

Greater Boston APG Donates Time to Preserve a Piece of History

2006-10-03T06:55:00.000-05:00

Several members of the Greater Boston Chapter of the APG have graciously agreed to donate their time meeting with clients in an Ancestor Road Show in Groveland, Massachusetts. The event, being held on October 21st, is the kick-off for a preservation project for the library's collection of historical documents and artifacts.

For more information, check out the Project Manager's blog at www.pastmassters.blogspot.com.

Pittsfield NARA Conference September 30th

2006-09-24T19:12:00.000-05:00

The Friends of the Silvio O. Conte Archives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts will be doing their third full-day conference, "Life in the Past Lane III" on September 30th at the Crown Plaza Hotel, One West Street, Pittsfield, Mass. Our own Sharon Sergeant will be speaking!

Program
8:00 - 8:45 AMRegistration and vendor set-up

8:45 - 9:30 AM Jean Nudd, Archivist, NARA Pittsfield, “Where’d They Go? Finding Ancestral Migrations in Federal Records”

9:45 - 10:45 AM Sharon Sargeant, Ancestral Manor, “Using Maps in Migration Research”

11:00 AM - Noon Maureen Taylor, Ancestral Connections, “Identifying and Dating Family Photographs” - This lecture explores ten easy steps for naming those unidentified pictures tucked away in shoeboxes.

Noon - 12:45 PM Buffet LuncheonTossed green salad, pasta salad, chicken salad, rolls and breads, deli platter (ham, turkey, roast beef and cheeses), stuffed flounder w/dill cream sauce, sliced sirloin with a mushroom bordelaise sauce, oven roasted Red Bliss potatoes, string bean medley, apple pie (a la mode if desired), coffee and tea (both regular and decaf)

12:45 - 1:45 PM Genealogy Q&A Panel DiscussionBring a question to this hour with the experts. Sharon Sargeant, Maureen Taylor, Kathy Reilly and Jean Nudd have a panel discussion and answer your genealogy questions on any topic.

2:00 - 3:00 PM Sharon Sargeant, “Melding ‘Old’ Genealogy Methods with New Technologies”

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM Maureen Taylor, 4“Discovering Genealogical Clues in 19th Century Photographs”

Registration fee for the conference is $45.00 if completed by August 26, 2006. After August 26, the fee will be $55.00 per person. Your registration includes morning coffee and muffins as well as the buffet luncheon

A Registration form and more info is available here: Friends of the Silvio O Conte National Archives or http://www.rootsweb.com/~mafsocna/calendar.htm

October is Family History Month

2006-09-21T17:25:00.000-05:00

It is also time for the next newsletter. This quarter's theme will be 'unusual research resources.' We have a couple of really interesting ones for you. If you are a member and would like your newsletter faster and in color, reply to this blog post and we'll add you to the list.

If you have an unusual research resource that you would like included in our newsletter, drop us a line and let us know at info@massgencouncil.org.

The "Other" Witchcraft Trials

2006-09-15T12:48:00.000-05:00

Did you know that there were witchcraft trials in Hartford, Connecticut in the mid-1600s? Well there were, and apparently in a story covered in today's The Wall Street Journal one of the descendents of one of the witches is planning on filing legislation to have her ancestor cleared along with the dozen or so other women executed for witchcraft in Connecticut. You can read about it over at PastMassters.com here.

Mass. Death Index On-line FREE

2006-09-15T12:40:00.000-05:00

The Massachusetts State Archives has placed on line a free INDEX of deaths from 1841-1910.
The index provides the following information: last name, first name, town, year, volume, page, type (death). You must click on the button for type+ death... If you want the actual record you still have to order it from the Massachusetts State Archives for a small fee. I tried this with only a last name and no date of death and it worked!
To view the index go to:
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/vitalrecordssearch/VitalRecordsSearch.aspx

The MGC would like to thank one of our members for this information.

HELP NARA GET FUNDING! DEADLINE IS TOMORROW!

2006-09-07T09:35:00.000-05:00

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has proposed a change in their opening hours: they plan to eliminate all evening and Saturday access to researchers. Although it is not specifically mentioned in the proposed rule change, it is likely that this change will also apply to the NARA branches, including the Waltham facility.
Since NARA is a federal agency, they have to make any proposed service changes available to the public and request comment. Comments are requested through September 8, 2006. Details are in the Federal Register, vol. 71, no. 142, pages 42058-42060.
This change will effectively close the federal records held at NARA to working people. We consider this a major issue for genealogical researchers.
The following letter to the Archivist of the United States, who is in charge of NARA, was released at the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference that was held last week in Boston. Please read it. There is a link at the end for the petition that is being circulated regarding the closure of the NARA facilities. Almost 8,000 people have signed the petition. Please join them, or write your own letter directly. The address is at the end.
Thank you for your time. This is important to all of us.
Mary Ellen Grogan
Vice-President
Massachusetts Genealogical Council
LETTER TO ALLEN WEINSTEIN
We were honored to have Dr. Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States attend the FGS/NEHGS 2006 Conference in Boston and to address us in the Opening Session on Thursday, August 31, 2006. Following his remarks, he was presented with a letter by the Chair of the Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC) addressing concerns about the proposed changes in the hours of operation for the Research Rooms at the National Archives.
It has come to our attention that very few of our constituencies are making their voices heard on this issue. This lack of response sends a loud signal to the Archives that this is not a serious issue and that closing the Archives on evenings and Saturdays is irrelevant. The RPAC has recommended the following suggestions for the Archives to consider:
1) To accommodate the needs of those who need access on Saturdays, we propose that you close one other day per week. This would be at your discretion. Other archives often close Sunday and Monday.
2) Users who need evening hour access could be accommodated by opening the archives later in the day, again at your discretion.
If you agree with the recommendations stated above, we are asking your support by immediately going on-line and adding your â€œsignatureâ€ to our petition to substitute the hours of access and still help the archives to meet their need to consolidate their hours of operation. Before 8 September 2006, please go to:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/FGS2006/petition.html (Case sensitive)
If you would like to send your own personal letter, send it prior to 8 September 2006 and address it to:
Regulations Comments Desk (NPOL)
Room 4100, Policy and Planning Staff
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

Save the Date! Next MGC Conference July 14, 2007

2006-08-18T08:54:00.000-05:00

The date for the next Massachusetts Genealogical Council Annual Meeting and Seminar will be on Saturday, July 14, 2007. We will be returning to the Conference Center at Marlborough this year.

Do you have an idea for a topic or speaker that you would like to hear? Please drop us a line and let us know. We are in the planning stages and would appreciate your input.

If you are going to the FGS conference, please stop by our table in the vendor hall and say 'hello'!

Panel Discussion at FGS on Mass. Vital Records Access

2006-08-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

Join moderator Melinde Lutz Sanborn, FASG, as she leads a panel discussion with other professional genealogists regarding records access issues at the FGS Conference in Boston. The discussion is scheduled for the Saturday of the conference. Check the conference schedule at the FGS website, www.fgs.org.

MGC To Have Booth at FGS

2006-07-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

We look forward to meeting everyone at our booth at the FGS Conference in Boston next month! Drop by and introduce yourself and meet the members of MGC. Peruse back issues of our newsletter, learn what MGC is all about. Pick up one of our new brochures and join our growing organization.

See you at the conference!

Legislation Still Pending

2006-07-27T07:04:00.000-05:00

We are still following the legislative issues in Massachusetts. There has been no activity that we are aware of at this point. Stay tuned as we continue to monitor the status of the three bills that impact vital records.

St. Joseph's Cemetery Remains Moved

2006-07-13T07:41:00.000-05:00

The big news story of the week is the discovery of remains in the St. Joseph's Cemetery in Roxbury. Although not in any of the stories that I read, there are two St. Joseph's Cemeteries in Roxbury. The one that is being sold and dug up is also known at the Tommy Rock Cemetery and began interring people there in 1847. The cemetery was located on Fenwick Street. The other St. Joseph's Cemetery is in West Roxbury, and abuts another larger cemetery. According to David Lambert's book, A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries, the first St. Joseph's was still in existence in 1873, but at the publishing of his book (2002), it was a playground. He noted that "no record of the removal of the burials has been determined." Too bad noone had the forethought to contact NEHGS to clear up the rumors of a cemetery on the land, since they've been in existence since the cemetery was created.

Here is a link to the story covered by the Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/
2006/07/08/unearthing_a_mystery/?page=1

NERGC Program On-line

2006-07-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

The New England Regional Genealogical Consortium has posted their program brochure for their conference to be held in Hartford, CT in April 2007. You can download it at www.nergc.org . The program features Cyndi Howells, Hank Z. Jones, and Patricia Law Hatcher and many well-known regional speakers. Check it out!

Revised Website & Blog: Your Opinion?

2006-07-03T14:20:00.000-05:00

In order to better serve our membership, we have been revising the website, blog, and newsletter. Your opinion is important to us -- drop us a line and let us know what you think. Are there ways that we could improve? Comments, suggestions, compliments welcome! Happy Fourth of July!

Project Gutenberg Free Download July 4-August 4

2006-07-03T14:03:00.000-05:00

Project Gutenberg is putting 300,000 books on-line for free download between July 4th and August 4th. They are calling the project the World eBook Fair (worldebookfair.com), and will repeat this annually.

The project includes mostly books that are no longer protected by copyright, fiction, non-fiction, and reference books are included. In addition to the printed word, it will also include classical music files [both scores and recordings], as well as films.

Sounds like a must-see event. What do you think? If you have a chance to visit, drop a line and tell how it was.

NARA Hit With Proposed $20 Million Budget Shortfall

2006-06-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

The National Colition for History's newsletter reports that NARA is in trouble again with funding. Here's what they said this morning:

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) plans on instituting a hiring freeze and other steps – including an early retirement buy-out program for qualified employees – in order to minimized an anticipated budget shortfall for this and next year.
While Congressionally-mandated pay raises, higher facility rents, and increases in energy costs in facilities nationwide account for some of the projected funding shortfall, the fact is that personnel costs make up the largest part of NARA’s operational expenses. According to NARA officials "these costs must be reduced." Consequently, a hiring freeze is set to begin 3 July. It will effect only those positions funded by the agency’s core operational funds and will not effect positions funded from NARA’s Revolving Fund, Trust Fund, through the ERA appropriation, or through most reimbursable programs.
In addition to instituting the hiring freeze, NARA anticipates taking additional action to reduce the budget: there will be opportunities for employees to take an early retirement, and a reduction of hours of operation for both the research and exhibition sides of NARA – that move is anticipated to hit the genealogical community and other researchers, as well as the visiting public especially hard.

New Blog to Discuss MGC Issues

2006-06-22T08:47:00.000-05:00

As an interim device to inform MGC members and other interested parties, this blog was established. What do you think?