Reclaim The Records - 2016 IAJGS Presentation

USING FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAWS FOR GENEALOGICAL AND ARCHIVAL RESEARCH
RECLAIM THE RECORDS Brooke Schreier Ganz  Founder, Reclaim The Records  [email protected]  Twitter: @ReclaimTheRecs  https://www.ReclaimTheRecords.org/ 2016 IAJGS Conference  Seattle, Washington  Monday, August 8, 2016

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE, BUT THIS IS ̣This presentation is being
provided under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. ̣Feel free to share this, tweet this, or photograph this!            ...for non-commercial purposes, as long as you also give proper attribution, note if any changes were made, and make sure your version is distributed under the same license.

HI, I'M BROOKE SCHREIER GANZ ̣Genealogy nerd, researching since 1998
̣Jewish genealogy, mostly Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova ̣Former VP and current Board Member of 501(c)3 non-profit Gesher Galicia; built their website, All Galicia Database, and API ̣Data donor to JewishGen, multiple data sets ̣Town lead for Nadwórna (Nadvirna, Ukraine) for JRI-Poland ̣Creator and Admin for three FamilyTreeDNA surname projects ̣Built the bilingual All Israel Database for IGRA ̣Won second place in RootsTech Developer Challenge in 2012 ̣1.2 million free searchable records online with my software

HI, I'M BROOKE SCHREIER GANZ ̣Born, raised, and married in
New York ̣Family from New York, by birth or immigration ̣All eight great-grandparents lived and married in New York City ̣...but I live in California ̣...and the records I want are in New York ̣...and practically nothing is online ̣...and the organizations and agencies that hold the records are really difficult to deal with, not pro-active and not very responsive

HI, WE'RE "RECLAIM THE RECORDS" ̣https://www.ReclaimTheRecords.org/

HI, WE'RE "RECLAIM THE RECORDS" ̣We want to spread the
word that you can successfully use Freedom of Information laws for genealogical and archival records! ̣Crowdsource ideas from the public for new record sets to reclaim, using our Records Survey ̣List our future targets publicly on our To-Do List ̣Publish all requests and public correspondence with agencies in real-time through MuckRock ̣Educational resource and advice portal for other people who want to make their own records requests ̣Voice for change in records access, voice for the individual researchers instead of the for-profit companies

HI, WE'RE "RECLAIM THE RECORDS" ̣E-mail newsletter ̣ 2400 subscribers
̣ Sent out about once a month ̣ Sign Up at https://www.ReclaimTheRecords.org/ ̣Facebook page ̣ 3000 people follow our page ̣ Updated about once every two to three weeks ̣ Like Us at https://www.facebook.com/ReclaimTheRecords ̣Twitter feed ̣ 460 people follow us ̣ Updated every few days ̣ Snarky running commentary on our cases, also retweet FOIA/FOIA news ̣ Follow Us at @ReclaimTheRecs / https://twitter.com/ReclaimTheRecs

PUT IT ONLINE, FOR FREE, FOR EVERYONE

HI, WE'RE "RECLAIM THE RECORDS" ̣Hundreds of thousands of genealogical
records already online, millions more going online in the next few months ̣No copyrights. No restrictions, No paywalls. No logins. ̣63 record sets identified and added to our To-Do List, so far ̣We're a not-for-profit activist group, but we're not a formal registered 501(c)3 non-profit ̣...yet. ̣Interested in helping us? [email protected]

HIGHLIGHTS OF TODAY'S TALK ̣Open Data, the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) and various state Freedom of Information laws (FOIL) ̣How can you use these laws for genealogy and research? ̣How we won public access to "inaccessible" records, and got offline and "onsite only" records put online ̣Common (and uncommon) pitfalls ̣Reclaim The Records

THEORY VS. PRACTICE ̣DE JURE: The way things are supposed
to work vs. ̣DE FACTO: The way things actually work ̣This discrepancy applies to both Open Data policies and Freedom of Information laws

NOT A LAWYER

NOT A LAWYER ...but my parents wish I were

THE OPEN DATA MOVEMENT OPEN DATA "is the idea that
some data should be freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control. The goals of the open data movement are similar to those of other "open" movements such as open source, open hardware, open content, and open access."    ̣ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_data

OPEN DATA: SAN FRANCISCO ̣https://data.sfgov.org/

OPEN DATA: SAN FRANCISCO ̣https://data.sfgov.org/data

OPEN DATA: DATA.GOV ̣https://www.data.gov/

OPEN DATA: DATA.GOV ̣ https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/baby-names-from-social-security-card-applications-national-level-data

OPEN DATA: DOING COOL STUFF ̣http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager

OPEN DATA: NEW YORK CITY ̣https://nycopendata.socrata.com/

MY NYC OPEN DATA REQUEST ̣https://nycopendata.socrata.com/nominate/2687

MY NYC OPEN DATA REQUEST ̣https://nycopendata.socrata.com/nominate/2687   MAY 1, 2013

MY NYC OPEN DATA REQUEST

TECH WAS OVER-PROMISING AND UNDER-DELIVERING

TECH WAS FAILING ME.

SPECIAL GENEALOGISTS UNIT

MAKING A LIST, CHECKING IT TWICE ̣What records exist in
the first place? ̣Who has the records? Are they part of the government? Who is their parent agency? Is this agency subject to FOIA/FOIL? ̣Which law applies, FOIA or a state-level FOIL / Sunshine Law? ̣Are these records automatically withheld under FOIA / FOIL exemptions? (Example: educational records in Maryland) ̣Are these records withheld by some other law? What do the state vital records laws say? (Example: death index in Pennsylvania) ̣What groups and resources can help you with research and advice? What have other people done to acquire similar records?

ALL ABOUT FOIA AND FOIL ̣FOIA = Freedom of Information
Act. (Note the A!) ̣This is for records held by FEDERAL agencies ̣FBI, CIA, State Department, Justice Department, etc. ̣The famous one, first signed into law July 4, 1966, amended several times, new changes just signed by President Obama. ̣Genealogists actually use FOIA all the time, but don't realize it: ̣Copies of the SS-5 from Social Security Administration ̣Copies of naturalization records from USCIS ̣Copies of old passport applications (in some cases)

ALL ABOUT FOIA AND FOIL ̣FOIL = Freedom of Information
Law. (Note the L!) ̣STATE law in New York, for STATE agencies and their records ̣Every state has their own Freedom of Information law, and they have all kinds of names. Many are known as "Sunshine Laws" or "Open Records Laws": ̣ California's law = California Public Records Act (CPRA) ̣ New Jersey's law = Open Public Records Act (OPRA) ̣ New Hampshire's law = Right to Know Law (RTK) ̣ Texas' law = Public Information Act of Texas (TPIA) ̣ Utah's law = Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA)

50 NIFTY UNITED STATES (& DC) ̣ There are 51
different FOI laws / Open Records Laws / Sunshine Laws:    ̣ https://ballotpedia.org/State_sunshine_laws

ALL ABOUT FOIA AND FOIL ̣ Making a state FOIL
/ Sunshine Law request is FREE ̣ If you need to appeal a denial, that is also FREE ̣ A few states have ombudsmen or FOI panels, in lieu of going to court ̣ If you need to go to court, and you win the release of your records, you MIGHT get your attorneys' fees paid (possible in 47 states, soon 48) ̣ Usually only if the agency wrongly withheld records ̣ And/or the agency failed to meet time limits ̣ Five states REQUIRE your attorneys fees to be paid by state in that scenario: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey ̣ In some states, sometimes there can also be punitive FINES against state officials who wrongly withhold records ̣ Per incident, or per record, or per day

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣You can send a records request under
FOIL to an AGENCY ̣An AGENCY is defined (in New York) as: "...any state or municipal department, board, bureau, division, commission, committee, public authority, public corporation, council, office or other governmental entity performing a governmental or proprietary function for the state or any one or more municipalities thereof..." ̣ Most states have pretty similar definitions of an agency. ̣ Every agency should have a FOIL OFFICER to whom you address the request. WHO CAN YOU FOIL?

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣You can NOT FOIL (in New York
and several other states): ̣"...except the judiciary or the state legislature." ̣They're not an AGENCY. ̣That means no using FOIL for adoption files, court cases, divorce cases, name changes, naturalization files, etc. ̣Workaround #1: Use different laws, not FOIL, to get stuff from the judiciary ̣Workaround #2: If some relevant court files wound up in the possession of an AGENCY, you can often FOIL them directly from the agency. WHO CAN YOU NOT FOIL?

ONLY PAY ACTUAL COSTS

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣Find out the PARENT AGENCY in charge
of the records you want ̣Births and Deaths might be under the control of your state's Department of Health ̣Might be extra/second copies of births and deaths (usually pre- dating statewide registration) kept in city or county archives, with the city or county clerk's office ̣Marriages and Divorces might be under the control of your state's judiciary, court-by-court or county-by-county (or both), or a city or county clerk's office HOW DO YOU FOIL?

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣Find out the PARENT AGENCY in charge
of the records you want ̣Records kept in state archives and state libraries might be under the state's Department of Education ̣City, town, and municipal archives might be under a Department of Records ̣City Clerk's Offices are tricky: ̣ Might hold judicial records, and in many states you can't use FOIL to get court stuff (but other laws might work). ̣ Might hold other kinds of non-judicial records, like a city marriage index, or city burial permits, or cemetery records, and you should be able to get those. HOW DO YOU FOIL?

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣In all states: anything explicitly ruled out
by state legislature or Federal law passed by Congress ̣In most states: anything that infringes on the privacy of regular people who are not government employees ̣In most states: crime victim information ̣In some states: judicial records ̣In some states: educational records ̣In some states: legislative branch records ̣In some states: governor's office records WHAT KINDS OF INFORMATION CAN YOU NOT FOIL?

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣Can you just FOIL a copy of
a birth/marriage/death certificate? NO. GIMME MAH RECORDS

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣States are allowed (and already do) set
privacy restrictions on WHO can access specific certificates ̣Open or closed records status (50 / 75 / 100 years) set in law ̣Who is requesting the record (family members) set in law  ̣States are allowed (and already do) set a fee structure stating HOW MUCH each certificate costs. ̣A FOIL'ed record might cost $0.10 per page, but a certificate might cost $20, the fee is set by state law GIMME MAH RECORDS

a birth/marriage/death index? YES. (usually) GIMME MAH RECORDS

another type of records index? YES. (sometimes) GIMME MAH RECORDS

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣Can you use FOIL for the right
to merely VIEW or get a "genealogical" or "informational" copy of a vital record that is old and does not usually have any privacy restrictions? MAYBE. (will probably involve  some legal work) GIMME MAH RECORDS

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN! ̣Once you know the PARENT AGENCY, find
the name and contact information for their FOIL OFFICER. ̣Search their website, or call them up and ask. ̣Remember to use your state's specific term for its Freedom of Information law ̣You can submit everything: ̣through e-mail; ̣or through postal mail; ̣or through MuckRock.com (super-helpful!) HOW DO YOU FOIL?

I <3 MUCKROCK ̣https://www.muckrock.com/

I <3 MUCKROCK: CREATE REQUESTS ̣https://www.muckrock.com/

I <3 MUCKROCK: TRACK REQUESTS ̣https://www.muckrock.com/

THE SECRET SAUCE ̣ Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME
HERE] and I am making a records request under [FOIA OR NAME OF YOUR STATE'S FOI LAW HERE]. ̣ I am seeking records about [YOUR RECORDS REQUEST HERE]. ̣ Try to be specific! Try to be helpful! Limit the dates! Cite laws or reasoning! ̣ [IN SOME STATES: I am a private individual, not a for-profit company. These records will be made freely available to the general public.] ̣ [IN VERY SMALL NUMBER OF STATES: I am a legal resident of this state.] ̣ I would prefer to receive these records in [YOUR PREFERRED FORMAT HERE - COPIES, SCANS, MICROFILMS, DIGITAL PHOTOS, CSV DATABASE DUMP, ETC.]. ̣ I am willing to pay for the copies of these records, up to [$XXX]. If this request might cost more, please contact me first to discuss the request.   [IN SOME STATES, AND FOR FOIA: I am requesting a fee waiver, because...] HOW TO CRAFT A FOIA OR FOIL REQUEST

THE SECRET SAUCE ̣ Hi, my name is BROOKE SCHREIER
GANZ and I am making a records request under THE NEW YORK STATE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW (1977 N.Y. Laws ch. 933). ̣ I am seeking A COPY OF THE NEW YORK STATE DEATH INDEX, FROM JANUARY 1 1880 TO DECEMBER 31 1956. THIS INDEX IS ALREADY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT MANY NEW YORK STATE LIBRARIES, BUT ONLY TO PEOPLE ONSITE. THE 1957-1965 RECORDS ARE ALREADY ONLINE, SO WHY NOT RELEASE THE OLDER ONES TOO? ̣ I am a private individual, not a for-profit company. These records will be made freely available to the general public. ̣ [IN VERY SMALL NUMBER OF STATES: I am a legal resident of this state.] ̣ I would prefer to receive these records IN CSV FILE OR OTHER DATABASE FORMAT, ALTHOUGH I WILL ACCEPT COPIES OF MICROFILMS/MICROFICHE IF THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE. ̣ I am willing to pay for the copies of these records, up to $5000. If this request might cost more, please contact me first to discuss the request. [IN SOME STATES, AND FOR FOIA: I am requesting a fee waiver, because...] EXAMPLE OF A NEW YORK STATE FOIL REQUEST

HELP YOURSELF ̣ Find state and local organizations that can
help you with questions ̣ Might be aimed more  towards journalists   than the public ̣ New York has the  utterly awesome   Committee on Open   Government (COOG) ̣ Will write Advisory  Opinions about your   records request! ̣ https://www.dos.ny.gov/coog/

HELP YOURSELF ̣Learn from those who made records requests before
you ̣https://www.dos.ny.gov/coog/

50 NIFTY UNITED STATES (& DC) ̣ There are 51
different FOI laws / Open Records Laws / Sunshine Laws:    ̣ https://ballotpedia.org/State_sunshine_laws

57 VARIETIES, JUST LIKE KETCHUP ̣There are 57 separate VITAL
RECORDS JURISIDICTIONS: ̣All 50 states ̣...plus Washington DC ̣...plus 5 territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa ̣...plus NEW YORK CITY ̣From a vital records standpoint, New York State and New York City are entirely separate entities, but both are still subject to New York State's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)

CANNOT USE FOIL IN NY Divorce files (sealed for 100
years in NY), but also the INDEX of everyone who has gotten a divorce (not sealed?) Plus naturalizations, name changes, probate, etc. The actual vital records: ̣ Birth certificates ̣ Marriage certificates ̣ Death certificates ...and the INDEX to them Has copies of the INDEX to 19th century and early 20th century births, marriages, and deaths available at several upstate libraries...but only on old microfiche NYS DEPT OF HEALTH NYS DEPT OF EDUCATION NYS COURT SYSTEM WHO'S GOT THE RECORDS: NYS Some have old vital records, some have an INDEX to old vital records, some have various other interesting files (naturalizations, burial permits, etc.) NYS TOWN CLERKS

years in NY), but also the INDEX of everyone who has gotten a divorce (not sealed?) Plus naturalizations, name changes, probate, etc. The actual vital records: ̣ Birth certificates (post-1909) ̣ Death certificates (post-1948) ...and the INDEX to them All the OLD, AWESOME stuff you could want. Mostly only available on microfilm onsite. Old B/M/D certificates ...and the INDEX to them NYC DEPT OF HEALTH NYC DEPT OF RECORDS & MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES NYS COURT SYSTEM WHO'S GOT THE RECORDS: NYC ̣ Marriage records (post-1930) ̣ Civil union / domestic partnership records ...and the INDEX to them NYC CITY CLERK

70% GENEALOGY, 30% STRATEGY ̣Can't rely on Open Data policies
(yet) ̣Need well-established laws and procedures, like the state Freedom of Information laws. ̣I will have to concentrate on states where there is/are: ̣favorable case law for records requestors; ̣favorable case law about genealogical types of records; ̣free resources and help for records requestors; ̣a way to apply for a fee waiver in case I win records; ̣the potential ability to recoup my attorneys' fees

70% GENEALOGY, 30% STRATEGY ̣I want NEW RECORDS, no duplication
of effort ̣I want to go after a TYPE of data that has already been ruled to be open ̣I want to go after YEARS of data that are very old and not subject to potential privacy concerns. ̣Smallest possible number of reasons for them not to comply with my request. ̣I want to build on top of my wins to establish a history of FOIL being used successfully.

70% GENEALOGY, 30% STRATEGY ̣Pick the low-hanging fruit first,  
then go after the harder-to-get stuff.

years in NY), but also the INDEX of everyone who has gotten a divorce (not sealed?) Plus naturalizations, name changes, probate, etc. The actual vital records: ̣ Birth certificates (post-1909) ̣ Death certificates (post-1948) ...and the INDEX to them All the OLD, AWESOME stuff you could want. Mostly only available on microfilm onsite. Old B/M/D certificates ...and the INDEX to them NYC DEPT OF HEALTH NYC DEPT OF RECORDS & MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES NYS COURT SYSTEM WHO'S GOT THE RECORDS: NYC ̣ Marriage records (post-1930) ̣ Civil union / domestic partnership records ...and the INDEX to them NYC CITY CLERK

OUR PILOT PROJECT ̣Applications, Affidavits, and Licenses ̣Originally kept by
the NYC City Clerk's Office,   but 1908-1929 currently kept by the NYC Municipal Archives ̣Only on microfilm, never digitized, never transcribed ̣Never been available outside the Municipal Archives building ̣Dates are several weeks before the marriage happened (or sometimes didn't happen) ̣Index to 450,000 marriages NEW YORK CITY CLERK'S MARRIAGE INDEX, 1908-1929

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS ̣ Kept from the 1880's
through 1937 ̣ These are TWO-PAGE documents with basic info on   the couple, and the second page is basically just everyone's signatures ̣ A "Brides Index" and a "Grooms Index" of these certificates were created in the 1930's, handwritten on index cards ̣ Those cards were scanned by FamilySearch and are available on FamilySearch microfilms, as are the actual certificates ̣ Volunteers at the non-profit genealogy group ItalianGen transcribed the Brides Index and Grooms Index cards into TWO searchable databases ̣ These ItalianGen databases best searched using Steve Morse's website, but now also available through Ancestry.com RECORD TYPE #1: THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT CERTIFICATES

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS ̣http://www.stevemorse.org/vital/nymarriages.html RECORD TYPE #1: THE
HEALTH DEPARTMENT CERTIFICATES

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS RECORD TYPE #1: THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT CERTIFICATES PAGE 1 OF 2

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS RECORD TYPE #1: THE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT CERTIFICATES PAGE 2 OF 2

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS ̣ Kept from 1908 to
the present day! ̣ These are THREE-PAGE documents, usually containing MORE information than the Health Department certificates. ̣ These records are: 1. the AFFIDAVIT that the couple signed, swearing that they have the right and the ability to get married (of legal age! no bigamy! no STD's!); 2. the LICENSE APPLICATION and the LICENSE that the couple has now been officially granted, so that they can go get married a few weeks later; 3. the CERTIFICATE filled out by the clergyman on the day of the wedding, with witnesses, and sometimes witnesses' addresses; ̣ THREE DIFFERENT SETS OF HANDWRITING! RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS PAGE 1 OF 3

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS ̣ EXTRA AWESOME things that
the City Clerk's Office records have that the Health Department Certificates DO NOT have: ̣ The bride’s occupation ̣ The couple’s cities of birth (not just country of birth) ̣ Their parents’ countries of birth ̣ If either of the pair were ever widowed and if so, when their spouse died ̣ If either of the pair ever were divorced and if so, when the divorce was finalized (and starting in late 1930's, lists the grounds for the divorce) ̣ The home addresses of the witnesses RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

the City Clerk's Office records have that the Health Department Certificates DO NOT have:                  ̣ Yes, women worked outside of the home. RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

the City Clerk's Office records have that the Health Department Certificates DO NOT have:                  ̣ Addresses for the witnesses (started appearing on form circa 1924) RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

the City Clerk's Office records have that the Health Department Certificates DO NOT have:                  ̣ (bottom of a 1932 license and application) RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

the City Clerk's Office records have that the Health Department Certificates DO NOT have:                  ̣ (bottom of a 1937 license and application, new lines added) RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

the City Clerk's Office records have that the Health Department Certificates DO NOT have:        ̣10% more records! RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS FOR 1908-1929: ̣ Both the
INDEX to these City Clerk's records and the COPIES of the three-page records themselves are "available" to the public at the NYC Municipal Archives, but... ̣ ONLY on microfilms, and... ̣ ONLY if physically onsite at 31 Chambers Street, and... ̣ ONLY Monday through Friday, limited hours ̣ No mention of these records on the Municipal Archives website. ̣ No form to order these online. RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS FOR 1908-1929: ̣ You can
try to mail-order a search of the 1908-1929 index and then order a copy of the resulting records from the Municipal Archives by calling or e-mailing them directly. ̣ ...but they may not answer your letter, even if you enclose payment. ̣ Or they will take months to process it, may not find the names you want, or may think they found it and send you the wrong record. ̣ No way to search soundalike names, misspelled names, name variants (Morris for Maurice, Shvartz for Schwartz, Betty for Elizabeth, etc.) ̣ The Municipal Archives has NEVER let FamilySearch nor the for-profit genealogy companies digitize this index or these records. RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS

TWO KINDS OF MARRIAGE RECORDS ̣ These City Clerk's records
are   not even listed on the   "Genealogy Collections"   one-sheet that is handed out   onsite at the Municipal Archives   at 31 Chambers Street. ̣ It's like these amazing, awesome,   useful records...don't even   exist. RECORD TYPE #2: THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE RECORDS ̣ photo credit: Bette Stoop Mas

FOIL CASE AGAINST DORIS, 2015 ̣ME: Gimme all yer marriage
records as Open Data on a disk. ̣THEM: We only have really old stuff, on microfilm. ̣ME: Oh. Okay, gimme the INDEX to your old records. Just the 1908-1929 City Clerk's office stuff, since that's never been available anywhere before. I will pay you fair costs. ̣THEM: Okay! ̣ME: Great! Do you take credit cards? ̣THEM: Wait, did we say okay? We meant NO. ̣ME: WTF. I am appealing this. ̣THEM: That's nice.

FOIL CASE AGAINST DORIS, 2015 ̣They never ever cited any
legal reasons why these records should not be available under FOIL. ̣FOIL Appeal procedures were not followed. ̣Stonewalled. ̣What now?

HOW (NOT) TO MAKE A FOIL REQUEST ̣ME: Hi, gimme
the database index to all yer marriage records. ̣THEM: No, we only have old stuff, and only on microfilms. ̣ME: Oh. Okay, gimme copies of all the old microfilms. ̣THEM: Sure! ̣ME: Great! Do you take credit cards? ̣THEM: Oh, wait, did we say yes? We meant NO. ̣ME: Wat. Here's my formal appeal and an Advisory Opinion. ̣THEM: Whatever.

THE BIG BOX OF MICROFILMS

THE MONEY SHOT   (NOT PICTURED: TWO MORE MICROFILMS THAT
CAME LATER.)

THE INTERNET ARCHIVE ̣https://archive.org/ ̣NOT archives.com NOT archives.gov NOT archives.org

THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OLD RECORDS FROM GRAVESEND (NOW IN BROOKLYN)

THE RIPPLE EFFECTS ̣ Phyllis Kramer, VP at JewishGen, genealogist
in NY and FL ̣ When people register to vote, those records are public ̣ Had to re-register every year, not just when you moved ̣ "List of Registered Voters" published annually, like an index ̣ Actual registration sheets, filled out by would-be voters ̣ Includes naturalization court name and exact date! ̣ Why 1924? ̣ Let's FOIL them and get them online, so we can transcribe! VOTER LISTS AND REGISTRATION FORMS FOR MANHATTAN 1924

1924 VOTER LIST (SUPPLEMENT) Soroka, Fannie Graff, Moses Graff; Gussie
Karmiot, Louis Kooinul, Einanuel Rothbcrger, Philip 5c.roka, Sam Mauler, Solomon Mauler, Tillie eoodman, Samuel Goodman, Hosie Hartman, Morris Gerson, George Kirchenbaum. Dave Kirchenliaum, Bennie Kirchenbaum, Anna Berkowitz, Fannie Fisher, Max Tarnoff, Bruch 40. Schmilowitz, Jos. Klafter, .Montz Klaftcr, Rebecca Goldenberg, Simon Sam Miller, Solomon Hyman Olmer, Samuel Katz, Sam C1hen, Robert Estln r Silverman, Louis Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Ettie N aglcr, Sadie Markowitz, Ab. Markowitz, Annie Nagler, Morris Schmilowitz, Eva Salzman, J oscph Schwalb, Bina l'latzser, Edward THE 264. Vol enscl, Max \Vensel, Becky Mermelstein, Herman 268. Worthheimer, Eman. O)lman, Sol 2bS. Blan, Leo Blan, Harry 268. Blau, Martha Blau, Bella Blau, Mee Ullman, Estelle 270. Schwartz, Arthur 270. Rosenberg, Gabriel Rosenberg, Annie 2'70. Honig, Aaron 270. Honig, Fannie 272. Bcltzer.. Sam Beltzer, Sadie 272. Elzmerg, Abraham 272. Klein, Bella · Saft, Hyman Saft, Anna 272. Berman; Isidore Rothenberg, Isidore 272. Klein, Edward 274.Hoffman, Sam Baum, Lena Krallcr, Sadie 27 4. Gerstein, Na than 27 4. Kentze, Becky Dave Schneiderman, P. Schwartz, David 274.Kintzer, Sam Gerstein, Abraham Baum, Isaac Knoller, Jacob 274. Sommer, Samuel Sommer, Rose Menges. Anna 278, Schwartz. Jules CITY RECORD. 99. Brickner,· Minnie .Marko\vitZ, :..\foritz A. Markowitz, Gussie Rose lngwer, Jacob -Kenneth 'llrickner, Michael Liet>ermaro, Abraham \Veber, David l'arsott, Harry llroslof&ky, Hyman liochstadt, Philip 99. \V eber, Bernard . Lieberman, Bauman, Fay Beier, Joseph Lieberman, Leah 99. Ackerman, Harry >->riche.r, .\1 urray Schoenfeld, Jacob Na than, Clara '.Berger, Fred 99-105.Somcr, Ben !:iomer, Ben Somer, Bessie Koppelman, Nathan Ackerman, Jule Ackerman, Dora \Veiss, J ulitts Friedman, Israel Cohen, Louis Cohen, l\ose E. 6TH ST. 603 . .f.1schman, Morris Fischman, Fannie Lang, Anna • 603. Pugach, lsaac 603. Eisen berg, J oscph Siegel, Chas. 603. Katz, Rose 627. Gottpp, George, Sr.· Gcilttrmg, Betty 629. Bloom, H:irry Greenberg, 'Meyer Greenberg, Sadie 62'9. Gr'aff, K.ate (;raff, A I be rt 629. Schintzcr, David Tovsky, · Julius· 631 .. Kirsch, · Sad1t: Kirsch,· Jack 631. Furman, Joel 633. Billitzcr, Samuel 633. Benefield, Morris Keimberg, Dave , Keimbcrg; :Mollie 633. Stem. Abraham 635. Braun, Lena Braun, Joseph Kunc, Donner Cohen, Louis Jacoby, lgnatz Jacoby, Fannie Jacoby, Morris Brown, Julius J. 635. Fich, David 635.Jacot>y, lienry 637 .Feuer, Morris Fergang, Sam Fergang, Emanuel 637. Feuer. .Abraham Fem:r, Rebecca 637. Geller, Fannie 639. Wolf. Daniel 6.39. Lauterstein, Max Casper, · IrvinR' Casper, Dorothy Spalter, Herman Spalter, Bertha 639. Goldberg, Wolf Silver, Jacob 208. Sch wed. Sam Hoscnzweig, Joseph Estroff, ·· Barnett ·Kessler, Annie Lustig,· ·Aida Fleischer, J oscph Kanpan, .Morris Hoscnzwcig-, Marcus Gold, Pauline Hostacher, Isidor H.ostachcr, Anna 203. L1ckter, .1!:sthcr Fluke, David Fiuke, Lena Riffman. Lena Erachtcr, Anna Singer, ::.\Iax Singer, B'clla Feeler, Augusta 208-10. Scheiner, J oscph Needle, Loui1 Gold, Joe 212.Goldberg, Nathan S. Silverman, Herman Marder, Sam Marder, Hannah 212.Modern, Georg-c Rudolph, Harry Ravner, Simon Goldberg, Isaac Messing, Ethel Messing, Goldie Messing, Aaron Rudolph, Fnnnie Garfinkel, Max Garfinkel, Rose Messing, George 212. Gross, Henry Halperr, J osepb Schecter, Francis Davis, Edwar.d 117 '. O 117 .F1 F B S L L S 117. :i .M F M 119. M 121. k · R 121. F · L P 121. W 121 .'T S T S G G M 123. !: 123·. L L K K 123 .P E. 7T 183. K 183. R R 183. G 183. W W

THE RIPPLE EFFECTS ̣Didn't need to use OPRA at all!
̣Birth Index: 1901-1903 ̣Marriages: Grooms Index 1901-1903, Brides Index 1901-1914 ̣Death Index, 1901-1903 ̣These were microfilm only and onsite access only, at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton ̣First 20th Century vital records from New Jersey! NEW JERSEY BIRTH, MARRIAGE, & DEATH INDEX, 1901-03/1914

BIG NEWS! ̣ WE'RE GETTING THE NEW YORK CITY MARRIAGE
INDEX FOR 1930-1995! ̣ PARTLY ON MICROFILM, PARTLY IN A CSV (TEXT DATABASE) ̣ ~3 MILLION RECORDS! ̣ NEVER BEFORE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON ̣Someone asked about Missouri records
in our Records Survey ̣Death CERTIFICATES more than 50 years old are open; 1910-1963 (should be 1965) are transcribed and searchable ̣But no post-1910 birth or post-1965 death INDEX available ̣That seems weird ̣What's the law on that? ̣Let's find out! (...while waiting for pizza) MISSOURI BIRTH INDEX AND DEATH INDEX, 1910-2015

HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON ̣http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/stathtml/19300002451.html MISSOURI BIRTH INDEX AND
DEATH INDEX, 1910-2015

HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON ̣http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/stathtml/19300002451.html MISSOURI BIRTH INDEX AND
DEATH INDEX, 1910-2015 "A LISTING OF PERSONS WHO ARE BORN OR WHO DIE ON A PARTICULAR DATE MAY BE DISCLOSED UPON REQUEST..."

ONE. MEEEELLION. DOLLARS.

ONE. MEEEELLION. DOLLARS.   $993,480 + $496,740 = $1,490,220

JUST CALL TECH SUPPORT ̣"Oh sure, that should be no
problem at all."

"A MISUNDERSTANDING"

"A MISUNDERSTANDING"   $3,008.16 + $2,165.88 = $5,174.04

OPEN DATA: NEW YORK STATE ̣https://data.ny.gov/

OPEN DATA: NEW YORK STATE ̣ https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Genealogical-Research-Death-Index-Beginning-1957/vafa-pf2s

OPEN DATA: NEW YORK STATE ̣ https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Genealogical-Research-Death-Index-Beginning-1957/vafa-pf2s 1957-1965 DEATH INDEX
FOR NEW YORK STATE (MINUS NEW YORK CITY), UPDATED QUARTERLY

HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON ̣ Testing the waters on
access to old EDUCATIONAL RECORDS under state FOI laws ̣ May need to go school district by district ̣ Records Retention Schedule = when can you throw it out? ̣ NY Records Retention Schedule says all public school students' "permanent records" must be retained for at least 100 years. ̣ Includes name, gender, birth date, address, probably basic family information, possibly ethnicity, all classes taken, all grades, diploma status, and info on any serious disciplinary matters. ̣ School has own set of records attached to it, i.e. "All-School Census" that include info on students' families, school directories, attendance sheets, class assignments. ̣ FERPA = Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT THIS WILL GO DOWN ON YOUR PERMANENT RECORD

HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON ̣We made a FOIL request
to the NYC Department of Education for the "permanent record" of an student who was born in 1897 and who attended school in Manhattan, probably graduating c.1915 ̣Did not specify her school name ̣Did not specify her address (gave neighborhood only) ̣Did not specify that she is deceased ̣Did not specify that I am related to her ̣Let's find out what happens! I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT THIS WILL GO DOWN ON YOUR PERMANENT RECORD

HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON ̣We made another FOIL request
to the NYC Department of Education for all school records relating to Straubenmuller Textile High School, located on the west side of Manhattan, for 1935-1948. ̣We requested only 1935-1948, because that is before the records cut-off in 1949 when they supposedly switched to once- every-five-years for mandated records retention. ̣We did not mention any students' names in our FOIL request. ̣Hoping to get the All-School Census, the directories, the class assignments, the attendance records, and so on. ̣Let's find out what happens! I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT THIS WILL GO DOWN ON YOUR PERMANENT RECORD

HERE'S A NICE SCREENSHOT AGAIN ̣https://www.ReclaimTheRecords.org/

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS ̣Take our RECORDS SURVEY so
we can add items to our TO-DO LIST                      ̣TELL US about records you think are being wrongfully withheld

THERE'S A MILLION THINGS WE HAVEN'T DONE ...BUT JUST YOU
WAIT, JUST YOU WAIT

THE RECORDS FAIRY ̣Government Agencies ≠ The Records Fairy ̣Libraries
≠ The Records Fairy ̣For-Profit Genealogy Companies ≠ The Records Fairy ̣Large Non-Profit Genealogy Organizations ≠ The Records Fairy ̣Small Non-Profit Genealogy Organizations ≠ The Records Fairy ̣Sometimes, even individual genealogists ≠ The Records Fairy CLAP IF YOU BELIEVE IN FAIRIES

THE RECORDS FAIRY ̣Be your own Records Fairy. CLAP IF
YOU BELIEVE IN FAIRIES

THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON ̣We should use Freedom of Information
laws         BECAUSE WE CAN

THANK YOU. @ReclaimTheRecs

Reclaim The Records - 2016 IAJGS Presentation

Reclaim The Records - 2016 IAJGS Presentation

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