The Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) is getting a new commissioner - official announcement here: www.nyc.gov/mayors-offic...

The online portal to the records held at the National Archives, and information about those records.

With complicated access rules at the German Federal archives, these newly online records caused NARA's online catalog (catalog.archives.gov) to slow to a crawl and become unresponsive at times but improvements have been made. (A reminder to all: Tell Congress to increase NARA's funding!)

Covered by German genealogical groups and in the German news over the last month, the new records are the Nazi Party membership cards. More at www.dw.com/en/were-gran... and www.morgenpost.de/panorama/art...

The US National Archives (NARA) has been adding more and more digital copies of already-microfilmed records, relatively low-hanging fruit that widely expands access. (See tinyurl.com/NARAmicrofil... then "Browse Microfilm Catalog"). The latest addition has seen widespread interest - in Germany

New York state has a chance to strengthen its Freedom of Information Law and be a bright spot amid rising authoritarianism and secrecy.

That's why we're calling on the Legislature to pass four key transparency bills for Sunshine Week 2026.

Read more: reinventalbany.org/2026/03/grou...

It’s 2026 and Sunshine Week ☀️is here once again! The Foilies, a project from EFF and MuckRock shines a light on government agencies and officials that have demonstrated an utter disdain for transparency. Check out the “honorees” for the The Foilies 2026: eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Reclaim the Records #genealogy #RootsTech @reclaimtherecords.org

I did research there in July 2022, my grandfather was born in Gablonz, where the family had lived since the 1880s. The archivist helped find school records and architectural plans for some of the houses my family had built, among other documents.

#foia #records #citizenship #genealogy | Rich Venezia Last year, I decided to sue the government. After waiting more than five years for dozens of passport application records I requested from the Department of State under the Freedom of Information Act...

Last year, I decided to sue the government.

If the government will not follow the law, researchers and families are left with one lever: litigation

Read more at www.linkedin.com/posts/richve....

#FOIA #records #citizenship #genealogy

OK, if it was before 1956 then all the documentation should from his A-File should have been moved to his Certificate File (C-File) upon naturalization. However, hundreds of thousands of people still have A-Files who meet these criteria, but I believe most of them have moved to Kansas City.

2) If you don't find the entry there AND the person did not become a citizen before 30 March 1956: any A-File would still be with USCIS so you would need to submit a genealogy program request (genealogy.uscis.dhs.gov) but you could go straight to the record request (A-File below 8 million)

The online portal to the records held at the National Archives, and information about those records.

Mid-century INS records are always fun. CER only has the digitized microfilms of the 2-page AR-2 forms (rarely there's a third page.)

There may also be an A-File, I'd first search RG 566 (US Citizenship & Immigration Services) - 2.1 million file entries: catalog.archives.gov/search-withi... -

Was this request processed through CER (center for electronic records at A2 in College Park) or for records at Kansas City?

Reclaim The Records Year in Review 2025 - Reclaim The Records

Happy New Year, you guys! It's time for our 2025 Year in Review, and a look ahead to 2026 -- what records are going online next?!

www.reclaimtherecords.org/about/year-i...

The information is still in their files, but they're finding excuses to not process certain records at all, primarily foreign language documents in the A-Files, including birth certificates, divorce records, etc.

Here's a side-by-side comparison (2024 on left, 2025 on right) of an A-File for a relative (b. 1909, d. 2007). The 43-page release from 2024 (no redactions) is now 38 pages: 5 pages deleted, 9 pages withheld in full, 18 pages with redactions, 11 released in full drive.google.com/file/d/18ZO6...

If you've been noticing that USCIS A-File FOIA searches and responses have gotten much worse over the last few months, we now have confirmation of their intentional policy changes due to a whistleblower. Today's court filing & 17-page whistleblower letter from PACER: drive.google.com/file/d/1Ravs...

Visit www.NewYorkDeathIndex.com to search the first ever public NYS death index for 1973 - 2017. Place of death also available starting in 1957 so you can order genealogy copies (death >50 years ago) from a local municipality and skip the 5 year NYS DOH wait. (NYC is separate and not included)

Unwelcome Returns? (Re-)Naturalisation Rights of German Jews and their Descendants in the Federal Republic of Germany: with Nicholas Courtman Join LBI as Nicholas Courtman discusses ? (Re-)Naturalisation Rights of German Jews and their Descendants in the Federal Republic of Germany on January 15, 2025.

www.lbi.org/events/court...

Anyone in New York City in January who wants to learn a bit more about re-naturalisation rights of German Jews and their descendants after 1945, I’ll be giving a talk on the topic at the Leo Baeck institute on the 15th of January.

Reclaim The Records We’re Reclaim The Records, a new not-for-profit activist group of genealogists, historians, researchers, and open government advocates. We identify important genealogical records sets that ought to be...

What's a #FOIA Appeal? What's some good language to use when you want to argue with the government about why they should be giving you the file you asked for, instead of some "genealogy letter"?

We got you covered, fam. Check out our advice in our latest newsletter:
mailchi.mp/reclaimthere...

This is New York State law, although some clerks within NY charge only $10 for everyone. The genealogy fee is a $20 search fee and $2 copy fee, but even with the exact information you have to pay the $22.

Reclaim The Records We’re Reclaim The Records, a new not-for-profit activist group of genealogists, historians, researchers, and open government advocates. We identify important genealogical records sets that ought to be...

NEW: We just published 1.5 million NEW BIRLS records for 2020-2023, ALL FREE -- but now the VA doesn't want you to see any of them!

Read all about it in our latest newsletter:
mailchi.mp/reclaimthere...

Yes, apparently the staff cuts coupled with almost 20,000 requests led them to try to restrict access. As you see it will probably be a bit of a fight, but we’ll see what we can do

Interestingly, while VA hospitals are covered by HIPAA, the VBA that has these records is not: www.va.gov/OGC/docs/200...

Search the BIRLS Database - over 18 million records about deceased US veterans, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now online and FREE from Reclaim The Records Search the BIRLS Database - over 18 million records about deceased US veterans, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now online and FREE from Reclaim The Records

Very frustrating. We were getting full files for a year or two and now this as of late July. We at Reclaim The Records put together an update: www.birls.org/updates

I heard there was a secret “b”
Toward the end of “blueberry”
But you don’t really care for AI, do you?

It went like this — the first, the fifth,
The secret “b” in the seventh
The baffled bot composing “bluebebry.”

Bluebebry
Bluebebry
Bluebebry
Bluebebry

Search the BIRLS Database - over 18 million records about deceased US veterans, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now online and FREE from Reclaim The Records Search the BIRLS Database - over 18 million records about deceased US veterans, from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now online and FREE from Reclaim The Records

In December, RTR launched BIRLS.org along with a very easy way to make FOIA requests for deceased veterans' claim files. As of late July, the VA will no longer release these great files, only short summaries. See www.birls.org/updates - RTR is working on learning more & fighting these changes.

🚨🚨🚨NEW AD🚨🚨🚨

a cartoon drawing of a man wearing a shirt that says law . ALT: a cartoon drawing of a man wearing a shirt that says law .

OUR BILL PASSED the New York State Assembly yesterday -- UNANIMOUSLY! 🤩

It's still not a done deal yet. It has to go to the governor, and be signed, and not have last-minute line-item edits or a veto.

But we are now SO much closer to reforming New York's vital records access!

The FULL New York State Death Index, 1880-2017 - Reclaim The Records

You guys...? We did it. 🥰

We won the FULL NEW YORK STATE DEATH INDEX FOR 1880-2017!

We beat the largest government agency in the state of New York (@nysdoh.bsky.social), in the highest court of the state, through a Freedom of Information Law (#FOIL) suit.
www.reclaimtherecords.org/records-requ...