Understanding Reclaim the Records – An Interview with Brooke Schreier-Ganz and Alec Ferretti

In this episode of the Family Tree Magazine Podcast, Brook Schreier-Ganz and Alec Ferretti explain how Reclaim the Records fights for record releases and what that means for genealogists.

https://media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/media.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/content.blubrry.com/family_tree_magazine/FTM-05-2026.mp3 Feature: Reclaim the Records and Record Releases

Most records of interest to genealogists in the United States are created by government agencies; however, not all government agencies are cooperative about releasing these records. Non-profit organization Reclaim the Records that advocates for these records to be released, sometimes with legal action.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The mission and focus of Reclaim the Records
• Challenges that arise when accessing public records
• Record access laws and trends affecting them
• The issue of privacy when accessing public records
• Current and upcoming projects at Reclaim the Records
• How to advocate for open records
• Websites created by Reclaim the Records, like newyorkdeathindex.com

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Andrew Koch is the Editor of Family Tree Magazine.