Genealogy Blog Family History

Not in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI)?Posted by Administrator on August 24th, 2005

Perhaps in your search for vital records, your deceased answer is not included in the SSDI? Maybe they died prior to 1962, or their death was not reported to the SSDI? It is still possible that they may have, at some time, applied for a Social Security Card? If they did, then you may be able to obtain a copy of their SS-5? The SS-5 forms were first introduced in 1936. You will need to provide the Social Security Administration with proof of death. For details refer…. … The Social Security Administration’s Guide to Freedom of Information Act Requests

Note: Social Security payments were first instituted around 1940. As a result the Social Security Administration has virtually no information about people who died prior to this time. The majority of the SSDI vital records cover the period 1962 to 1988. There are some entries of people who died between 1940 and 1961. This data base is a rich source of information for those involved in geneology.

(You will need to search state listings for death indexes for pre 1962 deaths.)

Shipping Lists- a valuable source of information for genealogical researchPosted by Administrator on August 20th, 2005

Long before the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and Social Security Death Records (SSDR) were established in the nineteen hundreds, there were shipping lists. These records of the many thousands who came to America can be very helpful in establishing the identity of ancestors and relatives who were born in other countries.

Vital Records such as birth and marriage certificates will have to be searched for in overseas archives for those who arrived on our shores already wed.

Unless you are a Native American, your geneology research will unavoidably take you to another country. Up until the latter half of the last century, most who were immigrating to the USA came by ship, entering into the ‘lucky’ country via Ellis Island.

One group of volunteers, the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild (ISTG), has transcribed over 6900 ships manifests into 7 volumes. Access to this data base is available free of charge. http://www.immigrantships.net/

Here is a useful list of shipping records databases

• http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/passengers.php
• http://www.immigrantships.net/ Indexed and cross referenced, this is one of the most comprehensive shipping data bases available.
• Irish Immigrants: New York Port Arrival Records, 1846-1851 600,000 plus entries: Surname, Given Name, Age, Gender, Literacy, Native Country, Residence, Destination, Transit Type, Compartment, Port of Embarkation, Ship, Number of Passengers on the ship, Arrival Date, and Occupation
• New York City to California Lists of passengers published in the New York Times-searchable index of names
• Index to Mennonite Immigrants on United States Passenger Lists 1872-1904 indexed by surname and ship. http://www.odessa3.org/collections/ships/link/mindiv.txt
• Passenger Arrivals in the U.S., 1819-20
• Ships Passenger Lists on the Internet Review of websites containing links to over 4,200 passenger lists complete with passengers names from 1700s to 1890s
• Immigrant Passenger Arrivals at the Port of New York Vol 1-6 By Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
• Irish Passenger Lists 1803-1854 (over100 ships passenger lists mostly with New York as destination)
• Ship Arrivals of German immigrants in US ports Indexed by ship

Vital Records – A Brief Overview – Part 1Posted by Administrator on August 4th, 2005

Birth, Death and Marriage Records

The foundation of genealogy or family history research is birth, death and marriage records. It is these vital records of life’s significant events that we turn to when we begin to seek out the knowledge of our ancestry. These public records and others such as the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), offer access to genealogical information that may not be available from any other source.

The Social Security Death Records constitute a data base of around 65/70 million names, most of which belong to the period from 1962 to 1988. This library of archived data is being constantly added to.

Using these family search tools you should be able to:

• Distinguish between people with the same name
• Identify your ancestors
• Establish birth, death and marriage data, such as dates and places
• Learn the occupation and place of residence of ancestors
• Prove/disprove the validity of other records
• Find subtle clues to assist your research

If family history (genealogical research) is something that you are just becoming interested in, then the best place to start is with yourself. Write your own name on a piece of paper with your birth date and place, and now add what you know about your parents and grandparents, and so on, until you have exhausted your immediate knowledge.

Next, if your parents are alive and you can meet with them face to face, take a piece of paper with you and have them exhaust their knowledge of names, dates and places. Repeat this with all living relatives. Write to those you cannot visit.