Genealogy Blog Family History

How the Social Security Death Index Can Help your Genealogical Search by Paul Duxbury and Kevin CookPosted by Administrator on June 3rd, 2006

Anyone who is interested in researching their family tree knows how wonderful it would be to have vital information on their ancestors available to them at the stroke of a key. The Social Security Death Index, a huge database compiled by the United States Social Security Administration, is a gold mine to be plumbed for genealogists searching for recent ancestors, and it’s only a computer disc or internet search away. It contains data on around 64 million people, the vast majority of whom are American, who filed for social security benefits and later died between 1962 and 1988. It also includes a smaller number of records dating back to 1937, as well as railroad retirement records from around 1900 to the 1950s. The database provides information on first and last names, birth and death dates, social security numbers and the states where they were issued, and the final places where social security benefits were sent. This information can help genealogists obtain birth and death certificates, employment information, and information on other relatives and ancestor. Like putting together the pieces of a puzzle, discovering one tiny bit of data can lead to a whole treasure trove of additional information.

As helpful as the Social Security Death Index can be to someone researching their family history, it can also be an incredibly tricky database to navigate successfully. Genealogists often execute a quick search and then give up when they don’t find the person they are looking for. Perhaps their relative died before 1962 or never filed for social security. Also, their relative’s death might never have been reported. It’s most likely, however, that the genealogists are not executing a successful search. Numerous errors–in the form of typos and missing information–were made in the early collection of social security information. Therefore, using the various search engines available to search the database is a time consuming, trial and error process. Knowing a few tips for using the database, however, can improve a genealogist’s chances of a successful search.

First, remember that less is more when it comes to searching for your ancestor using the variety of fields available to you. Unlike most search engines, it’s best to start with the least amount of information first so that one incorrectly entered field does not eliminate the person you are searching for from the results. For example, if you are searching for your Uncle Tom McMahon, use just two pieces of information, such as a last name and a birth date, to begin your search. Also, be aware of not only the variety of ways information can be entered into a search field but also the most beneficial ways in which to enter to the information.

For the “Last Name” field on the index, for example, try alternative spellings (i.e. McMahon or McMann), different punctuation options (i.e. commas in names like d’Angelo), and different spacing options, particularly for last names with prefixes or suffixes (i.e. McMahon or Mc Mahon). When searching for women, don’t forget to try maiden names as well as married names. Finally, if possible, use the “soundex” to search for last names in order to retrieve entries with obvious spelling errors.

If, on the other hand, you decide to search for your uncle by using his first name (in addition to another piece of information), your spelling has be an exact match with the spelling in the record. The index permits no room for error, so get creative. Try Thomas or Tomas, Tommy, the abbreviation “T,” or even a middle name.

If you already know your Uncle Tom’s social security number, then you can skip the aforementioned steps and type it directly into the search engine. If you not only know his number but also have proof of his death, you can order his social security application, a coveted piece of material that provides all sorts of interesting information about his family history. The first three digits of his social security number will also tell you the state in which his number was issued. If, for example, you think you know where your Uncle was living when he received his Social Security Number (but you don’t actually know the number), you could use that information to search the index, but you would have to be careful because some people receive their numbers from states in which they are not living.

If you don’t know your uncle’s social security number, but you do know his birthday, you can use that as well to search for him. Birthdays are tricky, however, because they are often entered incorrectly. Try searching the index using just the date, the month, or the year of his birth (remember, less is more!), and don’t forget to try searching for typos. For example, if he was born in 1902, you could search for people born in 1920 as well, just in case.

Finally, if you’re confident in your information, you could search for your uncle by typing in the zip code of his last residence or the individual who received his last benefit. Zip codes can’t be used to find early records, however, and a fifth of the records don’t list one at all. While it’s likely that a spouse or other next of kin would receive the last benefit, it can easily go to any number of people and is not as reliable a field to search with unless you have some reliable outside information.

In the end, don’t give up before you find your ancestor. The index is as tricky as it is valuable, and you need to use your creativity when typing information into the variety of fields available on search engines. You can also try different search engines to see if some have perks, like a “soundex,” that will make all the difference in your search for your family history.

About the Authors

Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook own http://www.amateur-genealogist.com and http://www.our-family-trees.co.uk two of the leading Genealogy Websites. In addition Paul owns a wide range of exciting websites which can be viewed at http://www.our-family-trees.co.uk

What You Can Find in the SSDI by George G. MorganPosted by Administrator on February 11th, 2006

What Is the SSDI?

The SSDI is a compilation of information about deceased persons who filed for and received Social Security numbers, who were paid Social Security benefits at some point in their lives, and whose death was reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA). There are several very key points you should understand and bear in mind.

Usually, a person whose name appears in the SSDI was employed, paid money into Social Security and, at some time, applied for benefits of some sort. The two most typical benefits paid were old age pension or disability benefits. If the person paid into Social Security but never collected benefits, you will not find him or her in the file.

The spouse of someone who paid into Social Security, but who never worked and contributed to Social Security, will not be included in the file unless he or she received their spouse’s benefits after the spouse’s death, and even this is not a 100 percent certainty.

Persons who worked for the railroad exclusively and did not work in another public sector will not be included in the SSDI. Those persons, instead, contributed to Railroad Retirement, a separate retirement security fund specifically for railroad workers and collected benefits from that organization. Only if the person also worked for a company not affiliated with the railroad will they appear in the SSDI, and they will appear with their unique number assigned to railroad numbers (beginning with a 7).

If a person collected benefits at one time and his or her death was not reported to Social Security, that person will not be included in the SSDI.

Ways to Use the SSDI
As you can see, there are a lot of components to the SSDI record. Let me suggest some ways to use the SSDI information in your research.

Write Letters for SS-5 Form—The most obvious activity is to use the letter-generation facility and send off for the SS-5 form. In my column of 2 July 1998, I discussed in detail the vast amount of information available from the SS-5, including the site where the application was made, parents’ names, date and place of birth, employer, occupation, and other great details that may point you in other directions.

Locating Lost Relatives—I have had success locating lost branches of the family and information about them by using the SSDI. For example, I found a letter from my grandmother’s brother from the 1940s in which he said he was moving his family to Dayton, OH. A search of his name and Dayton, OH, located a number of records and, by checking the birth date, I was able to confirm his presence there and his date of death.

Confirming Dates—I have often used the SSDI to search for a person of whose name and place of residence I was certain. When you locate their record, you can then check the birth date for the person and compare it against what, if anything, you already have. You can also check death date. If you need corroboration, you can write to the SSA for the SS-5 and/or write to the vital records agency in the Residence location’s county and seek a copy of a death certificate.

Dates of Birth and Death—You can use these dates to search for birth certificates, death records, obituaries and other materials. Using the Residence and Last Benefit (if any listed) will help you home in on specific locations.

Residence—I have often used the SSDI to locate the last residence of a specific relative, especially if I knew his or her date of birth. I simply enter the surname and given name, along with date or year of birth, and execute a search. This usually provides me with records to help me isolate the last residence address in the SSA’s files. If not, I broaden the search. (TIP: If you don’t get a match the first time, there may be a given name problem where the person may have gone by a middle name. Leave the given name blank and try again. Likewise, try alternate spellings of surnames. JOHANSSON may have been spelled as JOHANSON or JOHANNSON or some other way. Be persistent!) In addition, the Residence information may point you to other materials in a specific geographic area, such as land records, tax rolls, voter registration rolls, licenses, court records, newspapers, school records, church records, employment records, probate records, obituaries and a variety of other record types.

Place Issued—The state shown in the SSDI as the one in which the SSN was issued may be a surprise to you. A check of the person’s SS-5 form will confirm the place where the application was made and the SSN was issued. I have one ancestor whose Issued location was shown in the SSDI as PA when I expected it to have been NC. On receipt of his SS-5, I found that he was working in PA in the late 1930s at the time he was required to obtain a SSN. This provided me with more details about his movements and employment history, and pointed me toward research in another geographical area I would never have known to check

Visit George G. Morgan’s site

Social security death index updatedPosted by Administrator on October 26th, 2005

The Death Master File (DMF) from the Social Security Administration (SSA) currently contains over 76 million records. The current update reflects the latest information provided by the SSA as of September 2005. The file is created from internal SSA records of deceased persons possessing social security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the SSA. Often this was done in connection with filing for death benefits by a family member, an attorney, a mortuary, etc. Each update of the DMF includes corrections to old data as well as additional names. [NOTE: If someone is missing from the list, it may be that the benefit was never requested, an error was made on the form requesting the benefit, or an error was made when entering the information into the SSDI.]

Extended Description:
This file includes the following information on each decedent, if the data is available to the SSA:

• Last name
• First name
• Social Security Number
• State issued
• Birth date
• Death date
• Last residence
• Lump sum payment

The absence of a particular person in the SSDI is not proof this person is alive. Additionally, there is a possibility that incorrect records of death have been entered on the DMF. The Social Security Administration does not guarantee the accuracy of the file.

SEARCHING TIPS

When you know the information, be as specific as possible to avoid a large of hits. (Large can be somewhere over a couple hundred or so.) If you are unable to find someone you are looking for, here are some things to try:

• Change dates around (e.g. instead of searching for 5 Oct 1954 [10/5/54], search for 10 May 1954 [5/10/54])
• Change years around (e.g. 1984 becomes 1948)
• Use all other possible spellings of the name (and perhaps some that aren’t so likely)
• Switch last name and first name around
• Try searching for a middle name as a first name
• Even if you know a piece of information, try omitting it (e.g. if you know first and last name and death date, try leaving off the first name).