| Social Security Sleuthing - Chat Transcript | |
|
Sponsored by the National Genealogical Society Learning Center
Transcript of Chat - 3 April, 2002
| <genealogyADM> | I'd like to start by welcoming all of you to this virtual lecture sponsored by the National Genealogical Society |
| <genealogyADM> | The topic tonight is Social Security Sleuthing and I'm sure it will be fun!!! |
| <genealogyADM> | Now I'm going to turn it over to John Humphrey, the director of the NGS Learning Center and allow him to introduce our special guest :-) |
| <NGSJohn> | On behalf of the National Genealogical Society I want to thank each of you for participating in this evening's online NGS Virtual Lecture. This series of lectures is sponsored by the National Genealogical Society Learning Center. |
| <NGSJohn> | I also want to give a word of thanks to Kimberly Powell for offering her help AND expertise in putting this lecture series together. I owe special thanks to our presenter this evening, Pam Porter. |
| <NGSJohn> | Pam, a Certified Genealogical Records Specialist, is coming to us this evening from Missouri. She lectures nationally and locally and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is also on the Board of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. |
| <NGSJohn> | Pam will be giving three presentations next month at the National Genealogical Society Conference in the States to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from May 15-18. One of those presentations addresses tonight's topic, social security records. It is a special privilege to welcome Pam to tonight's NGS Online Lecture. |
| <Guest1959> | Good Evening Folks |
| <NGSJohn> | Pam, it's all yours |
| <PamPorter> | Thanks, John. |
| <PamPorter> | Good evening from St. Louis, and welcome! Tonight we're going to discuss records from the Social Security Administration that may help us genealogists in our quest to find direct-line ancestors, collateral lines, or even living relatives. The handout for this lecture can be found online here - Social Security Sleuthing. |
| <PamPorter> | How can Social Security records help you as a genealogist? |
| <PamPorter> | They can provide valuable vital facts like birthplace and date, parents' names, or death date. They can also give you clues to where the person lived or even worked at a given time, where they resided when they first got their Social Security card, where they last resided, and who got the lump sum benefit distribution upon their death. |
| <PamPorter> | Let's start with a short history lesson and some dates that are important to remember when using Social Security records. |
| <PamPorter> | President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law on August 14, 1935. The government then faced the monumental task of registering employers and employees by January 1, 1937, when workers would begin acquiring credits toward old-age insurance benefits, and when payroll tax withholding would begin. |
| <PamPorter> | Since the new Social Security Board did not have resources enough to accomplish this, they contracted with the U.S. Postal Service to distribute the applications. The first application forms were distributed in late November 1936, and numbers were assigned in local post offices. |
| <PamPorter> | Post offices collected completed forms and turned them over to the Social Security field offices that were located near major post office centers. The applications were then forwarded to Baltimore, where Social Security numbers were registered and various employment records were established. |
| <PamPorter> | At this point, I should tell you that we WILL get past the dates and history lesson to more interesting stuff in a bit. |
| <PamPorter> | More than 30 million Social Security cards were issued through this early procedure, with the help of the post offices. By June 30, 1937, the Social Security Board had established 151 field offices, with the first field office opening on October 14, 1936, in Austin, Texas. |
| <PamPorter> | From that point on, the Board's local offices took over the task of assigning Social Security numbers until 1972. Since 1972, all Social Security numbers and cards have been issued centrally from Baltimore. |
| <PamPorter> | Was your ancestor one of the approximately 30 million U.S. residents who received Social Security numbers between the program's inception and June 1937? During this time, and up until 1947, Social Security number applications included the applicant's employer and employer's address. A good researcher would use this additional information to look up the employer in a city directory or a small-town newspaper to determine the type of business. |
| <PamPorter> | In the past, individuals usually applied for a Social Security number when they needed it for employment. When the program began, many occupations were not covered under Social Security, so there was no need to obtain a number. |
| <PamPorter> | Sometimes one number was used for a husband and his wife. |
| <PamPorter> | It is possible that someone you are seeking may not have applied for a Social Security number until 1965, when Medicare was first enacted for individuals age 65 and older. |
| <PamPorter> | And what about military records? In 1967, the Department of Defense began using Social Security numbers instead of military service numbers to identify Armed Forces personnel. |
| <PamPorter> | If a relative has the older service number, you know that he probably served prior to 1967. |
| <PamPorter> | Not just U.S. citizens receive Social Security numbers. In 1972, the law required the Social Security Administration to issue Social Security numbers to any legally-admitted alien upon entry, and to obtain evidence of age and citizenship or alien status and identity. |
| <PamPorter> | Do you have a railroad worker in your family tree? |
| <PamPorter> | Up until 1963, railroad employees were assigned Social Security numbers beginning with 700-728. You should look for information about railroad retirement benefits on the Railroad Retirement Board Web site. |
| <PamPorter> | The use of a Social Security number as an identifier is common today for a variety of valid purposes, insuring that future genealogists will have even more information about our contemporaries, from public aid recipients, to deadbeat dads, to our driving histories and how we financed our education. |
| <PamPorter> | That is, if the records are made public in the future. |
| <PamPorter> | Let's look briefly at a Social Security number now. The number is composed of three parts: an Area Number (first three digits), a Group Number (middle two digits), and a Serial Number (last four digits). |
| <PamPorter> | XXX-XX-XXXX |
| <PamPorter> | The Area Number is assigned by geographical region. Prior to 1972, cards were issued in local Social Security offices around the country and the Area Number represented the state in which the card was issued. |
| <PamPorter> | That should prior to 1972--we didn't have SS in 972. |
| <PamPorter> | This did not necessarily have to be the state where the applicant lived, since a person could apply for their card in any Social Security office. |
| <PamPorter> | Since 1972, when Social Security Administration began assigning Social Security numbers and issuing cards centrally from Baltimore, the area number is assigned based on the zip code in the mailing address provided on the application for the original Social Security card. |
| <PamPorter> | A word of warning: The applicant's mailing address is not necessarily the same as his/her place of residence. Therefore, the Area Number does not necessarily represent the state of residence of the applicant either prior to 1972 or since. |
| <PamPorter> | Again, that should be 1972 |
| <PamPorter> | Generally, Area Numbers were assigned beginning in the northeast and moving westward. So, people on the East Coast had the lowest numbers and those on the West Coast had the highest numbers. |
| <PamPorter> | This may no longer be true, as so many new Area Numbers have been created to keep up with demand. |
| <PamPorter> | You can find a complete list of Area Numbers and corresponding states or territories on the Social Security Administration's web site or in The Source, a book by Szucs and Luebking (see Internet Resources and Selected Readings in the handout for this lecture). |
| <PamPorter> | The Social Security Administration warns you not to make too much of the Area Number. The numbering scheme was developed in 1936 (before computers) to make it easier for the Social Security Administration to store the applications in Baltimore files that were organized by regions and alphabetically. |
| <PamPorter> | Originally, it was intended for Social Security Administration internal use and convenience, and was not intended for anything more. However, it's a good clue for the family sleuth! |
| <PamPorter> | The Group Number, the middle two digits of a Social Security number, range from 01 to 99, but they are not issued in consecutive order, and they really have no special meaning for genealogists. The Social Security Administration web site contains a frequently updated list of the latest Group number issued within each Area. |
| <PamPorter> | The last four digits of a Social Security number simply run consecutively from 0001 through 9999. |
| <PamPorter> | Now, where do we find a Society Security number for someone we're researching? |
| <PamPorter> | A variety of documents may reveal a person's Social Security number. Look carefully at the death certificate if you have it. Military records since 1967 use the person's Social Security number as an identifier. |
| <PamPorter> | Check with the funeral home that handled arrangements, they may have a record of the deceased's Social Security number. A life insurance policy or death claim may list a Social Security number. Some states may list Social Security numbers as the driver's license number. |
| <PamPorter> | Look around the house - if the deceased or his/her minor children received any kind of Social Security benefits, you may have papers listing the Social Security number in a file box in your home. |
| <PamPorter> | And there's always the Social Security Death Master File, also known as the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). |
| <PamPorter> | The Social Security Administration since 1962 has used a computer system to keep track of more than 67 million deaths that have been reported to them. This database is in tape format, which is not searchable by the public. |
| <PamPorter> | However, the U.S. Department of Commerce does sell these 17 magnetic reels of tape to genealogical services that reformat the information on their own searchable computer databases or publish it on CD-ROMs. |
| <PamPorter> | All so-called Social Security Death Index information comes from the same source - the Social Security Administrations records. These include: Social Security number, last name and first name, date of death and date of birth, zip code of last residence, and zip code of lump sum payment recipient. |
| <PamPorter> | Let the user beware! Several possible problems exist in the original database, as with any electronic data, and these errors flow through to all versions of the Social Security Death Index. |
| <PamPorter> | The Social Security Admin database allows only 12 letters for last name, and 9 letters for first name, with all other letters being truncated, or chopped off. Data entry errors do occur. For example, the data entry clerk may insert a double first letter, entering BBROWN for BROWN. |
| <PamPorter> | They might have their fingers on the wrong keys, resulting in OIRTER instead of PORTER. If you can't find someone by first and last name and birth date, try searching by first name only and as much other information as you can to narrow the search. |
| <PamPorter> | In addition to data entry errors, be aware of some more possibilities. The death date may contain month and year only, especially before 1988. |
| <PamPorter> | The zip code information may lead you in a wrong direction. Zip codes were not used until 1963, and the location assigned to a zip code is based on U.S. Postal Service assignment of localities to a given zip code. This may not be the town where the person actually lived, or where final benefits were sent. For example, a single zip code may be used for two or more towns in close proximity. |
| <PamPorter> | Also, do not be fooled into thinking the zip code or locality of last residence is where the person actually died. They may have lived in Patterson, Missouri, but actually died in a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. |
| <PamPorter> | You'd never find the death certificate in Missouri if they died in Tennessee! |
| <PamPorter> | Now, having told you all the pitfalls to watch out for, I will say that you can still find many valuable clues in the Social Security Death Master File. Let's start with who is NOT in the Death Master File. |
| <PamPorter> | Not everyone who ever received a Social Security number or paid withholding taxes is in the database. |
| <PamPorter> | My grandmother worked very hard to raise eight children, and really looked forward to retiring and drawing Social Security at age 60 in July 1964. Unfortunately, she died in January 1964 at age 59 *. She had a Social Security number early and paid her fair share of withholding, yet she is not in the Death Master File? Why not? |
| <PamPorter> | Her death was not reported to the Social Security Administration by anyone. She had not yet drawn a Social Security check, so there was no need to notify the Social Security Administration when she died. |
| <PamPorter> | Not everyone who has received Social Security benefits is in the database. |
| <PamPorter> | A man died in 1953, leaving a wife and daughter. The daughter received Social Security benefits based on her father's benefits until she was 18 years old. Yet, no record of her father exists in the SSDI. Why not? |
| <PamPorter> | Because his death was not reported to the Social Security Administration. He was 26 years old when he died in 1953, so there was no reason to notify the Social Security Administration. |
| <PamPorter> | So, who are all those people in the Social Security Death Index? They are simply persons who had a Social Security number, and whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. |
| <PamPorter> | A survivor may have requested death benefits from the Social Security Administration. A family member may have notified the Social Security Administration to stop benefits to the deceased. |
| <PamPorter> | A funeral home may have notified the Social Security Administration as a service to the family. Whether or not they ever received Social Security benefits, if someone notified the Social Security Administration of their death, and they had a Social Security number, they appear in the Social Security Death Index. |
| <PamPorter> | When does this index begin? |
| <PamPorter> | The Social Security Administration began to use a computer database in 1962. About 98 percent of the people in the Death Master File died after 1962, although a few deaths do date back as early as 1937. |
| <PamPorter> | Where can you get the Social Security Death Index? |
| <PamPorter> | Almost any LDS Family History Center has the FamilySearch set of CD ROMs, which include the Social Security Death Index. This database is available for use free on-site at your local Family History Center, and on the Family History Library Web site. This version offers one feature that others do not - it reports foreign death residences. |
| <PamPorter> | Several versions of the Social Security Death Master File are available on the Internet free of charge. They are listed in the handout. These web sites change frequently, and some may no longer be available. To find the latest SSDI web sites on the Internet, just access the Google search engine and search for "Social Security Death Index." |
| <PamPorter> | In addition to the web site versions, several genealogical software vendors include the SSDI as part of their deluxe programs, or offer it for sale separately. |
| <PamPorter> | Be selective as you use these different versions of searchable databases. Try all of them and decide for yourself which is the most flexible, offering you the opportunity to search by first name only, along with birth date, to try to find your missing female ancestor. |
| <PamPorter> | Use them to try to find out what happened to your great uncle - you have no idea if he has died, or where his family might be. Search by his name and birth date, and see if you can find a record that fits with a location of last residence or location of where his benefits were sent. Then check the on-line phone directories for a listing for his widow or children in that town. |
| <PamPorter> | Ancestry and RootsWeb offer comprehensive search engines for SSDI. You can search by any or all of these: first name, middle initial, last name, Social Security number, state that issued the number, Soundex of last name. The advanced features let you also throw in any combination of the city, state, county, or zip code of last known residence, and the birth or death day, month, and/or year. |
| <PamPorter> | Try experimenting with each of the available SSDI search tools on the Web. You often receive different results on one than on another. For example, I searched for my grandfather, Willard Westmoreland, using only first name and last name. The Ancestry and RootsWeb SSDI versions turned up 6 Willard Westmorelands, Lineages turned up 5, and Family Tree Maker and My Trees each turned up 4. |
| <PamPorter> | Sometimes discrepancies are explained by the fact that some providers update their files from the Social Security Administration more frequently than others. Whatever the reason, it's always a good idea to perform the same search on several of the SSDI sites if you don't obtain the results you'd hoped for. |
| <PamPorter> | So what did I find of use from my search? I found my grandfather, Willard Westmoreland, born 17 Nov 1902, died Mar 1981 (missing the day, probably because his death was before 1988). His last residence (or at least the address where his SS check was sent) was zip code 63957, which the program assigned to Piedmont, Wayne County, Missouri. His last benefits went to zip code 63026, which the program assigned to Fenton, St. Louis County, Missouri. The SSDI program also informed me that his SSN was 491-16-1616, and it was issued in Missouri (before 1951). |
| <PamPorter> | Several of the SSDI search tools online will even help me print out a letter to the Social Security Administration if I want to order my grandfather's Application for Social Security number, the SS-5. Just click on the Write Letter link (or similar) and a letter prints with the necessary information for the SSA to fulfill my request. I just write a check, address an envelope, and mail the letter and check off to the SSA. |
| <PamPorter> | Let^`2019s mention just a few more variations among the SSDI programs on the Web. Rootsweb^`2019s version of SSDI offers the option to add a post-em so another researcher can contact you, or to add a link to your web site. |
| <PamPorter> | Family Tree Maker's version allows us to search quite a few fields of information, and it also uses Soundex, a good feature. It does not allow us to enter a state where the card was issued though. |
| <PamPorter> | Also, it provides a "state of death," which is actually inaccurate - this should be the state of last residence, or sometimes the state where a person's check was sent. |
| <PamPorter> | The FamilySearch SSDI search engine looks similar to the LDS IGI or ancestor search screen. You can search for birth or death year, but not exact date. I used this version to find a female whose married name I did not know, my grandmother's sister, Lillie. |
| <PamPorter> | I entered a first name of Lillie and a birth year of 1900 and Missouri as the state where her SS card was issued. FamilySearch returned 111 matches for women named Lillie born in 1900, SS issued in Missouri. I simply searched for one with the exact birth date of 20 Sept 1900, and learned that Lillie's name at death was McClary. |
| <PamPorter> | Now, don't stop. Don't stop with what you find in the SSDI. You have a few facts that you may or may not have had. You have the person's birth date, and the state where the Social Security card was issued, or at least where it was mailed to the applicant. Look for a birth certificate or census record in that state. |
| <PamPorter> | You have a death date, and location of last residence. Look for an obituary in their local newspaper to determine a death place. Then request a death certificate. Contact the funeral home for any records they might have. |
| <PamPorter> | You have the location where the person's lump sum distribution was sent. Search an on-line telephone directory for that area for the surname of the person you think may have received the benefits and contact them. |
| <PamPorter> | Ask for a copy of the original SS-5, Application for Social Security card. Otherwise, you may receive just a computer-generated printout of some of the information, when what you really want is the copy showing the information filled out in the person's own handwriting and with their original signature. |
| <PamPorter> | However, sometimes the NUMIDENT computer printout may provide more information than the original application. It may show the names of a woman as she married or divorced. |
| <PamPorter> | If you provide a Social Security number, the fee for the SS-5 copy is $27.00. You can order one without the Social Security number, but you should provide as much identifying information as possible, including parents. The fee without Social Security number is $29.00. Within a few weeks, you should have your copy of the application. |
| <PamPorter> | What will an SS-5 application give you? |
| <PamPorter> | In the case of my husband's step-grandfather, the family did not even know his birth date. I searched the SSDI and found Ralph Eng, about the right age, and a Social Security number, and wrote for an SS-5 copy. |
| <PamPorter> | This told us many things we did not know - his middle name; his residence in 1936 when he filled out this form; his employer and employer's address at the time (available from 1936 to 1947); his birth date and place in Oslo, Norway; his father and mother. |
| <NCLegacy> | is it possible to get computer printout and original application? Is there an additional fee if you get both documents? |
| <PamPorter> | Now we can begin to search the Lutheran parish records in Oslo for his baptismal record or his parents' marriage record. We can check the New York City directories for the time period when he received his SS number to see what his employer did or who Ralph's neighbors were. |
| <PamPorter> | We know he was born in Norway, so we can check for citizenship records in the U.S. We have his original signature. Moreover, we know he was one of those very first 30 million to get Social Security numbers, beginning in November 1936! |
| <PamPorter> | Yes, it is possible to get both the original and the computer printout. You must pay the full fee for both. |
| <PamPorter> | Think you know everything about your parents or grandparents? |
| <PamPorter> | I already knew my grandfather's birth and death dates, his parents, and other vital information, and I have numerous copies of his original signature. Why was obtaining this SS-5 worth $27.00 to me? |
| <PamPorter> | He filled out this application in May 1938, and his employer was Atchinson Paving Co., Chillicothe, Mo. Chillicothe is diagonally all the way across the state from his beloved home in southeast Missouri's hills. I know that my grandfather never strayed very far from home. So, the fact that his employer was in Chillicothe teased me. |
| <PamPorter> | I went to the microfilmed newspaper collection for his home area in 1938. I found several articles about the paving of highway 67 through Wayne County, and realized that my grandfather probably was employed by a Chillicothe company that was working locally. |
| <PamPorter> | This also piqued my interest since it is at a time when the WPA offered some security to rural people by employing them to build roads, parks, and many other useful things that we still use today. I plan to research this further. |
| <PamPorter> | Another helpful record that may be available is a Social Security claim file. If a person or his or her dependents ever received Social Security benefits, they should have a claim file. |
| <PamPorter> | This file may include a copy of the recipient's birth certificate or other proof of age or relationship. Many people born prior to the time when birth registration was required had to provide evidence like Bible records, baptismal certificate, delivering physician's affidavit, or school records to obtain a delayed certificate of birth in order to qualify for Social Security benefits. |
| <PamPorter> | Claims files may include some of these items. Naturalized citizens may have provided citizenship papers to the Social Security Administration. |
| <PamPorter> | Do you know why the 1880 census Soundex, done during the WPA era, only indexes households with children age ten and under? |
| <PamPorter> | The government used this as a method of verifying ages of the very first eligible recipients of Social Security benefits in the 1930s. |
| <PamPorter> | The bad news about claims files is that they usually are not retained very long after the death of the qualifying worker or after the last dependent goes off benefits. However, if you don't mind spending $14.00, the Social Security Administration will search for a claims file. You must provide the same information as for the SS-5 application, and again cite the Freedom of Information Act, and offer proof that the individual is deceased. |
| <PamPorter> | If they find a file, they also charge ten cents per page for photocopying, plus postage. It is certainly worth a try if you can't turn up vital information for an individual from any other source. |
| <PamPorter> | Many of us think of Social Security records as twentieth-century records (or later). I suggest you think about the fact that many people who received benefits or who paid SS taxes were born in the nineteenth century before birth registration was required. |
| <PamPorter> | And you may often be surprised by a detail in an ancestor's or relative's life that you never knew, such as a previous marriage or a different name. |
| <PamPorter> | In genealogy, we learn to leave no stone unturned in our quest for facts. You never know what you'll learn from a search of the SSDI online, or from a copy of a Social Security application. |
| <PamPorter> | Now, let's open this up for your questions or comments. |
Continue to Next Page of Chat Transcript
