Social Security Death Index Question
Van Gogh's Ear
I was doing a search today for some realatives in the SSDI and was
unable to find my grandfather. I wasnt quite sure of his date of birth,
but i was sure of his location and zipcode and date of death and such
and entered that. i know i spelled his name correctly and everything
else but there was no entry for him. is this common that you cant find
someone if you know they had a social security number and such? Could
it be that his entry got misplaced or something?
just wondering...
chelle
Elaine Maddox
Humans enter the data and there is always room for error. If you know he
had a social security number then you may want to request a copy of his
application from the Social Security Administration.
Don Boell
Van Gogh's Ear (fea...@unix.asb.com) wrote:
: I was doing a search today for some realatives in the SSDI and was
: unable to find my grandfather. I wasnt quite sure of his date of birth,
: but i was sure of his location and zipcode and date of death and such
: and entered that. i know i spelled his name correctly and everything
: else but there was no entry for him. is this common that you cant find
: someone if you know they had a social security number and such? Could
: it be that his entry got misplaced or something?
: just wondering...
Which SSDI did you access? I found a relative in the SSDI at
www.ancestry.com that I did NOT find in the SSDI that came with
Family Tree Maker 4.4 OR in the SSDI at www.familytreemaker.com
I complained to the FTMO folks but never heard back. Try your
search at another SSDI site and you may get lucky.
: chelle
Elaine Maddox
Remember that SSDI is updated quarterly and the site at Ancestry updates
then. The CD you buy is written in stone on the day it is published. There
is no update to it unless you buy another CD which will immediately also be
out of date.
Carol Hunt
Very common as Social Security admits they are prone to mistakes, however,
you should report such an incident as the Social Security told me that
usually a number not showing up means one of the following:
1. Person still living
2. No final death benefit payment sent
3. Number still active
In this day and age there are many SS# rings selling numbers and there is a
possibility of the number being used by someone else. Of course there
explanation was verbal to me after request for information on my father
who's SS #, name, nothing appears int heir records online yet I have his
death certificate (1946) and it has his social security number and have
sent copy to them. In other words they goofed and are unwilling to admit
it.
You can search other places for death records such as obits, cemeteries,
etc. Also if there was a RR connection then this can give you another
search place.
Good luck. I'm having none after a year of correspondence and phone
conversations with Social Security Administration and the Office of General
Records. All I want is copy of the application form my father completed to
get his number. It may contain some clues about his mother which I need.
Carol
Van Gogh's Ear <fea...@unix.asb.com> wrote in article
<359BC915...@unix.asb.com>...
> I was doing a search today for some realatives in the SSDI and was
> unable to find my grandfather. I wasnt quite sure of his date of birth,
> but i was sure of his location and zipcode and date of death and such
> and entered that. i know i spelled his name correctly and everything
> else but there was no entry for him. is this common that you cant find
> someone if you know they had a social security number and such? Could
> it be that his entry got misplaced or something?
> just wondering...
>
> chelle
>
>
Annette Roberts
I, too, had the same experience: finding a person at one SSDI who wasn't
listed at another. Also tho, when a person dies, someone in the family can
notify the Social Security Admin. and they receive about $250 towards burial
expenses. I am told that if the SSA doesn't receive this notice, they don't
add that person to the SSDI.
As always, TIA and Luck to you,
Nettie Mae
Come visit the Hoadley Connection
http://members.tripod.com/~Nettie_Mae/index.htm
Researching the following surnames: HOADLEY, DAVIS, LEIGH,
COOK, GREEN, ROBINSON, WILSON, and soon CLAYTON.
-----Original Message-----
From: Don Boell <bo...@cs.itc.hp.com>
To: ALT-GEN...@rootsweb.com <ALT-GEN...@rootsweb.com>
Date: Thursday, July 02, 1998 1:28 PM
Subject: Re: Social Security Death Index Question
>Van Gogh's Ear (fea...@unix.asb.com) wrote:
>: I was doing a search today for some realatives in the SSDI and was
>: unable to find my grandfather. I wasnt quite sure of his date of birth,
>: but i was sure of his location and zipcode and date of death and such
>: and entered that. i know i spelled his name correctly and everything
>: else but there was no entry for him. is this common that you cant find
>: someone if you know they had a social security number and such? Could
>: it be that his entry got misplaced or something?
>: just wondering...
>
>Which SSDI did you access? I found a relative in the SSDI at
>www.ancestry.com that I did NOT find in the SSDI that came with
>Family Tree Maker 4.4 OR in the SSDI at www.familytreemaker.com
>
>I complained to the FTMO folks but never heard back. Try your
>search at another SSDI site and you may get lucky.
>
>: chelle
>
>______________________________
Frostypoo
>Which SSDI did you access? I found a relative in the SSDI at
>www.ancestry.com that I did NOT find in the SSDI that came with
>Family Tree Maker 4.4 OR in the SSDI at www.familytreemaker.com
The same thing happened to me. At this time Ancestry.com is a better choice for
SS information.
Kathy G.
Don Boell
Elaine Maddox (elai...@worldnet.att.net) wrote:
: Remember that SSDI is updated quarterly and the site at Ancestry updates
: then. The CD you buy is written in stone on the day it is published. There
: is no update to it unless you buy another CD which will immediately also be
: out of date.
Which is all fine and good. Except for the fact that Family Tree Maker
4.4 deluxe costs double the standard version. For the extra money
you get the SSDI plus vol 1-5 of WFT. I bought this the last week
of May and found the record at ancestry.com within the first 2 weeks
of June. So the SSDI CDs that came with 4.4 are already WAY out of
date. I'd have hoped that they would be more current given the extra
$ payed.
And the above does not explain why the SSDI found on the FTM web site
also does not find my relative. The only explanation for that is
the possibility that FTM update their data less frequently than do
ancestry.com. Given the hype behind FTM and their services I would
have hoped for better.
: Don Boell wrote:
: > Van Gogh's Ear (fea...@unix.asb.com) wrote:
: > : I was doing a search today for some realatives in the SSDI and was
: > : unable to find my grandfather. I wasnt quite sure of his date of birth,
: > : but i was sure of his location and zipcode and date of death and such
: > : and entered that. i know i spelled his name correctly and everything
: > : else but there was no entry for him. is this common that you cant find
: > : someone if you know they had a social security number and such? Could
: > : it be that his entry got misplaced or something?
: > : just wondering...
: >
: > Which SSDI did you access? I found a relative in the SSDI at
: > www.ancestry.com that I did NOT find in the SSDI that came with
: > Family Tree Maker 4.4 OR in the SSDI at www.familytreemaker.com
: >
: > I complained to the FTMO folks but never heard back. Try your
Elaine Maddox
Kathryn,
I also own FTM Deluxe III. That is why I always tell people to use Ancestry for
the most current information on the SSDI.
Elaine Maddox
I posted this elsewhere. People here might also find it of interest.
Subject:
http://scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us/thpl/main/spc/social_security_death_records.htm
****************************
Special Collections'
Social Security Death Benefits Records
SCOPE OF THE RECORDS:
The Social Security Act of 1935
established a Federally administered
program to provide mass old-age insurance
and other public assistance benefits to
United States citizens. Social Security cards
were issued as early as 1937 with the first
payments delivered in 1940. Data in the
Social Security Administration's (SSA)
application records often contain valuable
information for the family history researcher
. . .
In order to enroll, applicants were required to complete form SS-5:
"Application for Social Security
Number" which included the following questions:
* Applicant's full name
* Full name at birth (including maiden name)
* Present mailing address
* Age at last birthday
* Date of birth
* Sex and race
* Birthplace (city, county, state)
* Full name of father and mother (regardless of whether "living
or dead" at the time of the
application)
* Ever applied for Social Security/Railroad Retirement before?
* Current employer's name and address
* Date signed
* Applicant's signature
REQUESTING COPIES OF THE APPLICATION
To obtain a copy of your ancestor's SS-5 form, complete a copy of
form SSA-L997: "Social
Security Number Record Third Party Request for Extract or
Photocopy". Fill out the form as
completely as possible. (Social Security number MUST be included.)
Strike out the word "extract"
in the form's title to indicate that you want a photocopy of the
original SS-5. Enclose proof of death,
such as a death certificate, obituary, or copy of the entry from one
of the electronic databases of
Social Security death files. Mail this information to the address
indicated on the form. Social
Security's policy regarding copying charges has been inconsistent.
Sometimes a $7.00 fee is
charged, but you will be notified if payment is required.
SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEXES ON CD-ROM
Three versions of the SSA's death records files are available in
cd-rom format in Special Collections.
They contain lists of many (but not all) deceased persons who had
Social Security numbers and
whose deaths were reported to the SSA. Most records on the discs
date from 1962, but some
records as early as 1937 are included. Both versions are easy to
use, and you can print or download
information from either.
Social Security Death Benefit Records, by Automated Archives:
* CD110; volume 1, A-L; volume 2, M-Z
* Updated through December 1994
* Searchable by name, Soundex code, Social Security number,
birth date, death date,
location, etc.
Social Security Death Index, by FamilySearch:
* Updated through December 1996
* Searchable by name. (Search may be narrowed by birth year,
state of issuance or last state
of residence.)
Social Security Death Master File, by Genealogical Services:
* Updated through December 1995
* Windows-based product
* Searchable by name, state, birth year or death year
* Program also generates a letter requesting a copy of the
deceased individual's application
for a Social Security card
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
A searchable version of the Social Security Death Masterfile is
available on the Internet at
http://www.ancestry.com/ssdi/advanced.htm
Further information about Social Security records and the Railroad
Retirement program can be
found in the following booklet:
929.373 Desmond Walls Allen and Carolyn Earle Billingsley.
A425s Social Security Applications: A Genealogical Resource.
Research Associates, 1991.
A copy of this booklet is available at the Reference Desk in Special
Collections, as well as
reproducible copies of the SSA-L997 form mentioned above. Ask a
librarian to use this material.
Back to: Automating Your Family Tree | Special Collections | Main
Library | THPL Home Page
Problems? Contact: webm...@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us
Last update: 3/98
JCDrews
Do not assume that simply having died or having had a Soc Sec number means your
name will appear in the SSDI! The SSDI is basically those people for whom a
death benefit has been paid!
Any decedent whose relatives did not file a claim, or did not have that claim
approved, may well not show up. Further, it helps if the decedent was paying
in to Soc Sec -- many union members, tradesmen, teachers, policemen, railroad
workers had their own, non-govt retirement funds. Next, to qualify for Soc
Sec benefits, one needed 40 quarters/10 years of contributing to Soc Sec...and
Soc Sec only BEGAN in 1934, so collecting only kicked in starting in 1944
(retirement, that is, not disability or death). LESSON: The SSDI is not
all-encompassing; it is what it says it is, only.
mollym...@my-dejanews.com
I encountered the same situation. I had my grfather's correct birth and death
dates, address etc. and still no entry. I wondered about this system on the
net. I've used the CD at LDS and had much greater success.
In article <359BC915...@unix.asb.com>,
Van Gogh's Ear <fea...@unix.asb.com> wrote:
>
> I was doing a search today for some realatives in the SSDI and was
> unable to find my grandfather. I wasnt quite sure of his date of birth,
> but i was sure of his location and zipcode and date of death and such
> and entered that. i know i spelled his name correctly and everything
> else but there was no entry for him. is this common that you cant find
> someone if you know they had a social security number and such? Could
> it be that his entry got misplaced or something?
> just wondering...
>
> chelle
>
>
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum
LCoupe
Please send us your visa or MasterCard account number so that we too can use
this site.
Thanks!
Roselyn Watson
only has thoses names that had received the benefits are on the Index. If
they did not receive benefits or died before they will not appear.
Lyn
Van Gogh's Ear <fea...@unix.asb.com> wrote in article
<359BC915...@unix.asb.com>...
kjc...@worldnet.att.net
Annette Roberts wrote:
>
> I, too, had the same experience: finding a person at one SSDI who wasn't
> listed at another. Also tho, when a person dies, someone in the family can
> notify the Social Security Admin. and they receive about $250 towards burial
> expenses. I am told that if the SSA doesn't receive this notice, they don't
> add that person to the SSDI.
> As always, TIA and Luck to you,
> Nettie Mae
> Come visit the Hoadley Connection
> http://members.tripod.com/~Nettie_Mae/index.htm
> Researching the following surnames: HOADLEY, DAVIS, LEIGH,
> COOK, GREEN, ROBINSON, WILSON, and soon CLAYTON.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Don Boell <bo...@cs.itc.hp.com>
> To: ALT-GEN...@rootsweb.com <ALT-GEN...@rootsweb.com>
> Date: Thursday, July 02, 1998 1:28 PM
> Subject: Re: Social Security Death Index Question
>
> >: unable to find my grandfather. I wasnt quite sure of his date of birth,
> >: but i was sure of his location and zipcode and date of death and such
> >: and entered that. i know i spelled his name correctly and everything
> >: else but there was no entry for him. is this common that you cant find
> >: someone if you know they had a social security number and such? Could
> >: it be that his entry got misplaced or something?
> >: just wondering...
> >
> >www.ancestry.com that I did NOT find in the SSDI that came with
> >Family Tree Maker 4.4 OR in the SSDI at www.familytreemaker.com
> >
> >I complained to the FTMO folks but never heard back. Try your
> >search at another SSDI site and you may get lucky.
> >
> >: chelle
> >
Social Security ONLY pays burial benefits to a surviving spouse and to
no one else...so I was told by SS when my father died in 1997.
Mark Fields
Hello,
I have found unmarried relatives on the SS Death index at both Family
Tree Maker and Ancestry site.
This creates quite a discrepancy between two posts - 1) Names only
appear if SS death benefits are paid, and 2) Death benefits are paid
only to spouses.
I think the absence of a record in the SS Death index is only a simple
oversight or mistake. I have kept no statistics but I would say --
don't look a gift horse in the mouth. If you get lucky then count your
blessings.
If you know someone who was not in the index, but you know their SS#,
then just print or cut & paste one of the form letters from the Family
tree Maker site and edit in the information for "your" ancestors and
mail to SS Administration. Who knows, you will probably be pleasantly
surprised.
Happy Hunting,
Mark Fields
Joe
______________________________
(much snipped out)...
>Social Security ONLY pays burial benefits to a surviving spouse and to
>no one else...so I was told by SS when my father died in 1997.
When my mother died in 1995, SS paid benefits to me and my three siblings...
(I think it was $35 apiece (harldy worth the effort))
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Joe Lynn
Joe...@ij.net
Ask the Lotto Wizard for help
http://moneyaction.com/lottowizard/index.html
World Wide Real Estate For Sale
http://moneyaction.com/realestate/index.htm
See my Family Tree
http://moneyaction.com/familytree/index.htm
Louis J Bouchard
using less information. If you enter a first and last name, you may get
the one you want along with others. Alot of listings do not have a place
of death or birth, I know because my father died in 1996 and all that
was listed was his SSI number, date of birth and date of death.
--
Louis J Bouchard
Durham NH
lou...@ttlc.net
--------------------------------------------------
"I know not what World War 3 will be fought with,
but I know world war 4 will be fought with sticks
and stones."
Albert Einstien
Jack D. Duffy
People who died prior to the early 1960's are seldom on SSDI. It has more
recent deaths. Also, if your grandfather never received SS benefits, he may
not be on SSDI.
Jack Duffy
Van Gogh's Ear wrote in message <359BC915...@unix.asb.com>...
>I was doing a search today for some realatives in the SSDI and was
>unable to find my grandfather. I wasnt quite sure of his date of birth,
>but i was sure of his location and zipcode and date of death and such
>and entered that. i know i spelled his name correctly and everything
>else but there was no entry for him. is this common that you cant find
>someone if you know they had a social security number and such? Could
>it be that his entry got misplaced or something?
> just wondering...
>
> chelle
>
Doug & Leigh Ann Hofferth
For those of us with long last names - I suggest searching shortened
versions of the name.
ie: SCHNEKENBURGER entered as SCHNEKENBURG.
I knew my father should have been in the index as well as several relatives
but couldn't find them until I tried the shortened version.
Leigh Ann Hofferth
Walkerton, IN
>
> Van Gogh's Ear <fea...@unix.asb.com> wrote in article
Merritt Mullen
WheyFace@juno.┊.com wrote:
> The way I was told when I order SSDI was that to be encluded in SSDI
> they had to have collected the $200 death benefits. If not they would
> not be in it.
That was a mistaken belief that was being spread around for a while. It is not
true.
The only qualifications for being in the SSDI (other than being dead) are
1. that the person had a SS account, and
2. the SSA was notified of the person's death.
Of course, one way the SS may be notified of a person's death is when a family
member applies for the death benefit. But they are usually notified by the
funeral home or the local government agency that processes death certificates
even if no one ever applies for the death benefit. I believe today only a
surviving spouse can claim the death benefit.
Also, since SS did not start the computerized death index until late 1962, very
few deaths before that date are included in the SSDI.
Often it is difficult to find a deseased person in the SSDI because the name
under which they are listed is not the name known to the person doing the
searching (a special problem with women).
Merritt
Irene Newhouse
Inclusion has been kind of spotty. One of my unmarried relatives who
died in 1985 showed up in the first version of the SSDI I looked at at a
Family History Center. Another unmarried relative, who died in 1989, has
not showed up until recently, & I've been checking for her about once
every other year since 1993.
The idea that only people for whom a death benefit was paid are included has
been
well-entrenched in literature I considered to be pretty reliable, so I
was surprised to find the 1st unmarried relative in the database at all.
I have some cases of relatives where only the spouse who died first is
included. ALL deaths MUST be reported to the Social SEc. office,
because otherwise the payments would go on & on. So I never did
understand why this curious selection. My father is now also in the
Index, although he was the 2nd spouse to die & no death benefit was
paid. Believe me, I asked if there might be one when filing to stop his
payments. [1993].
So the person who said if you find your relative, you're in luck hit the
nail on the thumb, as my grandmother used to say.
Irene Newhouse
Merritt Mullen (mmu...@ridgecrest.ca.us) wrote:
Charles Sullivan
was started by an explanatory paragraph on one of the earlier SSDI CDs
and has been making the rounds on newsgroups and some web pages ever
since - more road kill on the Information Superhighway.
For inclusion in the SSDI, an individual must:
1. Have a Social Security Number.
2. Have had their death reported to the Social Security Administration.
3. Have died after late 1962 when the SSA computerized their system,
although there are a few earlier deaths listed.
With respect to (2) above, the SSA must be able to match the report of
death with the individual in their records. This may be difficult if the
SSN or other info on the death certificate is incorrect (or if the
original entry in the SSA computer is incorrect.)
In recent years, the SSA receives reports of all deaths directly from
vital records agencies and from undertakers (not all of whom comply).
Formerly, it was only necessary to inform the SSA if the individual
had been receiving beneits or if a death benefit was requested.
Finally, each entry in the SSA computer is made by a human, who might
just be having a bad day. It's fairly obvious that there are many
typos in the SSDI.
Regards,
Charles Sullivan