Changes to The Free Social Security Death Online Index

*[Updated]* On or before December 13, 2011, due to public concerns about social security numbers being used for identity theft, Rootsweb provided a message that that it will no longer provide the Social Security Death Index. It is available on Ancestry.com which will hide the social security numbers of people who have died within the last 10 years. In order to use it, you need a subscription to Ancestry. Familysearch.org still has the Social Security Death Index for free, but you should use it while it is still available.

There are many different records that one can collect in their pursuit to obtain genealogical facts. Each individual has produced a myriad of paperwork over his lifetime, including birth certificates, marriage certificates, military draft registrations, and death certificates. It is helpful to get as many of the records about an individual to get the full story of his life. Some of these records may be hard to obtain, or may be expensive, and other records might have to be substituted in their place.

Even though getting a copy of the original social security card application for a deceased member of your family can get expensive, (currently $27 each), finding the record in the Social Security Death Index can provide many clues that can help you find other records, such as the death certificate, obituary, probate, funeral and cemetery records. These records will not only give you information about the person's death, but will also provide information about key relations, including parents and spouses, health information, and other facts about the individual. The Social Security Death Index is one of the largest databases and one of the and easiest genealogical record to use. It is available free online.

First, let's talk a little about social security, as it pertains to the records.

The first social security card was issued on December 1, 1936, and benefits started accruing on January 1, 1937. Each worker was required to have a social security card in order to start accruing benefits for their old age. About thirty-five million numbers were assigned to workers at that time.

Not all workers received social security cards. Prior to the 1960s, farmers, housewives, government employees, non-employed individuals, and those with a separate retirement plan might not have had a Social Security number. It was not until 1988 that all children had to have Social Security numbers.

Not everybody who had a social security number appears on the Social Security Death Index. If the death happened before 1962 when the records were computerized, they would not be on the index. Also If nobody reported the death to the Social Security Administration, they would not appear on the index.

The Social Security Death Index provides the following information:

• name
• date of birth - many people in the past did not know their birth dates and / or did not have birth certificates, and relied on 1880 and 1900 U.S. census records to prove their age.
• date of death
• age at death
• zip code of last address of record. It is possible it may not be where they were living when they died, or may not tell you where they died. It is also possible that zip codes have changed since the record was filed.
• last benefit - where the lump sum death benefit for burial expenses was sent
• issued by (name of state that issued the social security card)
• social security number

There are several sources for the Social Security Death Index online. Rootsweb did offer a free Social Security Death Index Interactive Search but it is no longer available due to security concerns. Rootsweb is now part of Ancestry, but the records that were available for free continued to be available for free until December 2011.

Familysearch also offers a free search to the Social Security Death Index. It also provides access to many other genealogy records for free. This collection was moved from the classic FamilySearch site to the upgraded FamilySearch site on March 22, 2012, and continues to include social security numbers. Census records were also moved at that time.

Another source is Ancestry which lets you conduct a search, but hides some information from you unless you are subscriber.

Both sites provide easy forms for you to order the actual application form from the Social Security Administration.

The Social Security Card application form is one of the few genealogy documents that is written in the individual's own handwriting. It can sometimes be a treat to see your ancestor's handwriting on the form. Birth and death certificates, and census records are written by others.

The information requested has changed over the years. The current form requests the following:

• full name, other names used
• previous social security number
• birth date and place of birth
• citizenship
• ethnicity and race
• sex
• name of father, mother's name at birth
• parents social security numbers
• previous social security card, and date of birth used on that card
• current date
• daytime phone number
• mailing address
• signature and date

The Social Security Death Index is quick and easy to use, and free, making it a great resource to use for conducting genealogy research. Once you find your family member on it, you can use the information as clues to obtain other records such as death certificates, obituaries, probate records, cemetery records, funeral records, and cemetery records. It also provides clues about where the individual might have lived, so you can also search birth certificates, census records, and other records in the states listed.

You can also obtain a copy of the application for the Social Security card, which will give you important genealogy information, possibly in your family member's own handwriting.