The Social Security Death Index – Roseann Reinemuth Hogan, Ph.D

The Social Security Death Index (also known among genealogists as the SSDI) is a valuable tool for individuals researching the death information of a recently-deceased (after 1962) family member. Approximately 98 percent of the individuals in the database died after 1962.

The fact that the Social Security Administration required proof of birth to issue a number is a boon to genealogical researchers. This requirement has generated a tremendous amount of relevant genealogical data in the Social Security Administration as well as at the state level.

Because early recipients of social security were born in years before civil registration of births was required, many of the delayed birth certificates filed at the state level were a result of needing proof of birth to apply for social security benefits. People also used a variety of other sources to prove their age to the Social Security Administration, such as family Bibles, church records, testimony from friends and family, and the 1880 and 1900 federal census enumeration lists. In fact, it was the frequent use of the federal censuses for birth information that resulted in soundexing the enumerations for easier access.

The application for social security benefits, known as the SS-5 form, contains a wealth of information and is provided in your ancestor’s own words and handwriting. If your ancestor was working in the United States in 1937 or later, there is a good chance he or she completed an application. Once you find your ancestor in the SSDI, you can submit a form to the Social Security Administration, along with a fee, and receive a copy of the application. Visit <www.ancestry.com/ search/rectype/vital/ssdi/main.htm> and follow the steps for obtaining a copy of your ancestor’s application.

Who has a Social Security number?

The Social Security Act was signed into law on 14 August 1935. The Act created a social insurance program that was designed to pay retired workers at age sixty-five or older a continuing income. Under the 1935 law, workers would begin acquiring credits toward old-age insurance beginning 1 January 1937. Benefits were to be based on the wage record of the individual and were of three types: 1) monthly benefits at age sixty-five, 2) lump sum payments, and 3) death benefits to the estates of individuals who died before drawing benefits.

Because the primary, but not exclusive, purpose of the social security system was to provide a retirement income to working people, the prevalence of social security numbers before 1960 was not as widespread as it is today. (Today, it is not unusual that young children acquire social security numbers.) But as the Social Security Administration’s scope grew, more and more people in the United States received Social Security numbers. Beginning in the 1960s, the use of the Social Security number as a national identifier became more prevalent. In 1962, the Internal Revenue Service adopted the Social Security number as its official taxpayer identification number. Similarly, when Medicare was adopted in 1965, it became necessary for most individuals over the age of sixty-five to have a Social Security number so they could obtain medical benefits.

At the outset, many workers were not covered by the program, including farmers, women who did not work outside the home, teachers, municipal employees who were covered by other pension plans, some government employees, unemployed people, and those with a separate retirement plan. The people who fit in these categories did not contribute to social security.

On the other hand, if an individual was self-employed most of his life, he may have taken a job for the minimum number of years to qualify for a pension.

Content in the Index

The Social Security Death Index has some 66 million names in it, but the individuals in the SSDI are only those who had a Social Security number and whose death was reported by surviving family members for the death benefit. In addition, this information has only been computerized since 1962. That year, the Social Security Administration began to use the database to process requests for benefits. If you don’t find a name right away in the index, try spelling variations of the name, use the soundex feature, truncate the name as much as possible, use wildcard searches, and search on different fields.

Generally, a search of the index will yield information in any of six areas: name of the deceased, birthdate, date of death, state in which number was issued, residence, and address of last benefit.

1. Name of the deceased. Be sure to check all names of the deceased, especially if you are searching for a woman. If you don’t find what you expect, do a soundex search to ensure that the name was not misspelled when the information was indexed.

2. Birthdate. This is the birthdate confirmed by the Social Security Administration. As mentioned previously, the person was required to provide a number of documents to prove his or her age. But the date may not match the information you already have in your records.

3. Date of death. This is the date the person was reported to have died. Usually only the month and year shows on the index since only the benefit month is the interest of the Social Security Administration. Before 1988, the death date was not routinely recorded, so these dates may be suspect. Leave the date off entirely if you don’t find a match.

4. State in which number was issued. This is not necessarily the birth state of the individual, it is the state in which he or she applied for a Social Security number. When searching the index, leave the state field blank if the person’s name you are seeking does not show up as expected. For example, I searched for my grandfather’s death date without luck until I decided to delete Kentucky as the state of issuance from the search. His name came up immediately since this field was left blank in the index.

5. Residence. The residence field shows the zip code, city, and county that the Social Security Administration has of the date of the last correspondence with the person. Or it may be the address where the benefit check was sent. Remember that zip codes often change over time, so don’t rely on that information as you search.

6. Address of last benefit. This is the last address where a check was directed, but it may be empty if the person did not receive benefits, or if it is the same address as the residence address.

Many people may not appear in the index simply because their relatives did not apply for the death benefit, even if they had a social security number and were eligible to receive benefits.

There are many exceptions to the Administration’s regulations, and your ancestor’s information may fall in that category. My father’s record is an excellent example. Although permanent railroad employees were covered under the Railroad Retirement Act rather than Social Security, my father’s only paid employment was with the C&O railroad, yet he appears in the index. These railway workers were sometimes enrolled in the same social security program, but with different benefits than the general population. Some railroad workers received social security benefits while others did not.

The Social Security Death Index is an incredibly rich data source. And because this information is part of the public record, you can find the index online free of charge at various websites including www.ancestry.com.

Hopefully, the information provided above will encourage you to use the SSDI as an aid in your family research. Remember, as with any record resource, be sure to verify the information you find in the SSDI with other documents.

Roseann Reinemuth Hogan, Ph.D., has been researching her family history since 1978. Her special interests include oral histories and social history.