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Archiver > GENMTD > 2001-01 > 0980307450


From: Dolly Ziegler <>
Subject: Social Security Death Index (was) Locating a relative
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 19:37:30 -0800



On Mon, 22 Jan 2001 wrote:
> I have not done any on-line genealogy (hope to get started soon).
> Right now I would like to trace my great uncle. The family seems to
> have lost contact with him in the 1930s or 40s. Last know to be
> working in the western states. He was born in 1898 so is probably
> dead. We would just like to know what happened to him. Can anyone
> suggest on-line sources that might help? E-mails welcome. Thanks


Hello to the list. All you "old hands" know about the Social
Security Death Index, but some of the newbies may not have found it
yet.

SSDI is a great source for people who died during the 1961-2000 time
frame, who were drawing U.S. Social Security, and whose death
information was filed with the SS Administration. There are a few
earlier deaths in the listing. Be aware that not everyone had SS
numbers; in the early years, farmers, government workers and the
self-employed did not. However, it's still worth checking.

I like the SSDI at <www.rootsweb.com> -- very easy to use. The
Soundex option gives you a good way to check names that are spelled
several ways. Most often the given name in the list is the name the
person was "known by" rather than the full name, so check all
variations. You can even search for a surname and a state of
residence OR a state where the SS# was issued.

Cheers, Dolly in Maryland

Dolly Ziegler <>

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