Genealogical Data: Social Security Applications
U. S. Retirement Fund a Source for Family Research Information
Oct 31, 2009 Rosemary E. Bachelor
The Social Security Administration began paying retirement benefits in 1940 to enrolled persons who were age 75. The enrollment period began after Congress passed the enabling legislation in 1935.
It should be noted that many workers, such as farmers and domestics, were not eligible for benefits until recent decades.
Data for Family Researchers
The original Social Security application forms contain the following data of interest to family researchers:
- Full name and address of applicant
- Name of father
- Full maiden name of mother
- Place and date of birth and death
- Identification of employer if the person was working at the time of application
- The social security number assigned
Finding the Deceased’s Social Security Number
Although it is not necessary, if an inquiry to the Social Security Administration contains the ancestor’s social security number, the search fee is less and the record is more readily located.
Look for that number in old documents, death certificates, state death record indices, tax records, employment records, bank account applications and Medicare cards. The Medicare number is usually the same as the social security number, with a letter added. The online computerized Social Security Death Index can sometimes help pinpoint a birth and death date, or a death location.
Data Search Tips for Genealogists
The first digits of a social security number provide a clue to the ancestor’s whereabouts at the time of application. Example: Numbers from 531 to 539 were in the State of Washington. Numbers in the early 700s often belonged to railroad employees who were collecting benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act, a companion program.
More people enrolled in the program than claimed benefits. Some deaths were not reported. Other enrollees died before they were eligible for benefits. If an ancestor’s data cannot be located by the Social Security Administration, be aware that benefits claimed by siblings may furnish the desired data. A sister or brother’s application will give the same parent names and possibly the same place of birth.
Requesting the Genealogical Data
Obtaining a copy of the original Social Security application for a deceased person is permissible under the federal Freedom of Information Act. The Social Security Administration now offers an online request form. It is SSA-711. Payment can be made by credit card. There is a choice between requesting a copy of the original form or a computer extract. The former is advised. If the ancestor’s social security number is not known, do not guess at any date, place or name. That could result in receiving the application of the wrong person and missing out on the one that is sought.
Yes, social security application data seems a bit recent for genealogical research. That is, until the realization dawns that great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents born in the 1880s or 1890s could easily have signed up for social security benefits in 1935 and collected them upon retirement in the 1940s-1960s.
There are companion articles on how to find maiden names for female ancestors.
Did They Collect Social Security Payments?
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Looking for His Mother's Maiden Name?
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