Social Security Death Records

If you are searching for information on someone's death, using social security death records can help you.

The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a database of social security death records. Deceased individuals who had their death reported to the Social Security Administration after 1962 are included in this index. Computerization of the SSDI did not happen until that time, which is why there are not many names included before that time. Furthermore, the deceased must have all social security payments as well as death benefits paid before he/she can become part of the index.

The social security death record includes the following information about the deceased:

• Birth date
• Death date
• Social security number
• State where social security number was issued
• Last residence

Many people use the SSDI for genealogical reasons. If you are looking for information about your ancestors before 1962, you will most likely find it in the index. There are approximately 83 million people listed and 93 to 96 percent of them are people who were 65 years old or older.

Knowing the birth date, death date, and last place of residence of your ancestor can help you further your research in your family history by helping you focus on possibly a new state that you haven't search before. You can also find additional information such as father's name, mother's maiden name, and place of birth by filling out Form SS-5 from the Social Security Administration. You can take this information and begin looking for other relatives in the same area in newspapers, court records and other public records.

If you are looking for death information about someone who has recently died, try the New England Ancestors.org website. They have an excellent search engine for ancestors to help genealogical research.

For all other individuals, one of the most popular sites to search the SSDI is the rootsweb website. You can search by last name, first name, middle name or initial, and/or Social Security Number. If you don't find the deceased person this way, choose the advanced search to enter in information about the person's last residence, birth date and/or last benefit.

If you can't find someone in the SSDI, don't give up until you've tried a few different things.

• If the person is a Junior, Senior, Doctor, or has a military ranking, try to search for those along with either the person's first name or last name.

• There may be a mistake in the spelling of your ancestor's name. Try different spellings or nicknames that the deceased person may have reported as to the Social Security Administration.

• Some of the search engines for the SSDI will allow you to place a '*' after a person's name which will give different variations of a name.

• Try searching for a married name or maiden name.

If you are struggling with finding someone on the index or would like to know how to report someone to it, you can contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) by calling 1-800-772-1213 or visit the SSA website.

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