Social Security Death Index?
what kind of information can you find on the social security death index?…I’m doing some family research and I was able to find my gg-grandfather’s ssdi, it has his birthday (dec. 25, 1860) and death-date (jun. 18, 1965) and where he died (Tulare, California), but nothing about the parents…other family member’s index’s have had something about parents on them, even if it’s the father’s surname or mother’s maiden…I also am having trouble finding a death certificate. Where would I look for that, and would his parent’s info for sure be on that?
I’ve been using Ancestry, Family Search Org, Roots web, and Family History Records data bases.
will it be my best bet to order the actual death certificate for his parent’s information?
The on-line SSDI has jus what you saw; name, birth date, death date, last residence and last benefeit, one of which may be th death place, and where the SSN was issued.
The SSN application, which costs $27, will have parents’ names, exact birth place, address and occupation at the time, and, for women, maiden name. Roots Web’s SSDI will format a letter to the SSA for you; click on "SS-5", print, add a check and wait 6 – 8 weeks.
The California Death Index, by Roots Web, has father’s surname and mother’s maiden name, sometimes. No SSDI I have seen has anything about parents. Some other death indicies do, most don’t.
The on-line SSDI has jus what you saw; name, birth date, death date, last residence and last benefeit, one of which may be th death place, and where the SSN was issued.
The SSN application, which costs $27, will have parents’ names, exact birth place, address and occupation at the time, and, for women, maiden name. Roots Web’s SSDI will format a letter to the SSA for you; click on "SS-5", print, add a check and wait 6 – 8 weeks.
The California Death Index, by Roots Web, has father’s surname and mother’s maiden name, sometimes. No SSDI I have seen has anything about parents. Some other death indicies do, most don’t.
References :
The SSDI has limited information.
A copy of the death certificate is your best chance.
Go to http://www.california.gov and click on the link to Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates.
Please, read all of the information, rules and regulations concerning obtaining a death certificate from the State of California, before ordering.
There are links to ordering on-line.
Parents names are usually submitted by a family member.
If that person didn’t know the names of the parents, that block will be blank.
Even if the parents names aren’t on the death certificate, it’s still worth the price of the death certificate.
There may be other tidbits of information on the death certificate, which will help you in your research.
Sometimes, the smallest clue becomes the biggest clue.
References :
http://www.familysearch.org
I don’t know which SSDI you have been looking at, but when I looked up my Dad’s information, there was NO mention of parents’ names at all. In fact, beside his name, this was all that is shown (the same was shown at http://www.worldvitalrecords.com):
Birth Date:
Death Date:
Social Security Number:
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued
(I didn’t add the actual info for obvious reasons)
Other listings also include:
Death Residence Localities ZIP Code:
Last Benefit Localities Zip Code:
(some might list area cemeteries, too)
Even http://www.rootsweb.com just lists name, Birth , Death, Last Residence, Last Benefit ,SSN , and what state issued the card.
I would bet that this part in your question–"other family member’s index’s have had something about parents on them, even if it’s the father’s surname or mother’s maiden"–refers to the actual death certificate, or even a marriage license or census..To get his parents’ info, I agree that getting the actual certificate would be best. That way you will know for sure.
References :
http://www.familysearch.org
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com
http://www.rootsweb.com