where were they really born?
I’m doing some family history research and I’ve found some death records for certain family members…other documents state that this person was born around 1860 in texas, but when I looked at the state where the social security number was issued it said kansas…why would this be?
keep in mind that this person would have been born a slave in 1860…I’m assuming that he may have moved to kansas sometime after the emancipation of 1863, and that’s where he applied, but I have yet to find a record for him in kansas…all of his children where born in Indian Territory, Oklahoma in the early 1900’s and 19-teens. and I have found census records of that.
Social Security was first enacted in August 1935; payroll taxes were first collected in 1937; the first monthly payment was issued in January 1940, but it wasn’t until 1972 that the US government authorized Social Security to enumerate children at the time they first entered school. Only in 1988 did Congress require a taxpayer identification number, which was ordinarily a Social Security number, of each dependent child age two or older.
Accordingly, US Census records could very well document that your ancestor was born in Texas in 1860, but his or her Social Security records would indicate he or she was living in Kansas at the time his Social Security card was issued. I can personally remember a 9th-grade teacher obtaining Social Security numbers for all his algebra students in 1965, so at that point, enrollment for non-working minors was completely voluntary.
You also need not look for a birth certificate for an ancestor born in 1860 Texas. Indeed, about the best you can do on that score, other than looking at US Census records, is to find his or her birth date recorded in a family bible. Up through the 1920s, births in many states were only recorded if a child was born in a hospital, but in rural and small town Texas, most children were born at home. My mother and dad who were born in 1920 and 1925 respectively didn’t have thieir birth certificates issued until 1981 when Dad decided to take Mom to Europe and show her just where he had been stationed in World War II. In each case, older siblings swore that they were present at the time of birth.
P. S. African-Americans who were slaves weren’t enumerated until 1870, although depending on the family, the census records are fairly accurate in the latter decades of the 19th century. From 1870 and any time afterwards, a census would prpbably show that your ancestor was born in Texas in 1860.
If you think about it, you answer your own question here. They were BORN in Texas. They APPLIED FOR A SOCIAL SECURITY CARD in Kansas. Now, it’s common to apply for a Social Security card shortly after birth. But it didn’t used to be. I didn’t get mine until I was 12 years old.
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Easy.
Basic history, social security started in the mid 1930s during the depression. He/she was born in 1860, in one place, but lived in Kansas, when he applied. Use the most recent records first, to work back. If you have access to ancestry.com (or we can help), you need to find the person in 1930, then 1920, and so on. SOMETHING will show where in Texas, or an estimate of when he moved. Example.. 1910 census, he has 4 kids.. the oldest born in Texas, the youngest in Kansas. Voila.
I assume you have the MOST recent, which should be death cert? That would give names, and there are indexes to locate where they are in the census. http://www.familysearch.org does have the entire 1880 census transcribed, and free. I always encourage the original item, but it works great to find where someone was at that point.
edit
when I was a kid, you did not require social security number, until you got first job. The law changed in 1970s or 80s, to where you had to have the # in order to claim children for taxes, so babies now have them issued. Just to keep in mind. Laws change.
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Social Security didn’t start until 1935. So if that is the same person he would have been 75 when Social Securlty went into effect. Not too many people that age applied for social security if they were still living.
Another thing if you got the date of birth from an online family tree, you can’t take it for granted that it is correct. Be extremely careful about info in family trees on any website, free or fee.
References :
Social Security was first enacted in August 1935; payroll taxes were first collected in 1937; the first monthly payment was issued in January 1940, but it wasn’t until 1972 that the US government authorized Social Security to enumerate children at the time they first entered school. Only in 1988 did Congress require a taxpayer identification number, which was ordinarily a Social Security number, of each dependent child age two or older.
Accordingly, US Census records could very well document that your ancestor was born in Texas in 1860, but his or her Social Security records would indicate he or she was living in Kansas at the time his Social Security card was issued. I can personally remember a 9th-grade teacher obtaining Social Security numbers for all his algebra students in 1965, so at that point, enrollment for non-working minors was completely voluntary.
You also need not look for a birth certificate for an ancestor born in 1860 Texas. Indeed, about the best you can do on that score, other than looking at US Census records, is to find his or her birth date recorded in a family bible. Up through the 1920s, births in many states were only recorded if a child was born in a hospital, but in rural and small town Texas, most children were born at home. My mother and dad who were born in 1920 and 1925 respectively didn’t have thieir birth certificates issued until 1981 when Dad decided to take Mom to Europe and show her just where he had been stationed in World War II. In each case, older siblings swore that they were present at the time of birth.
P. S. African-Americans who were slaves weren’t enumerated until 1870, although depending on the family, the census records are fairly accurate in the latter decades of the 19th century. From 1870 and any time afterwards, a census would prpbably show that your ancestor was born in Texas in 1860.
References :
http://www.ssa.gov
Social Security was not enacted until about 1934. So, what this means is your person was living in Kansas in 1934 when he applied for his social security card. People moved around a lot between 1900 and 1930. There was a huge migration in the 1920’s when people who had always been farmers began moving to large cities and became mechanics or electricians, etc. It marked the beginning of "middle class". Prior to the 1920 most people were farmers.
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