How to Use Social Security Death Index for Ancestry Research

Use the Social Security Death Index for ancestry and genealogy research.

Table of Contents

What is the Social Security Index?

The Social Security Act (August 14, 1935) [H. R. 7260] was created to limit what was seen as dangers in modern American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burdens on widows and fatherless children. By signing this Act on August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate federal assistance for the elderly. The Act provided benefits to retirees and the unemployed and a lump-sum benefit at death.

Search the Social Security Death Index

You might want to start by checking out the Social Security Death Index, which is available online from various commercial services (usually, the search is free). The Death Index contains a listing of persons who had a Social Security number, deceased, and whose death was reported to the Social Security Administration. (The information in the Death Index for people who died before 1962 is sketchy since SSA’s death information was not automated before that date. Death information for persons who died before 1962 is generally only in the Death Index if the death was reported to SSA after 1962, even though the death occurred before that year.) (Source www.SSA.gov )

Information Found in the Social Security Index

What information will you find in Social Security Index?

When you are searching for the Social Security Death Index, it is helpful to know at least two of the following pieces of information: 1) The name of the deceased, 2) the Place where the death occurred and the approximate date of death. The index can include the following pieces of information:

Name of the deceased (Their married name usually lists married women.)
Birthdate
Death date
State or territory where the Social Security number was issued
Death residence, zip code and corresponding localities (Please note this is not necessarily the place of death, it is the last place of residence that the Social Security Administration has on file.)

How do you use information in the Social Security Index?

When you locate an individual’s record, you can use the information to

Death date and place. Use the information to locate a death certificate which may also lead to finding mortuary, funeral, and church records.

Birthdate or age. Use this information to find individuals’ birth records and birth parents’ names. This will help find records

Residence. Use this information to find family members’ church and land records.

Birthdate or age and place. Use this information to locate an individual in the census.

What tips do you have for searching the Social Security Index?

The following are a few lessons I learned while searching the index.

Married women. Married women will be listed under their married names.

Death place. Death place can either be the place of death or the last place of residence on file at the Social Security Administration.

When two geographical divisions are listed, when two geographical divisions are listed, such as Jefferson, Texas, it stands for Jefferson County, Texas, not the City of Jefferson in Texas.

Using zip codes. Using zip codes from the last residence can help locate the town.

Information reliability. Information reliability in the index is usually excellent but is based on who provided the information.

When you can’t find individuals and families, try searching for variant spellings of surnames when you can find family in the index.

Only deceased persons were reported. Only deceased persons reported as being deceased to Social Security are included. Note: The information in the Death Index for people who died before 1962 is sketchy. This is because the SSA’s death information was not automated before that date. Death information for persons who died before 1962 is generally only in the Death Index if the death was reported to SSA after 1962, even though the death occurred before that year.)

Surnames longer than 12 letters are truncated to 12 characters. If you can’t find the name start your search over using only the first 12 letters.

Always search for other individuals and family members. Always search for other family members, which will help you build a better profile of searching the “family.” I make it a practice to search for mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Other Resources to Help Search Individuals

Where can I learn more about how to trace ancestry?

The following are important articles for learning about ancestry and historical research.

Where can I learn more about records to trace ancestry?

The following is an overview of 15 types of vital, government and historical records I have found constantly valuable in my individual, family, and narrative research. These records provide vital and biographical information on individuals and families. When I mastered researching these resources, I could quickly expand my research to other records to help me connect the pieces for writing narratives and other historical research.

For each record type, I have included what you will find, how to use the resource, and research insights for each record type. I would encourage you to use this article as a starting point from which you can search out and find other record tutorials guides and help to provide deeper insights.