GenealogyClassBlog

Social Security Administration FOIA Request

Social Security Administration – FOIA

During each of my genealogy courses I describe the value of applications for Social Security, numbered by the Social Security Administration as a Form SS-5. There are places online where anyone can search the Social Security Death Index, including RootsWeb.com, and FamilySearch. These applications were completed by individuals and included such information as name, parents’ names, place of residence, and date and place of birth.

I was recently reminded that these may be ordered online through the Social Security Administration’s website, on the page labelled as “FOIA” (Freedom of Information Act). Here is a link to that page:  http://www.ssa.gov/foia/html/foia_guide.htm#FOIARequests . Scroll about halfway down the page to a button, illustrated here in this view of that portion of the page.

Note that two of the options listed on the above page are for a Computer Extract, or Numident print-out. This print-out includes changes made to the individual’s Social Security record over time, which can help in following the name changes of females. The more expensive copy of the original application will provide your ancestor’s signature, and as in the case of any record, will be the original, not a derivative, record as is the computer extract.

For more detailed information about genealogy research using the SSDI (Social Security Death Index), the Railroad Retirement Board Records, and applying for SS-5’s, use this link to the RootsWeb.com’s Guide to Tracing Family Trees:  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rwguide/lesson10.htm.

From all that I’ve heard, the Family History Month programming at the Tulsa City-County Library’s Genealogy Center was a great success! I had three large groups for my three presentations, including faces both familiar and new.

There were many interested in Oklahoma’s settlement July 23, when we explored a little history of Oklahoma and her two territories, Indian allotment records, and homestead records. I described the history of the settlement of the different areas of the state, then I explained how to locate land entry case files, which contain documentation of purchases of land from the federal government, as well as how to access Indian allotment files.

I had an even larger group on the morning of July 25, to learn about the resources of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We spent two hours and some would have stayed longer, I think. The Genealogy Center is now a Family History Center lending library, and therefore a new place to access microfilms and microfiche of original records from all over the world. I described using Family History Centers, ordering microfilm listed on the Family History Library Catalog, and visiting the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I described the various databases on FamilySearch, the website of the LDS Church, and the new Record Search feature, which allows study of digital images of original records that have been indexed by volunteers. I showed a video of an interview with David Rencher, the Chief Genealogical Officer of the Family History Library. The link to the RootsTelevision interview is available at Dick Eastman’s recent blogpost.

On Saturday afternoon, about 80 attendees came (or in many cases, stayed) to hear my presentation on organizing genealogy records. I described several different considerations to trying to get control of the piles of paper that we collect as we learn more about our ancestors. Because there is no one organization scheme that will work for everyone, each person needs to determine his or her own best system. I had some recommendations about a variety of different techniques and resources.

I hope to post the slides from one or more of these three presentations, but it may be a few weeks before I have them ready, so check back for a later posting. The Genealogy Center has my extra handouts for those who may be interested.