The first Social Security card was issued December 1, 1936 and on January 1, 1937 United States workers began acquiring credit toward old age benefits or retirement. At that time approximately 35 million numbers were assigned to workers who qualified.

One search tool that triad members can utilize in their adoption search is the Social Security Death Index. It is the easiest databases to access and the information obtained from the database can tell you more about the person you are searching for if he or she is deceased or family members of the person you are searching form. You would then use this information to further your research to help you locate a death certificate, find an obituary and locate cemetery and probate records.
The one thing to keep in mind when using the Social Security Death Index is that even if an individual had a Social Security number that does NOT mean they will be included in the Social Security Death Index. If relatives didn’t report the death to the Social Security Administration or if the individual died before 1962 then they will probably not appear in the database.

The other important thing to remember is that if the person is not listed in the Social Security Index, this does not mean that he or she is still living. It means that there is no report of the persons death to the Social Security Administration.

Another reason an individual may not be listed in the Social Security Death Index is the lack of his or her occupation. Prior to the 1960’s farmers, housewives, government employees, non employed individuals and those with a separate retirement plan more than likely didn’t have a Social Security Number. It wasn’t until 1988 that it became required that all children have Social Security numbers.

The next two blogs will explain searching the Social Security Death Index and Understanding the search results.