NOTE:
Major Rate Increase for U.S. Social Security Application Requests
If you have been procrastinating sending off for a Social Security
application for any of your ancestors, now is the time to do it! Effective
July 1, 2001, there will be a major fee increase for processing requests
for copies of original applications for Social Security cards and for
computer extracts of this information. This has been confirmed with Roger
Williams in the FOIA office of the SSA.
New Fees (effective July 1, 2001)
Copies of the original application for a Social Security card (Form SS-5)
will cost $27 if the social security number is provided, and $29 if it is
not provided. These fees were previously $7 and $16.50, respectively.
Computer extracts of the application will cost $16 with the number and $18
without.
Requests postmarked prior to July 1, 2001 will not be subject to the new
fees. So, if you've procrastinated on your requests, get them in now!
Requests posted on or after July 1, 2001, will be returned if they do not
include the new amount and a credit card number has not been provided to
charge for additional costs.
Social Security applications are a good source for information. Social Security was established in 1935. There are sites on the Internet where you can search for people that have passed away. The site I like to use is the Social Security Death Index by Family Tree Maker. It is updated regularly. If you do not find a relative there, it may mean they did not have a Social Security number or no one filed for their Death Benefit.
Information you will find on an application:
Name of applicant
Social Security Number
Address at time application was made
Where employed, if employed
Age at time of application
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Father's name
Mother's maiden name
Sex
Color
If Registered with the U.S. Employment Service, number of Registration card
If they have previously completed a card like this, they needed to state the place and date
Date of the Social Security Application
Their signature
From what I have seen, if they were born in a foreign country, the city or village they were born in is not always stated. In most cases only the country is given. When searching for a relative, it's good to use various spellings of their name if you are having trouble locating them on the list, and are positive they had a Social Security number. Sometimes if a person did not like their given name, they would use a nick name, a middle name, their confirmation name and sometimes just one or more initials as a first name. If you know their date of birth that will help you, but I have seen instances where people had erros on their Social Secuity application. You can just place the date of birth or death at this site, and check that way to see if they are listed under another spelling.
When you do your search at the above site, at the end of the line that your ancestor is listed on, you will find the words "Write It." If you click on those words, a prepared form letter will appear on your computer screen. It will tell you that there is a $7.00 charge to receive the application. If you do not know a person's Social Secuity number, there is a $16.50 charge for a search. You must give as much information as possible, i. e. their full name, date of birth, date of death, places where they may have applied for their application, and where they may have died and/or where they were living at the time of their death. If you know the parents names, it's good to place them in your letter also.
If you do not find your ancestor, but know of siblings that are also deceased, you can order the application on them to find out their parent's names. I had to do this to find my grandmother's parents. I used her brother's application to get that information. She was a lady that married the first time when she was underaged, and lied about her age. The second time she married a man much younger than she was, and did not wish to have him know her true age.
It takes about 2 months to receive a copy of the application if you have the Social Security number.
Snail mail address:
Social Security Administration
Office of Central Records Operations
FOIA Workgroup
P.O. Box 17772
300 N. Greene Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21290
Research is a test in patience. Remember that. :)
Social Security Timeline  2/23
1935 - Social Security Act passed
1936 - Enrollment begins, first SSNs issued to covered workers
1937 - Payroll ("FICA") tax withholding begins (1% on first $3,000 in wages!)
1940 - Payment of benefits begins. Initially, workers under age 65 in commerce and industry were covered. In the following years, Congress made significant expansions of coverage:
1950 - Regularly employed farm and domestic workers; non-farm self-employed
1954 - Self-employed farmers professions, except most medical and legal
1956 - Military and remainder of professionals, except physicians (1965)
Some groups, such as government employees, firefighters, and clergy came in over longer periods, with coverage first being elective and later mandatory with limited exemptions.
1965 - Mass enumeration of those over age 65 without social security numbers for Medicare entitlement purposes - this meant that many who had never had a number were now assigned numbers even though never worked.
[The above paragraph was received from Judy Atkisson] |
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