Daily AncestorPlan a Social Security application request
Find one ancestor in the Social Security Death Index, then work out whether the full SS-5 application would tell you something you do not already know.
The SS-5 can name both parents, including the mother's maiden name, and the place of birth, as the person gave them. The free index is the first step to asking for it.
Your steps this week
- Search a free version of the death index, such as on FamilySearch, and note the number, birth and death dates, and last residence.
- If the search fails, try swapping the day and month, other years and other spellings.
- List what you still need: parents' names, a birthplace, a maiden name.
- For anyone born before 1911, plan to ask for the SS-5 itself, not the Numident, which may leave out the parents' names.
- Gather proof of death, then check the current fee on the Social Security FOIA page before you send a request.