+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ US Social Security Administration (SSA) Records I. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) II. Original applications III. Account Number (SSAN) Designations IV. Code numbers for places of death outside the US +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ A JewishGen InfoFile Compiled by Bernard I. Kouchel With over 50 million entries the Social Security Death Index ranks as one of the largest sources of publicly accessible historical and biographical information. If you’ve got the Social Security number or even the name of the person you’re trying to find, you should try to look for them here. You might not like what you find but at least you will have learned some important information. What’s more this index can be used as a stepping stone for further research. It can tell you an individual’s death date, Social Security number and the state in which he probably died. This information can in turn help you to obtain an obituary, death or birth certificate. The U.S. Social Security Act of 1935 established, for working Americans, unemployment compensation and retirement insurance. Health insurance plans were added later. Death benefits were paid to designated beneficiaries, usually a spouse or descendants. When you find a name of interest in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), you can determine where they first applied and where the death benefits were paid. (see I below). Those are significant geographic clues to locating descendants. You will also know their Social Security number. With that information you can facilitate a request for a copy of the original application (see II below). Read on for further research avenues. I. The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) (Since 1962) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Genealogical software companies sell CD-ROMs (two disks) containing the Social Security Death Index [SSDI]. Most of the records are SINCE 1962, only a few earlier dates are listed. The disks contain a list of persons receiving death benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). The information usually includes Social Security Number, surname, given name, birthdate, state in which SSN was issued, death date, ZIP code of last known residence, ZIP code of address where death benefit was sent and state of primary residence. In some cases it includes a country code that is especially valuable if the individual resided outside the U.S. The SSA reissues the SSDI quarterly, so when purchasing CD-ROMs, check the version date. The SSDI is available for viewing at some libraries, LDS Family History Centers and since July 1996 with ONLINE SEARCH at: Ancestry's Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Online Search http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/vital/ssdi/main.htm When you have obtained the individual's death location, Social Security number and approximate death date, further research can be done. You can request an obituary or death certificate, or you can seek a birth certificate. There is a birthdate but no birthplace. Perhaps the individual was born in the same state as the Social Security application. ZIP codes are often listed for last known residence and address where death benefit was sent, As this is the probable death location, it is where a search of the State Vital Records should be conducted. It may also lead to live sources. Perhaps relatives of the deceased still reside in that same community. For ZIP Code Lookup and Address Information: United States Postal Service http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/ To obtain vital records from each state, territory and county of the United States: Vital Records Information, United States http://www.vitalrec.com/ For added details, read: Records Available from the Social Security Administration (SSA) http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/topics/social-security.html II. Social Security Original Applications (Since 1936) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You may find information on Social Security applications that is difficult to find elsewhere. Applications for a Social Security card typically provide name, address, date and place of birth, (usually) the names of the parents of the applicant, and in some cases employment information. The Social Security Administration was formed during the depression of the 1930s, and many of the early applicants were born in the mid to late 1800s. Under the The Freedom of Information Act, copies of the original Social Security Number Application (Form SS-5, since Nov. 1936) of deceased Social Security card holders are available. The original application is a registration for future benefits. As the Social Security _number_ is commonly used as identification by banks, schools, etc., parents may apply for their child soon after birth. To request copies of original applications for social security numbers (Form SS-5) for people who are deceased, write to address below. It's important to state in the letter that you are requesting a copy of the _entire original application_ for social security (SS-5). Any other wording may result in receipt of a numident (abstract) only. You may send your request to: Social Security Administration Office of Central Records Operations FOIA Workgroup P.O. Box 17772 300 N. Greene Street Baltimore, Maryland 21290. For current search proceedures and fee schedule, see: http://www.ssa.gov/foia/html/foia_guide.htm For Records Available from the Social Security Administration, see: http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/topics/social-security.html III. Social Security Account Number (SSAN) Designations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This chart shows the first 3 digits of the social security numbers assigned throughout the United States and its possessions. 001-003 New Hampshire 004-007 Maine 008-009 Vermont 010-034 Massachusetts 035-039 Rhode Island 040-049 Connecticut 050-134 New York 135-158 New Jersey 159-211 Pennsylvania 212-220 Maryland 221-222 Delaware 223-231 Virginia 232-236 West Virginia 237-246 North Carolina 247-251 South Carolina 252-260 Georgia 261-267 Florida 268-302 Ohio 303-317 Indiana 318-361 Illinois 362-386 Michigan 387-399 Wisconsin 400-407 Kentucky 408-415 Tennessee 416-424 Alabama 425-428 Mississippi 429-432 Arkansas 433-439 Louisiana 440-448 Oklahoma 449-467 Texas 468-477 Minnesota 478-485 Iowa 486-500 Missouri 501-502 North Dakota 503-504 South Dakota 505-508 Nebraska 509-515 Kansas 516-519 Idaho 520 Wyoming 521-524 Colorado 525 New Mexico (also 585 below) 526-527 Arizona 528-529 Utah 530 Nevada 531-539 Washington 540-544 Oregon 545-573 California 574 Alaska 575-576 Hawaii 577-579 District of Columbia 580 U.S. Virgin Islands 581-585 Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa 585 New Mexico (some 585 numbers) 586-699 Unassigned 700-729 Railroad Retirement Board 730-899 Unassigned A few Social Security Numbers beginning with a 9 have been issued, but are very rare. IV. Country codes for places of death outside the US. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This chart shows the codes assigned by the SSA for places of death when outside the US. The city names (in parentheses) represent the American embassies or consulates to which the death was reported. 703 Norway (Oslo) 704 Mexico (Guadalajara) 705 Portugal (Lisbon) 706 Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) 707 Venezuela (Caracas) 708 Australia (Sydney) 709 Zaire (Lubumbashi) 710 Cape Verde, Republic of (Praia) 711 Armenia (Yerevan) 712 Germany (Bremen) 713 Japan (Tokyo) 714 Mexico (Hermosillo) 715 Azores (Ponta Delgada) 716 Azerbaijan (Baku) 718 Australia (Melbourne) 719 Zaire (Kinshasa) 720 Slovakia (Bratislava) 722 Germany (Dusseldorf) 723 Japan (Fukuoka) 726 Brazil (Belem) 727 Byelarus (Minsk) 729 Ecuador (Quito) 730 Georgia (Trilisi) 732 Germany (Frankfurt) 733 Japan (Osaka-Kobe) 734 Mexico (Monterrey) 736 Brazil (Recife) 737 Cuba (Havana) 738 Australia (Perth) 739 Ecuador (Guayaquil) 740 Kazakhstan (Alma-Ata) 742 Germany (Hamburg) 744 Mexico (Matamoros) 745 Spain (Madrid) 746 Brazil (Porto Alegre) 747 Cuba (Santiago) 748 Belgium (Brussels) 749 Egypt (Alexandria) 750 Krygyzstan (Bishkek) 752 Germany (Munich) 753 Japan (Sapporo) 754 Mexico (Nuevo Laredo) 755 Spain (Barcelona) 756 Brazil (Sao Paulo) 757 Colombia (Bogota) 758 Belgium (Antwerp) 759 Egypt (Cairo) 762 Germany (Stuttgart) 765 Spain (Bilbao) 768 Chile (Santiago) 769 Egypt (Port Said) 770 Moldova (Chisinau) 772 Germany (Bonn) 773 Mexico (Mexico City) 774 Mexico (Merida) 775 Spain (Seville) 777 Colombia (Cali) 779 Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) 782 Sweden (Stockholm) 783 Mexico (Ciudad Juarez) 784 Tajikistan (Dushanbe) 787 Colombia (Medillin) 789 Ethiopia (Asmara) 790 Turkmenistan (Ashgabat) 793 Mexico (Tijuana) 796 Indonesia (Medan) 797 Australia (Brisbane) 798 Indonesia (Surabaja) 799 Djibouti (Djibouti) 800 United Kingdom (London) 801 Ukraine (Kiev) 803 Iraq (Baghdad) 804 Libya (Tripoli) 805 Togo (Lome) 806 Panama (Panama City) 807 Syria (Damascus) 808 Bahamas (Nassau) 809 Fiji (Suva) 810 St. Lucia 813 Grenada (St. George's) 815 Western Samoa (Apta) 816 Antigua & Barbuda (St. Johns) 817 Bosnia Herzegovina 818 Barbados (Bridgetown) 819 Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 820 Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan) 822 Honduras (Tegucigalpa) 824 Malaysia (Kuala Lampur) 825 Netherlands Antilles (Curacao) 826 Saudi Arabia (Dharan) 827 Turkey (Istanbul) 828 Bermuda (Hamilton) 829 Yemen, People's Dem. Republic (Aden) 830 Turkey (Izmir) 831 India (Calcutta) 832 Bahrain (Manama) 833 Iran (Tehran) 834 Oman (Muscat) 835 Pakistan (Islamabad) 836 Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) 837 United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) 838 Jamiaca (Kingston) 840 Slovenia 842 India (Bombay) 844 Morocco (Casablanca) 845 Pakistan (Karachi) 846 Switzerland (Bern) 847 Turkey (Ankara) 848 Trinidad & Tobago (Port-of-Spain) 849 Yemen, Republic of (Isanaa) 852 India (Madras) 853 Iran (Tabriz) 854 Morocco (Rabat) 855 Pakistan (Lahore) 856 Former Yugoslav Rep of Macedonia 857 Turkey (Adana) 858 Argentina (Buenos Aires) 859 Sierra Leone (Freetown) 862 India (New Delhi) 863 Iran (Shiraz) 864 Morocco (Tangier) 865 Bangladesh (Dhaka) 866 Lesotho (Masero) 867 South Africa, Republic of (Capetown) 868 Falkland Islands 869 Kenya (Nairobi) 870 Seychelles (Victoria) 872 Nepal (Kathmandu) 873 Israel (Tel Aviv) 874 Netherlands (Amsterdam) 875 New Zealand (Wellington) 876 Comoros (Moroni) 877 South Africa, Republic of (Durban) 878 Martinique (Port-de-France) 879 Nigeria (Kaduna) 880 Namibia (Windhoek) 882 Mozambique (Maputo) 884 Netherlands (Rotterdam) 885 New Zealand (Auckland) 886 Liechtenstein 887 South Africa, Republic of (Johannesburg) 888 French Guiana 889 Senegal (Dakar) 890 Sao Tome & Principe 892 Madagascar (Antananarivo) 893 Angola (Luanda) 894 Guyana (Georgetown) 895 Pakistan (Peshawar) 896 South Africa, republic of (Pretoria) 897 Mauritius (Port Louis) 898 Equatorial Guinea (Malabo) 899 Mexico (Mazatlan) 900 Ireland, Republic of (Dublin) 902 Serbia/Montenegro (Belgrade) 903 Bulgaria (Sofia) 904 Byprus (Nicosia) 905 Greenalnd (Copenhagen) 906 Koria, North 907 Malta (Valletta) 908 Poland 909 Suiname (Paramaribo) 912 France (Paris) 913 Bolivia (La Paz) 914 Czech Republic (Prague) 915 Guatemala (Guatemala) 916 Korea, South (Seoul) 917 Qata (Doha) 918 Zimbabwe (Harare) 919 Taiwan (Taipei) 923 Myanmar (Burma/Rangoon) 924 Denmark (Copenhagen) 925 Haiti (Port-au-Prince) 926 Kuwait (Kuwait) 927 Mongolia 928 Guinea (Conakry) 929 Thailand (Bangkok) 932 Afghanistan (Kabul) 933 Kampuchea (Cambodia) 934 Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo) 935 Macao 936 Laos (Vientiane) 937 New Caledonia 938 Romania (Bucharest) 942 Albania (Tirana) 943 Cameroon (Yaounde) 944 Germany, East 945 Hong Kong 947 Papua - New Guinea (Port Moresby) 948 Okinawa & Ryuku Island (Naha) 949 Tunista (Tunis) 952 Algeria (Algiers) 953 Canada 955 Hungary (Budapest) 956 Lebanon (Beirut) 957 Nicaragua (Managua) 958 El Salvador (San Salvador) 962 Vietnam, North 963 Sri Lnka (Colombo) 964 Finland (Helsinki) 965 Iceland (Reykjavik) 966 Liberia (Monrovia) 967 Nigeria (Lagos) 968 Singapore 969 Uganda (Kampala) 972 Austria (Vienna) 973 China, People's Republic of 975 Indonesia (Jakarta) 977 Israel (Jerusalem) 978 Russia (Moscow) 979 Uruguay (Montevideo) 983 Costa Rica (San Jose) 984 China (Accra) 985 Jordan (Amman) 986 Luxembourg (Luxembourg) 987 Paraguay (Asuncion) 988 Sudan (Khartoum) 989 Viet Nam, South (Saigon) 991 Latvia (Riga) 992 Belize (Belize City) 993 Lithuania (Vilnius) 994 Gibraltar 995 Estonia (Tallinn) 996 Manchuria 997 Peru (Lima) 998 Somalia (Mogadishu) 999 Marshall Islands, Rep of; Midway Island; Micronesia, Federated States of; Trust Territories of the Pacific Contact information: SSA Office of International Operations http://www.ssa.gov/foreign/ -------------------- filename- us-ssa.txt [15June01]bik 28Jun01, wsb 27may2006 Copyright 1999-2001 by JewishGen, Inc. http://www.jewishgen.org +----------------------------------------------------------------------+