As reported in the CourierPost Online, "Now you can trace family history with Courier-Post's DataUniverse," the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is now available on DataUniverse, the free public records search offered by New Jersey's Courier-Post. The site also allows you to make the request online for a photocopy of your ancestor's original Social Security Application Card, the SS-5. While your search of the SSDI is free, there is a fee for the SS-5 application card.

Labels: online resources, SSDI

In his article, "Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Overview," Alan Smith provides a basic overview and insights into the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). The article notes that the SSDI includes some 400,000 railroad retirement records from early 1900s to 1950s. To clarify, we have this from the RootsWeb site quoted in the article, "Railroad workers were enrolled in the same Social Security program, but from 1937 to 1963 they had numbers ranging between 700 and 728 as the first three digits. In 1964 their numbers began to reflect the same geographic location as other workers. Some railroad workers received Social Security benefits, but some did not. However, it is wise to check the SSDI in any case."

Labels: death records, railroad records, SSDI

An article in the Home News Tribune (NJ), THNT.com launches ancestry-search tool, announces its new data web site. Among other forms of public data, this site features the Social Security Death Index for New Jersey. What is interesting about the article itself is it's general summary of the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), what it is and how it's used. So even if you are very familiar with the SSDI as a research tool, the article may provide some new and interesting insights.

Labels: death records, New Jersey, SSDI