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Records in this collection
- New York, St Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Marriages
- West Virginia Deaths
- Alabama Deaths, 1908-1974
- Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957
- Archdiocese of Philadelphia sacramental registers parish list
- Arizona Births and Christenings, 1909-1917
- Arizona deaths
- Arizona deaths & burials, 1881-1917
- Arizona marriages, 1865-1949
- Boston Births, 1630-1849
- Boston Deaths, 1630-1825
- Boston Deaths, 1700-1799
- Boston Marriages, 1630-1809
- California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988
- California Births, 1970-1995
- California Marriages, 1850-1945
- California, County Marriages, 1850-1952
- California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records 1835-1931
- Chicago Roman Catholic cemetery records, 1864-1989
- Chicago Roman Catholic parish baptism records
- Chicago Roman Catholic parish baptisms
- Chicago Roman Catholic parish burial records
- Chicago Roman Catholic parish burials
- Chicago Roman Catholic parish congregational records
- Chicago Roman Catholic parish marriage records
- Chicago Roman Catholic parish marriages
- Cincinnati Roman Catholic parish baptisms
- Cincinnati Roman Catholic Parish Burials
- Cincinnati Roman Catholic parish congregational records
- Cincinnati Roman Catholic Parish Marriages
- Connecticut baptisms, 1600s-1800s
- Connecticut burials, 1600s-1800s
- Connecticut church records, 1600s-1800s
- Connecticut Deaths, 1949-2010
- Connecticut Divorces, 1960-1990
- Connecticut Marriages, 1959-2010
- Connecticut, Stonington Cemetery Records
- Connecticut, Town of Sharon Cemetery Indexes
- District of Columbia births & baptisms, 1830-1955
- District of Columbia deaths & burials, 1840-1964
- District of Columbia marriages, 1830-1921
- Georgia births and christenings 1754-1940
- Gorgas Hospital Panama Canal Mortuary Registers, 1906-1991
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania Births & Baptisms
- Idaho births & baptisms, 1856-1965
- Idaho County Marriages 1864-1950
- Idaho death certificates 1911-1937
- Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933
- Indiana marriages 1811-1959
- Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992
- Iowa deaths & burials, 1850-1990
- Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992
- Kentucky Births, 1911-1999
- Kentucky Deaths, 1911-1999
- Kentucky Marriages, 1973-1999
- Louisiana, Orleans Parish Estate Files 1804-1846
- Massachusetts deaths, 1969-2010
- Massachusetts marriages 1841-1915
- Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850
- Missouri, Moniteau County Roman Catholic Marriages
- Montana County Marriages 1865-1950
- Montana Deaths, 1954-2011
- Montana marriages 1863-1960
- Montserrat, Methodist Marriages 1820-1841
- Nebraska, Omaha births 1874-1887
- New Jersey baptisms 1746-1795
- New Jersey church records 1747-1794
- New York City Death Notices, 1835-1880
- New York City Marriage Notices, 1835-1880
- New York Roman Catholic parish baptisms
- New York Roman Catholic parish list
- New York Roman Catholic parish marriages
- New York, St Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Baptisms
- New York, St Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Deaths and Burials
- North Carolina deaths 1906-1930
- North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994
- Ohio Deaths, 1959-2012
- Ohio Divorces, 1962-2011
- Ohio Marriages, 1970, 1972-2011
- Ohio Obituary Index, 1814-2013
- Oklahoma marriages 1842-1912
- Oregon births & baptisms, 1868-1929
- Pennsylvania baptisms 1709-1760
- Pennsylvania births & baptisms
- Pennsylvania burials 1816-1849
- Pennsylvania congregational records
- Pennsylvania deaths & burials
- Pennsylvania marriages
- Philadelphia Roman Catholic parish baptisms
- Philadelphia Roman Catholic parish marriages
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire, vital records 1706-1895
- Rhode Island births & baptisms 1600-1935
- Rhode Island church records 1671-1899
- Rhode Island deaths & burials 1628-1930
- Social Security Death Index
- South Carolina deaths 1915-1943
- South Carolina, will transcripts 1782-1866
- Texas Divorces, 1968-2010
- Texas Marriages, 1968-2010
- Texas, Bexar County burials 1855-2007
- U.S. Veteran's Gravesites
- United States BillionGraves Index
- United States births & christenings 1817-1961
- United States deaths & burials 1833-1970
- United States marriages
- United States Obituary Notices
- United States, Connecticut Town Vitals, The Barbour Collection indexes
- United States, Early American vital records indexes
- United States, Philadelphia Genealogy Abstracts
- United States, West Virginia births
- Utah births & christenings, 1892-1941
- Utah deaths & burials, 1848-1960
- Utah divorces
- Utah marriages, 1845-1935
- Utah, Salt Lake County Birth Records 1890-1908
- Utah, Salt Lake County Death Records 1908-1949
- Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940
- Virginia, Winchester, Evening Star obituaries 1899-1909
- Washington, County Deaths, 1891-1907
- Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008
- Washington, King County Delayed Births 1941-1942
- Wyoming marriages 1867-1941
Find your ancestors in Social Security Death Index
Social Security Death Index
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is the commercial name for the Death Master File (DMF) created by the United States Social Security Administration. The DMF was first created in 1980 and contains every person with a Social Security number who has been reported dead to the Social Security Administration from 1962 onwards or who had died prior to 1962 but still had active Social Security accounts in 1962.
Each record in this index will provide you with a transcript of key information:
- First name(s)
- Last name
- Birth year
- Birth date
- Death year
- Death date
- Social Security number
- Place of issue (of Social Security number)
- State
Discover more about these records
Social Security numbers are assigned to citizens, permanent residents, and employed temporary residents of the United States. The Social Security Administration issues these numbers for the purpose of tracking individual Social Security and, secondary, for identification regarding taxation, employment, and other services.
The New Deal Social Security program introduced the first Social Security numbers in November 1935. The New Deal was the result of the Great Depression and the creation of Social Security was intended to provide for older citizens, as the United States had no national insurance system in place at that time. The program differed fundamentally in scope from other New Deal programs, which were intended to last for less than a decade. The Social Security Act, however, introduced a permanent system, funded by payroll taxes and formed the basis for the welfare system in the United States, designed to provide aid for older citizens, needy minors, the unemployed, and the handicapped.
As you search through this index, it’s important to keep in mind that the policies and practices of issuing Social Security numbers have evolved over the years. Prior to 1986, it was common for individuals to receive Social Security numbers around age 14 as they were primarily used for tracking income. It wasn’t until the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that parents and guardians were required to list the Social Security numbers of any dependents over the age of five who they were claiming on their taxes. The age was lowered to two in 1988 and to one in 1990. Today, parents usually apply for Social Security numbers for their children on the same form used to apply for their birth certificates.
If you have military ancestors, it may be useful to know that Social Security numbers were used as identification numbers for members of
- The Army and Air Force from 1 July 1969
- The Navy and Marine Corps from 1 January 1972
- The Coast Guard from 1 October 1974
This practice ended in June 2011.
Since the start of the Social Security program, over 450 million Social Security numbers have been issued. The Social Security Administration does not reuse numbers and has said it has enough remaining numbers to last several generations without the need to reuse or change the makeup of the Social Security numbers. As you start your research, however, it should be noted that there have been incidents of more than one person being accidentally assigned the same Social Security number.
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