Social Security Begins

The "Great Depression" that began in 1929 destroyed the finances of millions of Americans. Up until that time, with the exception of war veterans, the U.S. government didn't provide old age pensions, health insurance, public assistance, unemployment insurance, or any form of medical assistance. The widespread suffering caused by the Depression caused citizens to ask what the government could do to provide financial relief. President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded by working for the passage of the Social Security Act of 1935. In that legislation, employers and employees were taxed for the purpose of providing old age pensions to workers who reached the age of sixty-five.

The concepts behind Social Security were not new; other countries had devised and implemented similar benefits programs and/or socialized health services systems. The establishment of Social Security in this country, however, provided much-needed financial relief to many, many Americans suffering during the Great Depression. Over the decades, additional provisions have been added to provide expanded services, and today our citizens rely on Social Security as an integral part of their retirement income and old age medical insurance coverage.

How People Got Into the Program

In order to enter the program and to ultimately receive benefits, workers had to provide proof of their age and had to complete a short application form, the SS-5, to receive a Social Security number. The SS-5 has changed over the decades, but much of the information is basic. In 1937, for instance, my father completed his SS-5 and the following pieces of information were to be completed. (If any item was unknown, the applicant was to write "Unknown" in that space.)

1. Employee's First, Middle And Last Name (Married women were to provide First Name, Maiden Last Name and Husband's Last Name)
2. Street Address
3. Post Office and State
4. Employer's Name If Presently Employed
5. Employer's Address
6. Age At Last Birthday
7. Date of Birth (Month, Day and Year) It is noted here that this is subject to later verification.
8. Place of Birth
9. Father's Full Name Regardless Of Whether Living or Dead
10. Mother's Full Maiden Name Regardless Of Whether Living or Dead
11. Sex: Male or Female
12. Color: White, Negro or Other (Applicant was to specify if "Other" was checked)
13. Give Date You Became An Employee
14. Have You Ever Filled Out A Card Like This Before? (If yes, the applicant was to provide the place and date where the card was previously completed.)
15. Today's Date
16. Employee's Signature As Usually Written - DO NOT PRINT

My mother's SS-5, completed on June 1st of 1948 was a somewhat different form. It contained a field for the additional piece of information, place of birth. City, county and state were requested. In later years, the SS-5 form has been revised and replaced often.

As you can see, information about parents' names, date of birth and, later, place of birth can be key to tracing your genealogy. For instance, the SS-5 can be eminently important as a source of your mother's maiden name, but you will have to request a copy of the SS-5 from the Social Security Administration. Restrictions on the release of personal infformation means that we are not able to release a mother's maiden name. For more information on this, click HERE.

Obtaining Copies of the SS-5

In order to obtain a copy of an SS-5, you can contact the Social Security Administration for a copy of the Form L-997, "Social Security Number Record - Third Party Request for Extract or Photocopy." There are some places on the Internet where people have scanned the L-997 form and placed a graphic copy on their Web page. You might use a search engine to seek out a copy of the form.

The form asks for much of the information that is on the application form. However, you must have the applicant's full name. Complete as much of the rest of the information as you know. If you know the person's Social Security number, you should include that in the field on the form.

The form requires you to sign the form as the "representative" of the applicant and to provide your name and address. This is used to send you the copies you are requesting.

There is also an area where the applicant himself/herself should sign. If the individual is no longer alive, mark this area "Deceased." If the applicant is still alive, he/she must sign and date the form and the form must be witnessed by two other people.

The charge for obtaining the copy of the SS-5 is as follows:

~ If you can supply the Social Security number, enclose a check for $7.00 per SS-5 you are requesting.

~ If you cannot supply the Social Security number, enclose a check for $16.00 per SS-5 you are requesting.

The form is to be mailed to the Office of Central Records Operations, Social Security Administration, Baltimore, MD 21201. The form says to allow 4 to 6 weeks for a reply. However, my request was sent on February 23rd and the response was received on July 1st -- just over four months later.

There may be another glitch, however. I requested SS-5s for my parents, my paternal grandmother and my father's sister. I received those for my parents but was denied copies of my grandmother's and aunt's SS-5s. Why? Because the SSA had not received notification of their deaths in 1966 and 1969 respectively. The reason for that was that neither had ever collected benefits and therefore the administrator of their estates had not found it necessary to advise the SSA. In a case like this, however, you will receive a letter explaining why your request was denied -- the SSA cites the Freedom of Information Act provisions for unwarranted invasion of privacy. You may appeal the decision in writing within 30 days, and instructions were given in the letter I received. (In my case, I mailed a letter of appeal, attached a copy of the letter I had received, and enclosed photocopies of death certificates. We'll see what happens and how long it takes to hear from the SSA.)

Summary

The SS-5 application form is just another example of a source document that can be used for your genealogical research. Granted, it is not a primary source of information; it is, instead, the applicant's knowledge of facts. You can certainly use the SS-5 as a pointer to primary sources. However, your chances of having correct information, provided by your ancestor or relative to the government over his or her own signature, is pretty good.

Check out this great resource!

This article available online:

http://www.ancestry.com/columns/george/07-02-98.htm

Copyright 1998 George G. Morgan
All Rights reserved
"Along Those Lines ..." is a weekly feature of the Genealogy Forum
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This column originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online.