If you have a relative that has passed recently, the best way to track down their personal information is to go to the Social Security Death Index.  This database keeps death records on all people who have died in the country since the 1950s.

Finding Death Records with the SSDI

It may not seem like much, but remember that until the Social Security Administration was started by Roosevelt, no one kept these records at all, much less centralized them.

Of course, it isn’t easy or cheap to dig through the SSDI.  It takes time, and isn’t always accurate.  Until 1988 it wasn’t mandatory to have a social security number so many people who didn’t work, had other retirement plans or worked for themselves didn’t get one.

Unreported Social Security Number

Sometimes a death isn’t reported to the Social Security Administration, so they never enter the data into their database.  When the SSDI doesn’t work out it doesn’t mean you have no more options.

Online search services have gone to the trouble of accessing records from all over the country.  If you have some data about your loved one, such as a name, place and date of death, you are likely to be successful.

Increase Your Chances of Finding a Death Record with Online Services

Unlike the SSDI, these searches are based on correlating available data from all sorts of sources.  This means you have a better chance of getting a hit during your search.

Of course, a search service will be able to cross-reference your search once a match has been made.  The service can automatically pull up a birth certificate, marriage license, divorce decrees, addresses and known relatives with no more effort on your part.

All this information is available night at day from the comfort of your own home.  Each service has its own payment structure but typically you can either pay for one search or for limitless access over a year.

Either way, the prices aren’t high, and well worth your investment if you are serious about a genealogical search.  Go online and take a look, you are sure to like what you see.

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