Genealogy Index: Social Security Death Index

Who is listed in the SSDI?
    This database is an index to basic information about persons with Social Security numbers whose deaths have been reported to the Social Security Administration. The death may have been reported by a survivor requesting benefits. It may have been reported in order to stop Social
Security Benefits to the deceased. Funeral homes often report deaths to the SSA as a service to family members. Beginning in 1962, the SSA began to use a computer database for processing requests for benefits. About 98% percent of the people in the SSDI died after 1962, but a few death
dates go back as far as 1937. Because legal Aliens in the U.S. can obtain a Social Security card, their names may appear in the SSDI if their deaths were reported. Some 400,000 railroad retirees are also included in the SSDI.
    The Social Security Death Index is not an index to all deceased individuals who have held Social Security Numbers. Also, it is not a database of all deceased individuals who have received Social Security Benefits, or whose families have received survivor benefits. (Porter 1999)

What information is available from Social Security records to help in genealogical research?

A: You might want to start by checking out the Social Security Death Index which is available online from a variety of commercial services (usually the search is free). The Death Index contains a listing of everyone who had a Social Security number and who is deceased, and whose death was reported to the Social Security Administration. If you find a person in the Death Index you will learn the date of birth and Social Security Number for that person. (The Social Security Death Index is not published by SSA for public use, but is made available by commercial entities using information from SSA records. We do not offer support of these commercial products nor can we answer questions about the material in the Death Index.)
    Other records potentially available from SSA include the Application for a Social Security Number (form SS-5). To obtain any information from SSA you will need to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The detailed procedures for doing so can be found elsewhere on the SSA Web site.

(Note: SSA is not in the business of doing genealogical research and we cannot, by law, expend Trust Fund money for purposes not related to the operation of the Social Security program. For this reason, we must charge a processing fee for these types of searches. The fee is intended to offset the cost to the government whenever SSA provides information from its files for non-program purposes.)

Ancestry.com free online search Social Security Death Index

Social Security Administration’s Internet web site is at http://www.ssa.gov/

    The first three (3) digits of a person's social security number are determined by the ZIP Code of the mailing address shown on the application for a social security number. For Wisconsin the number allocation range is 387-399 

The first three years of Sussex, Zip Code 53089, deaths recorded in the SSDI.

EARL CRAVEN Born 12 Jun 1899 Died Dec 1964

GEORGE WILEDEN Born 9 Oct 1898 Died Oct 1965
ANNA HAMMERLING Born 9 Feb 1891 Died Oct 1965
KATE HONEYAGER Born 25 Dec 1885 Died Apr 1965
JOHN WRIGHT Born 30 Aug 1902 Died Oct 1965
CHARLES MCCORMACK Born 3 May 1878 Died Sep 1965
HERMAN MUNZ Born 29 Jun 1879 Died Dec 1965

ALICE PLEIN Born 14 Feb 1899 Died Jul 1966
RAYMOND RICHARDSON Born 28 Jul 1898 Died Apr 1966
PAUL SAMANSKE Born 27 Apr 1887 Died Apr 1966
MYRTLE CRAVEN Born 28 Jan 1894 Died Jan 1966
EMIL SCHWARTZKOPF Born 1 Oct 1893 Died Mar 1966
FRED TRAPP Born 6 Oct 1893 Died Jul 1966
JOHN HOLDMANN Born 10 Jun 1887 Died Aug 1966
MILTON WILLIAMS Born 21 Jan 1901 Died Nov 1966
EMIL GAULKE Born 29 Dec 1895 Died Mar 1966
ALBERT HOOD Born 22 Oct 1914 Died Mar 1966
STEVE YAROTTA Born 20 Aug 1880 Died Aug 1966

The following table contains the number of recorded SSDI for "LAST RESIDENCE" Sussex, Zip Code 53089, during the corresponding year.

    Total SSDI records for Zip Code 53089 is 1,571, of these, 1,437 Social Security numbers were issued in the State of Wisconsin. If a SSDI search is done using the keyword "Sussex" vs. the Zip Code 53089, a total of 1,646 result - many of these can be attributed to individuals once living (receiving a Social Security benefit) in Sussex, Waukesha, Wisconsin; but died elsewhere. Note: From Ancestry.com - The Last Residence is the place where the person was last known to be living when the benefit was applied for. While 77% of the SSDI records contain Last Residence information, a total of 19% do not contain any Last Residence information.

Lannon (53046) has a total of 253 records, Merton (53056) has 113, and Colgate (53017) has 467.

*91 is the numbered of recorded SSDI thru November, 2001.

Note: Zip Code 53089 includes area outside of the Village of Sussex