Making a Family Tree

I came across this heartfelt genealogy post at another blog and felt it was very much worth sharing. Paula Stuart-Warren writes in her article, “Are You Up to Date” . . .

My Mom, Patricia (Hanley) Stuart, passed away on 8 January 2008 while I was teaching at the annual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. I remember exactly when I received the call from my sister, Linda. I was eating a hot fudge sundae at JB’s in the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel with a friend while another friend was massaging my neck and shoulders already tight from stress and not enough sleep. Mom always did things on HER own schedule! That night I stayed up ‘til the wee hours of the morning writing Mom’s obituary and a tribute to her.

It got me to thinking. Whether you use paper to record your family history or a software program such as Family Tree Maker, are you up-to-date? I mean, have you entered all recent family data, logged those cute new family additions, added marriages and spouses, checked for your family in the Social Security Death Index, gathered obituaries, funeral cards, and even prepared questions for the next family gathering of any kind?

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Paula goes on to write about the key areas of a genealogy project and how this relates to her recent experience. She goes on to discuss topics such as:

• Obituaries and Tombstones
• Family Group Sheets
• Funeral Guest Books
• Social Security Death Index
• Other key considerations

Paula, if you read this, my condolences and thank you for sharing such a great article. It is truly the testament you intended and a solid introduction to Genealogy and thus I felt it fitting to share it with the visitors here.

Thank you - Chris

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Another great article by Leo Talbot

Social security death index. What is it? Containing around 65 million names and vital information of mainly deceased Americans, the SSDI is an extremely large and important database, especially for genealogy enthusiasts.

What sort of details are kept? For information to be archived in the SSDI, a death needs to have been reported, or, for example, a surviving relative may have contacted the Social Security Administration (SSA) seeking to stop the Social Security Benefits (SSB) of a parent.

Social Security Death Records

Social Security Death Records (SSDR) contain the following data on a deceased person:

• Last name
• First name
• Date of Birth
• Date of Death
• Where the last SSB was sent
• State of residence
• Where the SSN was issued
• Last known address

A Search Tip: When doing a search in the SSDI, do not include the middle initial. Middle names were not indexed. Use first and last names only.

What period is covered by these records? Most of the birth dates recorded are from the early decades of the last century: 1900 to 1930 Death dates are mainly from the period 1962 to 1988. It was in the early 1960’s that the SSA commenced using computer technology to store and archive vital records. Although there are birth dates as far back as the 1850’s (about 1856), and death dates prior to the 1960’s, not all earlier data has been included in the current SSDI.

A SSDI Search Tip #1: Use maiden names when searching for women. SSDI is a valuable genealogy tool. The SSDI can assist your genealogy research by providing data that will help you locate birth certificates and death certificates. By providing the names of parents, a female’s maiden name, people’s places of residence and their occupation, it may also assist in the search for marriage certificates and other vital records.

A SSDI Search Tip #2 : Start your search on the SSDI with just a few facts. This facility allows you to search on any combination of data. A last name and known possible birth period may do for starters? If the results are very large, then add additional data and search again.

Note: There is a very useful feature, “Soundex Search” which assists where names may have been misspelled. Leo Talbot writes genealogy articles such as the social security death index and others.

(A Genealogy Beginner Sponsor)

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If you want to understand the information contained in public records, it’s a good idea to do a little preparation. One of the best instructional resources on using public records for family history research is the The Basic Beginner’s Genealogy Guide from Genealogy Beginner. Chapter four of this guide is appropriately titled, “Searching Genealogy Public Records.”

One of your best resources for genealogy research is your local pubic library. Local libraries have access to online genealogy databases that may contain valuable information about your family. Librarians can significantly reduce research time by pointing you toward the resources that best fit your research needs.

You can also find a great deal of genealogy information by writing to the Social Security Administration and requesting information about family names, applications for citizenship, and birth dates. The Census Bureau has records dating back to 1745. You’ll also find birth announcements through the Office of Vital Records or by contacting local courthouses directly. These are just some of the leads you’ll find when you lean more about The Basic Beginner’s Genealogy Guide.

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