Tracing Immigrant Ancestors Using Social Security Information
September 1, 2023
Beginners Article
Tracing Immigrant Ancestors Using Social Security Information
Tracing immigrant ancestors has always presented challenges. If you are lucky enough to have
immigrant ancestors who arrived after 1900 and were still working in America when the Social Security
system was implemented in 1936-1937 or later, it might be worth writing for their Social Security
applications. While there were women in the work force in this era, there were relatively few found in
the earliest records for Social Security. Initially, only women working in traditional jobs outside of the
home tended to apply. By the beginning of World War II in the 1940s, this would change dramatically.
Social Security implementation which began between October 14, 1936, and June 30, 1937, was the
first time the federal government required citizens to prove they were legal citizens of the United States. Applicants had to prove their legal birth or naturalization to be issued a Social Security card. The
original Social Security application usually provides the following information: 1. Full Name 2. Full name at birth, including maiden name 3. Present mailing address 4. Age at last birthday 5. Date of birth 6. Place of birth (city, county, and state) 7. Father’s full name 8. Mother’s full name, including maiden name 9. Sex 10. Race as indicated by applicant 11. Whether applicant ever applied for Social Security or Railroad Retirement previously 12. Name and address of current employer 13. Date Signed 14. Applicant’s signature
Because of the scrutiny each individual immigrant applicant was subjected to in this era, the details
provided on these early applications are often more reliable than those provided in other documents
such as death certificates. Unfortunately, many applicants only gave the name of their country of origin, but any clue may better than nothing.
For the most detailed up to date information on requesting the SS-5 Form which contains the original
application information, please visit the links provided below. Please be advised that processing these
requests can take up to one month or longer in certain situations.
Social Security Administration – How to Request Information from Social Security
This course explains the process of using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to request information from SSA. It also identifies circumstances when it is unnecessary to make requests through FOIA, and, instead, use online resources or personal contacts as sources of obtaining information. https://www.ssa.gov/section218training/basic_course_6.htm