More about the Social Security Death Index

More about the Social Security Death Index...read what the Connecticut Ancestry February eNews has to say:

On a different topic, one of the important record sets used by

genealogists nationwide is under threat. Both the House of

Representatives and the Senate, have introduced bills which supposedly

are aimed at curbing identity theft. However, they contain incorrect

information about the role that the Social Security Master Death File

(known to genealogists as the Social Security Death Index or SSDI) is

playing in identity theft. The Subcommittee for Social Security of the

Committee for Ways and Means of the House of Representatives held a

hearing in early February on the subject. The committee allowed

testimony at the hearing only from people they invited to speak. Every

single speaker declared, with no documentation, that the SSDI was a

major cause of identify theft and that it needs to be closed to the

public. Not a single voice was permitted to state the facts: the SSDI

was created to prevent identity theft, that the financial institutions

and the Internal Revenue Service are not using it properly, that proper

use (comparing SSNs for tax returns or new bank accounts to the SSDI

will identify SSNs that have already been used) will prevent fraud, that

these institutions must follow the rules that are already in place and

the misuse of SSNs will no longer be a problem.



We in Connecticut know that having open records does not contribute to

crimes of identity theft. The rate of such crimes is no higher here than

elsewhere in the country. It is very important that we, the genealogy

community, express our opinions about this outrageously skewed idea of

where the problem actually lies. The Records Preservation and Access

Committee (RPAC) has created a kit to help us understand the problem and

take action to prevent restrictions on open records. You can find the

information here. http://www.fgs.org/rpac/sddi-call-to-action-kit/



This is extremely important. If this database is closed, I believe it

will be just the beginning of closing multiple resources to us. We

cannot let it happen. Please sign the petition (which would take the

matter out of the hand of Congress and put it into the hands of the

Executive Branch). The deadline is March 8, so please act immediately. I

have heard reports of some technical difficulties with the petition, but

please be persistent. Also, contact your congress member and your

senators.



We should not be persuaded by Congress's incorrect information. The SSDI

is not a major tool for identity theft, and any few incidents could be

prevented by tightening the rules. We, and all the members of the

public, have a right to use this resource as it was originally intended.

National Archives and Twitter Team Up to Make Interesting History

Just a reminder that one should never write something on The internet that they would not like the world to read…..Susan

From: Archival Today, an electronic publication of Gaylord Library Supplies

The Library of Congress to Archive Your Tweets......

"The Library of Congress is the home to the largest rare book collection in
North America, a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a Gutenberg
Bible, and now the 140-character daily musings and updates of millions of
ordinary people. Every public tweet since Twitter's 2006 inception, from
President Obama's tweet about winning the 2008 election to what your
neighbor ate for lunch two years ago, has been donated to the Library of Congress.
The LOC will preserve the Twitter archive and make it available to researchers
as a part of historical record of communication, news reporting and social trends.
Although it is certainly a wealth of information, and only public tweets are a part
of the archives, some people may have misgivings that their thoughts on Charlie
Sheen's meltdown are now a part of the historical record."

Military Service Records at NARA

I thought this was interesting and maybe helpful to someone....
Thanks,
Cary

Bonnie November 28, 2010 at 7:15 pm

For genealogy purposes, i would like to know what to do to enable me to access my deceased fathers war record. Enlisted 1944-to 1945. I do not have his social security # and was told I would need that to access records.


John December 1, 2010 at 10:20 am
Hi Bonnie,

There are two options you can pursue to locate your father’s World War II service record. Online, you can go to NARA’s web site at http://www.archives.gov and check the Access to Archival Databases (AAD). There you will find an electronic data file for “World War II Army Enlistment records, 1938-1946.” If you find him there, you can then use the information to write to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri to locate further information (you will need to fill out Standard Form (SF) 180 to request records from St. Louis; the form is also available to download on the NARA web site). If you don’t find your father in AAD, you will still need to contact St. Louis, because they will have personnel files for the other branches of service as well. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that a fire at St. Louis in 1973 destroyed 80% of the Army personnel files for veterans discharged between 1912 and 1960, so that includes the World War II servicemen. If that happens to affect your father’s service, you should still contact St. Louis because they may be able to recreate some service information from other existing records. Good luck!

- John

RootsWeb no longer has social security death index

When you access the Social Security Death Index from our databases page, you get the following:

"Due to sensitivities around the information in this database, the Social Security Death Index collection is not available on our free Rootsweb service but is accessible to search on Ancestry.com. Visit the Social Security Death Index page to be directly connected to this collection"

When you link to "Social Security Death Index page" from that page, you go into ancestry.  You can search.  I looked for my mother and got the following:

Beatrice Porter date dd mm 2008 city, Harris, Texas

If you click on anything, you are asked to join.

You can still find the death index on the http://www.familysearch.org/ site.  Looking for my mother found the following:

U.S. Social Security Death Index for Beatrice Porter


First Name: Beatrice

Middle Name:

Last Name: Porter

Name Suffix:

Birth Date: 4 May 1912

Social Security Number: 456-80-0951

Place of Issuance: Texas

Last Residence: Houston, Harris, Texas

Zip Code of Last Residence: 77057

Death Date: 27 March 2008

Estimated Age at Death: 96


Jane

Finding Your Roots," a 10-part Series on PBS

January 04, 2012


"Finding Your Roots," a 10-part Series on PBS

Another genealogy series is about to be launched on television in the U.S. "Finding Your Roots" with historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. will launch on March 25. That will be the first episode of a 10-part series on PBS stations.

The new series will feature two people in each one-hour episode, including husband-and-wife actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, who jokes she's afraid they might turn out to be cousins. "They are indeed distant cousins," revealed Gates. "Talk about six degrees of separation, right?"

Check your local listings for the exact time and channel in your area.


Wonder if this will help to up our customer count...
Cary

PS, I don't know if Kyra and I are cousins... but I doubt we are.

National Archives Places Videos of Popular Records Workshops Online

January 04, 2012


National Archives Places Videos of Popular Records Workshops Online for First Time

The following announcement was written by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration:

National Archives Puts Popular Records Workshops Online for First Time!

“Know Your Records” videos now available on National Archives YouTube Channel

Washington, DC… For the first time, the National Archives has launched online videos of its most popular genealogy “how to” workshops. These videos cover “hot topics” in genealogical research such as census, immigration and military records. Now, these popular workshops led by National Archives experts are available on the National Archives YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/usnationalarchives.

The National Archives-produced Know Your Records video shorts cover the creation, scope, content, and use of National Archives records for genealogical research. "The National Archives is proud to make our most popular genealogy lectures available online and ready for viewing by anyone, anywhere, at any time," said Diane Dimkoff, Director of Customer Services.

Genealogy Introduction: Military Research at the National Archives: Volunteer Service (8:22) www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zgKBrsVpxY Archives specialist John Deeben discusses compiled military service records at the National Archives.

Genealogy Introduction—Military Research at the National Archives: Regular Service (6:11) www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OMO-PbmMEw Archives Specialist John Deeben explains how to use Army and Navy registers of enlistment and rendezvous reports for research.

Genealogy Introduction—Military Research at the National Archives: Pension Records (9:04)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT-AgYFhX1k Archives Specialist John Deeben discusses how to research military service using pension records dating from 1775 to 1916. Deeben shows samples of both Revolutionary War and Civil War pensions.

Genealogy Introduction—Immigration Records at the National Archives (11:57)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCZTSrSvxyc Archives Specialists Katherine Vollen and Rebecca Crawford provide an overview of immigration records from 1800 to 1957, including Customs Service and Immigration and Naturalization records, as well as records of ports and border crossings.

Genealogy Introduction: Census Records at the National Archives (11:57)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl54NX_H1ko

Genealogy expert Constance Potter shares tips and strategies for researching U.S. Federal Census Records 1790 to 1930, and explains how they can be used for genealogical research.


Background on “Know Your Records” programs

The National Archives holds the permanently valuable records of the Federal government. These include records of interest to genealogists, such as pension files, ship passenger lists, census and Freedmen’s Bureau materials. The Know Your Records Program offers opportunities for staff, volunteers, and researchers to learn about these records through lectures, ongoing genealogy programs, workshops, symposia, the annual genealogy fair, an online genealogy tutorial, reference reports for genealogical research, and editions of Researcher News for Washington DC area researchers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hope this helps,
Cary

Can't purchase LDS film any more?

Read what Dick Eastman says about LDS microform

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2011/12/familysearchs-conversion-from-microfilm-to-digital-images.html#more

Some exerpts below:

After 31 Dec. 2011, FamilySearch will no longer sell microfilm ... as in the end of this week ... LDS will continue to lend microfilm to its local Family History Centers but no one will be able to purchase microfilm, including individuals, libraries, local historical / genealogy groups ... it is the end of the road ...

Dick continues ...

"Let's face a few facts. First, microfilm is disappearing worldwide and for very good reasons. Few companies manufacture microfilm cameras any more. Even new, unexposed microfilm is disappearing. Only a couple of small companies still manufacture microfilm, and they have already notified FamilySearch and their few other remaining customers that they will be shutting down their manufacturing facilities soon. Where do you expect FamilySearch or anyone else to purchase microfilm five years from now when nobody manufactures it anymore?

Only a few companies still manufacture microfilm viewers, and they, too, are planning to shut down their facilities for lack of customers. In fact, the hottest selling microfilm viewers these days are the ones that have built-in scanners and are used to convert microfilms to digital images."

Jane

Northeast Document Conservation Center

Every now and then we get a phone call or a patron asking about how to preserve photos or newspapers. The Northeast Document Conservation Center has a lot of information on their website. Some of the information is geared toward institutions and some toward the individual.

Ashley

Birds of a Feather: Genealogy for Our Children

Many times we talk among ourselves about how to get children interested in genealogy. It takes time and ingenuity to devise a technique that will keep their interest. Martha Stewart, yes the maven of all things pretty and tasty in the home, has found the way.


Birds of a Feather provides a template to make a tree and put it on the wall of the home, school, or church. She also provides templates of birds on which the child can write family names to place on the tree. This provides a way for the child to learn more about their family by placing the birds in family groups.

I wish Birds of a Feather had been around when my children were growing up!

Below is the site information to find the many family trees that Martha Stewart has devised. Many are quite clever.

http://www.marthastewart.com/ or google Martha Stewart Family Trees.

skp

British Newspaper Archive - 300 years of history online

Sixty-five million historic newspaper articles, covering the most significant events over the last 300 years, are now fully available online from today in a new archive created by the British Library.

People will now be able to search the ‘British Newspaper Archive’, which is made up of four million pages - containing articles from local and regional papers going back to 1700, for details about members of their family who may have been eminent in their local communities hundreds of years ago.

The launch of the archive is the first time people will be able to digitally access and search through millions of newspaper articles from the comfort of their homes. Up until now, people have had to travel to the British Library newspaper depository in Colindale, North London, to access the entire collection of 200 local and regional newspapers.

However, anyone wishing to fully access the newspaper archive will have to pay to do so. People can search the site for free but will need to pay either £6.95 for 48 hour access; £29.95 for 30 days or £79.95 for an annual subscription. Once logged in, users can download a pdf of a particular page to keep forever. The archive can be accessed for free in the British Library’s Reading rooms.

The digitisation project, which started last year, will take 10 years to complete, with a total of 650 million articles on 40 million web pages expected to be in the finished archive by 2020. British company Brightsolid, which also owns Friends Reunited and Genes Reunited, is responsible for digitising the archive - a painstaking process as much of it needs to be done by hand as so many of the pages of the newspapers are too fragile to be processed by machines.

This could be applicable to our customers who can use the index on the pay website, but might be able to interlibrary loan the newspaper microfilm.


http://www1.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

Sue

Holocaust Victims Database Aims to Restore Lost Identities

More than 2,100 volunteers around the world who have signed on to the World Memory Project, a joint effort by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Ancestry.com, to create the world's largest online searchable database of records related to victims of the Holocaust.

It's a massive undertaking: The museum has more than 170 million documents about victims of Nazi persecution, including Nazi concentration camp records and transport lists, records created by Jewish communities and U.S. government documents about people displaced by the war who later emigrated to the United States.

The project, which began in May, recruits volunteers to put names and other key words from the documents into an online database, which is then searchable by anyone in the world. The first data sets became searchable this month.

You can read more about this project on the CNN web site at
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/26/us/holocaust-world-memory-project/
 
 
JMR