THE SOCIAL SECURITY INDEX
BRENDA KELLOW
APRIL 22, 2012
My January column was about the elimination of the number on the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). The removal came about because a petition to remove the SSDI information was sent to the five largest genealogical services hosting the Death Master File (SSDI) by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Bill Nelson (D-Florida) and Richard J. Durbin (D-Illinois) sent the petition December 1. This came about because some people without scruples.
They believe with the Death Master File available online, those without scruples gather the personal information for illegal purposes. GenealogyBank.com and FamilySearch.org removed the numbers from their free death index sites. Ancestry.com removed the entire database from the RootsWeb.com site even though it has been on line for ten years. The Ancestry.com subscription site say they removed the numbers from their site attached to those who died in the last ten years. In my searches, I did find that to be true. The subscription sites generally kept the database minus the numbers.
In my January column discussing this, I asked you to contact me and tell me if the elimination of the numbers has inconvenienced you. I did hear from a few of you. Some of you gave a simple “yes” or “no” answer, but others elaborated. Joe Proctor, of the House of Proctor, was one of those.
Your comments ranged from:
Thanks to all of you who participated in this survey.
OLD CITY CEMETERY: The old city cemetery is the final resting place of many early settlers of Plano; many were here with the Peters Colony. It is located at 12th and H streets in the Douglas Edition. Many of our streets, parks and schools carry the name of these early settlers. The condition of the cemetery is a disgrace. The fences and gates need mending. Some may have to be replaced. The landscape maintenance is minimal. The tombstones are deteriorating. All this even though it does have a Texas Historical Marker placed at the north cemetery gate. It needs your help in bringing this before the Heritage Commission of Plano. If you would like to help, a sample letter addressing the commissioners with their added addresses is available to you for the asking. Send a request to [email protected] and they will forward the sample letter to you.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].
They believe with the Death Master File available online, those without scruples gather the personal information for illegal purposes. GenealogyBank.com and FamilySearch.org removed the numbers from their free death index sites. Ancestry.com removed the entire database from the RootsWeb.com site even though it has been on line for ten years. The Ancestry.com subscription site say they removed the numbers from their site attached to those who died in the last ten years. In my searches, I did find that to be true. The subscription sites generally kept the database minus the numbers.
In my January column discussing this, I asked you to contact me and tell me if the elimination of the numbers has inconvenienced you. I did hear from a few of you. Some of you gave a simple “yes” or “no” answer, but others elaborated. Joe Proctor, of the House of Proctor, was one of those.
Your comments ranged from:
- It made no difference
- Didn’t know why the numbers were there anyway
- Had previously gathered all the SSDI information
- Strange it was online at all because of the identity theft issues
Thanks to all of you who participated in this survey.
OLD CITY CEMETERY: The old city cemetery is the final resting place of many early settlers of Plano; many were here with the Peters Colony. It is located at 12th and H streets in the Douglas Edition. Many of our streets, parks and schools carry the name of these early settlers. The condition of the cemetery is a disgrace. The fences and gates need mending. Some may have to be replaced. The landscape maintenance is minimal. The tombstones are deteriorating. All this even though it does have a Texas Historical Marker placed at the north cemetery gate. It needs your help in bringing this before the Heritage Commission of Plano. If you would like to help, a sample letter addressing the commissioners with their added addresses is available to you for the asking. Send a request to [email protected] and they will forward the sample letter to you.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].