Hi, Bob --

Not all deaths are included in the SSDI.  In 1962, the Social Security 
Admin started a computer database of the requests for survivor 
benefits.  This lead to a full-scale database of deaths reported to the 
SSA.  Not all deaths were/are reported to the SSA, though.  Note that 
there are very few deaths prior to 1962 listed in the SSDI, although a 
very few of them date back to 1937 ('very few' being a relative term, 
there are something over 600 listed for 1937).  Also, you may not be 
able to locate the person you're researching due to an incorrect name 
(public use of a given name is not necessarily the recorded name - i.e. 
my own name was incorrect with the SSA until just a few years ago), a 
data-entry error, an error or omission on the original record, or 
perhaps as stated above the death was not reported to the SSA.  It may 
also be a question of what you "know" and the facts of an individual's 
death.  For instance, you believe that Madden died in Berkshire Co., but 
it is possible Madden died at a hospital in a nearby county - or perhaps 
even in another state.  You might be interested in varying your search 
parameters. 

Hope this helps you to understand the limitations of the SSDI.  It is 
still a wonderful research for genealogists, despite its short-comings.

-- M'Lisa Whitney, Certified Genealogist
[log in to unmask]
**CG and Certified Genealogist are service marks of the Board for 
Certification of Genealogists used under license after periodic 
evaluations by the Board**

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>