There is so much information available to trace your ancestors. The search can be extremely time consuming and is sometimes frustrating, but when you find each piece of your family puzzle it is such a thrill.
Of course not everyone has much information to begin with......especially someone who was abandoned or someone who was adopted and is unable to obtain their identity.
Having a correct name to search for is vital. Knowing that not everyone spelled their names the same way allows you to search by sound. Soundex is a coding system that was developed so that you can find a surname even though it may have been recorder under various spellings.
If you are serious about searching for your ancestors you might want to sign up for a subscription to Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com has some free searches, but more information is available if you are a member or subscriber.
Understand that census records are only released every ten years and the last one released was 1940. Current census records are not available until they are seventy years old.
The Social Security system was originally The Social Security Act which was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 8/14/35. Taxes were collected for the first time in January 1937 and regular monthly benefits started in January, 1940. Not everyone paid into Social Security...there were other pension funds for people who worked for the government, people who worked for the railroad, and of course farmers and others who were self-employed may or may not have paid into Social Security. There is a Social Security master death index available for those who paid into Social Security and their family received a death benefit when they died.
Finding a death record can be helpful in tracing your ancestors. It can lead to other information including their survivors.
Giving your family the gift of knowing about their history and ancestors is priceless. If you have not done this, or don't have time to do this, why not hire a professional to do the search for you?
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