In another post I will discuss my experiences with 23andMe for your consideration in selecting a DNA testing company to assist you in your family history research.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
23andMe Coupon
The genetic testing company 23andMe is conducting a survey of its subscribers. Completion of the survey generates a coupon code for $10 off an order to use by December 31st. I manage a few accounts and the coupon code WFEDKR has been the same for all of them, so I am sharing it here. If the code is successful for more than one person, it would be great to know.
In another post I will discuss my experiences with 23andMe for your consideration in selecting a DNA testing company to assist you in your family history research.
In another post I will discuss my experiences with 23andMe for your consideration in selecting a DNA testing company to assist you in your family history research.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Social Security Death Index
A great way of finding a date of death for someone in all states for recent times is the Social Security Death Index, which is available at Ancestry.com or Rootsweb.com (for free). Starting in 1937, certain employed people could participate in this federal retirement program. Based on certain conditions, some of these people made it into the Death Index. The point is that you will not find everyone in the Death Index. When you find someone in the Index, you will have a birthdate and a month and year of death, maybe even the day. You may also get one or two locations of death; one might be where the check was being sent; the other might be a residence.
If you find an entry for a person of interest in the Death Index, you can order the original application. Ancestry will generate a letter for you. The fee used to be $7. A few years ago, the fee jumped to $27. This is unfortunate, as the application contains great information, such as birthdate, place, and names of parents.
Note that the information in the Index lists the date of birth for James Earl Jones as 1921; but the original application has 1920 as the year of birth. This is an interesting point and is why you need to order the original application.
Sometimes you may have a Social Security Number for someone who is deceased, but you cannot find the person or number in the Death Index. For $29, you can request a search of the number. I have tried this with a few people, but have not had success in locating a record with Social Security.
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| Ancestry.com entry for the Social Security Death Index James Earl Jones, 241-18-6528 Note the date of birth as 1921 |
If you find an entry for a person of interest in the Death Index, you can order the original application. Ancestry will generate a letter for you. The fee used to be $7. A few years ago, the fee jumped to $27. This is unfortunate, as the application contains great information, such as birthdate, place, and names of parents.
Note that the information in the Index lists the date of birth for James Earl Jones as 1921; but the original application has 1920 as the year of birth. This is an interesting point and is why you need to order the original application.
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| Copy of the original application for a Social Security Number James Earl Jones Note that the year of birth he provided was 1920 |
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| The death certificate of Nellie Duryea provides a Social Security Number. The Number is not listed in the Death Index. |
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| I requested a search of the Social Security Number listed on the death certificate for Nellie Duryea, but the Social Security Administration reported not finding a record. |
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Visiting Home
As you research your ancestors, you will uncover more and more locations where they lived. You will probably want to visit these locations. Most of my ancestral lines lived fairly close to where I live now, so I have visited many homesteads. The original structures are usually long gone, though. Amazingly, a house where my family lived in Manhattan in the 1850s is still standing.
Stephen C. Duryea lived at 326 Spring Street in New York city in the early 1850s with his first wife, Mary, not to be confused with his second wife, also Mary. Here is his listing in the city directory in 1851:
Back in Stephen's time, just as today, the building houses a bar, now called the Ear Inn. The structure was built around 1817 and is now called the James Brown House and is on the National Register of Historic Buildings. [Information not digitized at nps.gov as of this writing.]
This land used to be on the southern shore of the island and was part of a farm. Isn't that hard to picture? If you follow the links for the official sites of this building and the bar, you can view pictures of the inside of the living quarters as well as items found over the years. I wonder if Stephen Duryea sat in front of the same fireplace 160 years ago, or if he used any of the bottles found in the attic.
If you wish to visit an old homestead, first try google maps to see if you can satisfy your curiosity from your couch. If you decide to physically travel, keep in mind that house numbers and street names change over the years.
Stephen C. Duryea lived at 326 Spring Street in New York city in the early 1850s with his first wife, Mary, not to be confused with his second wife, also Mary. Here is his listing in the city directory in 1851:
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| Doggett's New York City city directory, 1851 |
This land used to be on the southern shore of the island and was part of a farm. Isn't that hard to picture? If you follow the links for the official sites of this building and the bar, you can view pictures of the inside of the living quarters as well as items found over the years. I wonder if Stephen Duryea sat in front of the same fireplace 160 years ago, or if he used any of the bottles found in the attic.
If you wish to visit an old homestead, first try google maps to see if you can satisfy your curiosity from your couch. If you decide to physically travel, keep in mind that house numbers and street names change over the years.
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