Social Security
"When Social Security
benefits were instituted in 1937, each employed person filed an application
for a Social Security number. The application form asked questions
concerning birth date and place, parents' names, spouse's name, and
residence address at the time of the application. To receive benefits,
individuals were also required to document their births, even if their birth
states had not required birth registration. The 1880 and 1900 census
enumerations were partially or fully indexed to help provide this
documentation, and, during this time, many delayed birth certificates were
issued by counties when individuals submitted family information such as
Bibles to the court. The resulting information was kept in the individual's
Social Security files and is now available from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services Social Security Administration through the Freedom
of Information Act." – Kathi
Sittner
Courtesy of Ancestry. COM
