Family History hack: A Social Security form to request a deceased parent's work history

For American genealogists, using Social Security records for research usually comes up when browsing the Social Security death index. Otherwise, most of us don’t consider Social Security except when getting ready to draw retirement benefits.

But if you think about it, the Social Security Administration controls a goldmine of data. Since the 1930s, the SSA has a mandate to track the work history of anyone who has been employed “on the books,” with some exceptions. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s a Social Security form to request that work history, even for close relatives who are deceased.

Social Security form SSA-7050, available here, has some important restrictions and requirements. In addition to providing the deceased person’s Social Security number and proof of death, you must include documentation that shows you are a “survivor” (spouse or child) or “an individual with a material interest” such as the beneficiary of a will or next of kin. The filing costs $100, and then you have to wait for months for a reply.

I learned about form SSA-7050 through blogger Roberta Estes, who operates DNA Explained. She filed for both her mother and father, and got back the work records for her mother dating to the 1940s, where she worked as a dancer and voice coach in Chicago.

Roberta is a crack traditional genealogist (that is, using traditional methods of research) and for this project she brought her “A game” to bear, cross referencing the data from SSA with photos, business directories, census records, and of course her memories. What she uncovered for her mother’s work history was amazing!

For my family, I am deeply curious about the work history of my maternal grandparents. My grandfather, like many people during the Depression, struggled to find employment. This 1938 picture from the Library of Congress archives shows an inhabitant (no relation) of a “Hooverville” near Circleville, Ohio, where many farms were foreclosed:

I recall my grandfather mentioning work at a service station, but I would like to know more about this period, assuming Social Security records exist for the late 1930s. After raising 5 children, my grandmother started an entrepreneurial career in the 1950s as a travel agent, a job she loved.

As a grandchild, I can’t file form SSA-7050 for either of them, but my mother will be able to, assuming I can locate their Social Security numbers and proofs of death.