Free SSDI on Genealogy Bank

10 September 2008 by Libbi.

I love researching in my pajamas, so I love it that my local library has a subscription to Genealogy Bank, which can be accessed by library card holders either within the library or from home. Today it was announced that this online resource has added free Social Security Death Index searches to their extensive collection of newspaper and historial document databases. Maybe your local library also has a subcription, in which case you should definitely take advantage of it.

With more than 82 million death records from 1937 to the present, the SSDI is an essential foundation for anyone interested in their family’s past. Best of all, it can be cross-searched with the thousands of newspapers and government documents available through GenealogyBank, offering researchers unsurpassed firsthand perspectives of the triumphs, struggles and daily lives of their American ancestors. “GenealogyBank’s Social Security Death Index is unique with weekly updates, easy-to-use format and comprehensive coverage,” says Tom Kemp, Genealogy Director for NewsBank, inc. “It’s simply the most comprehensive index online. Making it available for free is our way of giving back to the genealogy community.”The SSDI has long been valued by genealogists as the basis for family history research. The SSDI contains over 82.6 million death records from all 50 states, plus Guam, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories; as well as the records of over 17 million Americans born in the 19th century and more than 200,000 who died overseas.Exclusive features include the full date of death (including day of the week) and the deceased’s age (expressed in years, months and days).

“GenealogyBank’s convenient format saves users time, money and countless headaches,” adds Kemp.Genealogy sites and blogs are welcome to link to GenealogyBank’s Social Security Death Index. And for users looking to take their research to the next level, GenealogyBank is the ideal resource for discovering the stories behind your family’s past. It provides access to millions of newspapers articles, obituaries, government documents and more spanning four centuries. Each of these original images can be printed and preserved for family scrapbooks.

About GenealogyBankGenealogyBank, a division of NewsBank, inc., supplies individuals interested in family history research with over 300 years of U.S. newspapers, government documents and other historical records in all 50 states. GenealogyBank contains over 231 million family history records including obituaries; birth, marriage and death notices; and much more. GenealogyBank can be found at: www.genealogybank.com.

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