When Social Security was first instituted in the 1930’s, many men and women rushed to sign up for this innovative retirement income assurance program. Since it was brand new, people were not issued Social Security numbers at birth as they are now. They had to apply to the program. Once they applied and were approved, they would be issued their Social Security number and card. Men who were working, women who were working
(which was still pretty rare at that time), married women who hoped to use their spouse’s benefits one day, and women who were applying on behalf of a deceased spouse who had worked were all eligible to apply for the Social Security card.
These early applications for Social Security cards still exist, and are valuable pieces of genealogical information. You can actually order the earliest applications from the 1930’s and 1940’s. These
forms are known as the SS-5 forms, and you can order one for any person, as long as they are deceased. The SS-5 applications are provided to U.S. citizens by the Social Security Administration under the Freedom of Information Act. You must provide proof the person is deceased, unless that person is 120 years old or older...
