 |
 |
Member Login | My Account | Guest Registry |
 |
 |
| Getting Started | Learning Center | Reference | Publications | Articles & Columns |
| Learn > Articles & Columns > Daily News > Current Article | |
"Along Those Lines ..."
by George G. Morgan
Click Here for George Morgan's Archive
| "Railroad Retirement Board Records" |
Social Security records, as you probably know, can provide a great deal of information for genealogists. The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) can help you locate people who collected Social Security benefits and who are deceased. Armed with their Social Security number, you can write to the Social Security Administration for a copy of the individual's SS-5 form, the application for a Social Security number, which can contain parents' names, addresses, birth date and other details you may not have been able to locate elsewhere. But what if you had a family member who worked for the railroad? Where would you find similar information about these individuals? The answer is at the Railroad Retirement Board. This week in "Along Those Lines ...", let's look at the records at the Railroad Retirement Board. WHAT IS THE RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD? The Social Security Act of 1935 established an old age insurance system in the United States. Its intent was to provide a means for individuals to plan for some financial security for their old age. A unique identification number was to be assigned to all persons who completed an application for participation in the program. The first three digits of the Social Security number (SSN) (with a few exceptions) are an area number which, until 1972, reflected the state in which the application for a SSN was made. At the same time, the Railroad Retirement Act made provisions to maintain a separate program for employees of the nation's railroads, and a separate block of numbers (700-728) were set aside for assignment to these employees. The Railroad Retirement Board therefore, is the administrator of a federal retirement program covering the nation's railroad employees, those who were employed by the railroads in 1937 and later. Some people may have worked for the railroad and for other industries. They may have two numbers -- one for participation in Social Security and one for Railroad Retirement -- and may have collected multiple benefits. WHAT RECORDS ARE AVAILABLE? The Railroad Retirement Board will release information on deceased persons for genealogical research. However, it will not release any information for living individuals without that person's written consent. If you are interested in information about railroaders among your ancestors, files for railroad employees are found only at the headquarters office of the Railroad Retirement Board. Among the records that may be included for an employee are: - Application for participation in Railroad Retirement In the late 1960's, the Railroad Retirement Board approved a policy allowing for the destruction of records thirty (30) years after the last payment was made to the claimant or to the last beneficiary. This policy was made in accordance with the federal government's federal records retention schedule policy, and was not a decision made arbitrarily by the Railroad Retirement Board. Genealogists, however, objected strenuously and the policy was put on hold. Some records were destroyed, however, and no microfilming of records was ever undertaken prior to destruction. HOW DO I OBTAIN COPIES OF THESE RECORDS? The Railroad Retirement Board will perform searches for employee records for genealogical purposes. Remember that the employee must be deceased. There is a $16 nonrefundable fee to search for records, payable in advance. A check or money order should be made payable to the Railroad Retirement Board, and mailed to: U.S. Railroad Retirement Board Since records are kept by the employee's unique number, this is the best way to request information. You may find the Social Security or Railroad Retirement number on the person's death certificate. In order for the Railroad Retirement Board to perform its search, please provide the Railroad Retirement number (the one beginning with 700 to 726) and the person's full name. In some cases, it may be possible to locate records using only the full name, address, and birth and death dates of the person. However, it is usually not possible to locate records for people with relatively common surnames unless a number is included. ALL ABOARD! You may learn more about your ancestor and his/her employment history through this route than you might otherwise have been able to ferret out on your own. Remember that the various railroads' records are scattered throughout various archives and repositories, and that many have been lost or destroyed. In these cases, the Railroad Retirement Board's records may be the only viable place to gather more information about your railroader. For more information about the Railroad Retirement Board, please be sure to visit their Web site at: http://www.rrb.gov/ Here you will find details about the office, and a special link on the mail screen labeled "Genealogical Inquiries" will provide details about the office. In addition, there is a link to "Genealogical Research Before 1936" at: http://www.rrb.gov/geneal2.html Happy hunting! George
Copyright 1999 George G. Morgan. All Rights reserved. "Along Those Lines ..." is a weekly feature of the Genealogy Forum on America Online (Keyword: ROOTS). The article originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online. You may send E-mail to alonglines@aol.com. George Morgan would like to hear from you but, because of the volume of E-mail, is unable to personally respond to each letter individually. He also regrets that he cannot assist you with your personal genealogical research. George is also the author of "The Genealogy Forum on America Online." Learn how to use one of the world’s most important and respected online genealogical resources. George Morgan’s Users Guide will help beginning to advanced genealogists utilize all the Forum has to offer! Available at: http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog/. Click Here for George Morgan's Archive
Copyright 1998 George G. Morgan All Rights reserved "Along Those Lines ..." is a weekly feature of the Genealogy Forum on America Online (Keyword: ROOTS). This column originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online. You may send E-mail alonglines@aol.com. George Morgan would like
|