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 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 Availabe?
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
- Statement(s) of railroad service
- Application for employee annuity
- Description and certification of eligibility
- Record of service for which no records are available
- Certificate of termination of service
- Death certificate of employee
- Notice of Death and Statement of Compensation
In the late 1960s, 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
Office of Public Affairs
844 N. Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2092
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.
Here you will find a partial list of depositories with railroad records.
It's not complete, but it's a sure start.
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
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"Along Those Lines"
