Genealogy Civil Records

US Social Security Office for Genealogy

Did you know that any United States citizen living in the US on or after 1936 is required by law to have obtained a Social Security Card. A Social Security Card is obtained by filing a Social Security Application. Social Security Applications are a part of the public record. The Social Security Application requires the applicant to state their mother’s and father’s full name. Very helpful to someone researching their family tree. To get access to these public records, you need to visit the Social Security Administration or a site that allows you to search their records.

 

You can search the records of the US Social Security Office from a number of sources. One popular source is at RootsWeb (which you can visit at the link below).

Voter Registration List Reveals Celebrity Genealogy

PROVO, Utah, Jan 31, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Ancestry.com, the largest online resource for family history, today announced the launch of California Voter Registration Lists documenting more than 30 million names of Californians who registered to vote between 1900 and 1944. Several California celebrities and political figures are found inside the collection, including: Actor and future U.S. President Ronald Reagan was registered to vote in 1942 as a Democrat and remained a registered party member until atleast 1954.  According to Reagan’s 1958 voter registration, he and wife Nancy Reagan changed their party affiliation to Republican.

• Lucille Ball is found in the collection registered as a Communist in 1936 and 1938, and was later asked to testify before Congress during McCarthy’s Communist witch hunts.
• According to the 1944 records, Ozzy and Harriett Nelson are both registered as Republicans. Harriett was employed as an “actress,” and Ozzy as an “orchestra leader.”
• In a 1924 voter registration list, Walt Disney is found alongside brothers Robert and Roy. Walt and Robert were registered as Republicans, while Roy chose to “decline statement.” In 1940, Walt’s wife Lillian changed her party affiliation to Democrat, while Walt remained Republican.

“These records give evidence of a changing and growing America,” said Smolenyak. “Every American with California roots can appreciate this collection and what it tells them about how their own family evolved over the years.”

 

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