If you are having trouble finding where someone lived and when, after the social security
act went into effect, then something else to consider is ordering their work history from
the Social Security administration. As I recall, they charge a flat fee for a minimum
number of years, and how much more they charge is a function of how many years total you
ask for, in addition. I have not done this myself, but considered doing it to get a more
complete work history for deceased relatives.
Of course, if he was not paying in to the Social Security system, that will not do you any
good, but is another optin to consider checking into. If he was paying in to the system,
as I recall, the work history will provide you with when he worked for which employers and
where. You say private practice, so possibly there will not be any such SSA work history,
but thought I would mention it. If he went to work later for a mortuary anywhere and was
on a payroll, I would think that Social Security contributions would have been taken out
of his paycheck. If he was a private contractor and did not opt in to pay Social Security
himself, then it will not help you.
Another thing to do, which is not exactly fun, is if you have any clue as to an address
for him at the time of the 1940 census, you could possibly browse the images for that
address, and in case he is there and it was just mistranscribed.
Or possibly post more details to the list about when and where he was born, so list
members could also try to find him in the 1940 census for you (unless you have already
done that). I guess you could also post information about his wife, when and where she
was born, to try again to find the family and not just him, in the 1940 census.
Also, to get some sense of when his wife moved to Los Angeles, someone could search the
Los Angeles city directories and Public Records to see when she might have moved there.
And if she has passed away, order her death certificate. It should tell you (at least if
she died in California) when she moved to the state, and that could possibly help.
On Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 02:41:45PM +0000, Joan Perkins <rijoperk(a)twcny.rr.com>
wrote:
My query request pertains to finding my relative David Webber/Wilbur
Corbin who was a private-practice undertaker in Highland Park/Detroit,
MI. He is listed in some records up to 1939 and then "disappears". I
later found his wife and daughters living in Los Angelse, CA 1950's,
but no record of David found there. MI Death Records show no record
of his death; family is not on 1940 Census and so it goes on with
other data sources. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.