Trish: I have found a death entry in the Social Security Index that may be your Joseph Ray. I am pasting it below. I am also pasting a land entry. Is it too early? It is Pope Co. The last benefit is the burial benefit applied for if the person had a surviving spouse - evidently he was a widower so there was no last benefit sent anywhere. I am sending this to the list in case others are attempting to help find him. Regards, Nan [email protected] ============================ Found using the Social Security Index at rootsweb.com Name birth death last residence last benefit SS I Issued JOSEPH RAY 18 Feb 1887 Nov 1967 72732 (Garfield, Benton, AR) (none specified) 432-70-6535 Arkansas ========================================================== Found at: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ifetch2?/u1/data/ar+index+451787779390 +F --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- CNIDR Isearch-cgi 1.20.06 (File: pope.txt) POPE CO., ARK., FEDERAL LAND RECORDS This file was compiled from the Bureau of Land Management land records and includes Homestead and Cash Entry Patents before 1908 for what is now Pope Co, AR. This compilation was created by Joy Fisher, [email protected] and is part of the free service called ARGenWeb. The front door is located at http://www.usgenweb.com/ar This file may be freely copied for non-profit purposes. All other rights reserved. L Name F Name MI Sec No T R Acres Date Remarks REAY ANDREW J 2 8N 18W 79.84 1905/06/28