98% of the enteries in the SSDI are for people who died 1962 to present. The SSDI was converted to an electronic database around 1962 and they haven't ever gone back to add information for earlier deaths. However, even if your ancestor isn't in the SSDI, Social Security could have an application from that person. Information on the process can be found at http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ssdi/contact.html Rebecca