Jerry wrote: >my father (deceased) was born in 1925 (fact) in Decatur, Illinois (Monroe County), his name was Almon William Hinds, he went by Bill. He served in WWII, Army, in the Phillipines. His father was Almon Hinds, he died suddenly at home when my Dad was about 12...so approx 1937 (I think). Almon's wife (my grandmother) Mildred (Myers...maiden name) was born 1898 or 1899 in central Illinois and was a a farm girl who later became a teacher after Almon's passing. She never remarried. < Jerry: You can find him in the Social Security index. Go to rootsweb.com - scan down the left side of the page and click on "Social Security Index ". I found two Almon Hinds on that index which may be father & son. If you order their applications for SS #s - in most cases they will have the mothers' maiden names. Because of new stricter rules since 9/11 you need to be sure and say that they are your father and grandfather - otherwise they will not give you access to them. The fee has increased for these copies so I can't say what the cost is these days. Another tack: Almon is an unusual name. I have seen it on this list before. I suggest that you visit our Hinds-L archives at: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=HINDS-L and put in the word ALMON for each of the years and see what comes up. Regards Nan 71532.734@compuserve.com