Note: I have read recently that thousands of files which were previously thought to have been burned of the WWI soldiers have been found. If you have been told in the past that your relative's file was burned, reapply. To Request Files from the FBI: http://members.aol.com/rechtman/www/fbi.html By letter, include full name of the person, file you need, DOB, date of death, place of birth. Need to send a photocopy of proof of death. This can be ANY of the following: newspaper obituary, citation from Who Was Who in America, death certificate, biographical reference, encyclopedia or magazine article on the person, or your simple statement that the person was born over 110 years ago. If the latter is the case, then the FBI doesn't require written proof of death because they assume anyone over 110 is probably deceased. But you'll still need the birth date. You need to include a statement that says *I agree to pay reasonable fees associated with this request up to $25. Please notify me if it is expected to exceed this amount.* Note FBI request[s] will probably not cost anything because you receive the first 100 pages at no cost if you are an individual, noncommercial requester. Need to tell them to search their manual card records in addition because the person lived before 1956. The computer files only index back to 1956. They only search the computer files unless you tell them to do otherwise. They are destroying files MAIL TO: FBI Freedom of Information Act Unit Records Resources Division Federal Bureau of Investigation 9th & Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington, DC 20535 USA ____________________________ Social Security Death Index www.ancestry.com/SEARCH/Search.htm or home page incl marriage records http://www.ancestry.com/SSDI/Main.htm To get social security information: e.g. a relative died in 1919, long before Social Security. To obtain a copy of your relative's SS-5 form, used to get a SSN, write to: Freedom of Information Officer, Social Security Administration, 4-H-8 Annex 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235 The cost With a SSN is $7.00. Without cost is $16.00On it you will find their parents names, birth places and dates. Where they were living when you applied for the card and maybe what kind of job they had. Another option is: Get SSA-L997 (2-83) from your SS office and fill it out with the info and put down that the person is deceased, with a copy of death cert. or copy from the SSI index showing them dead, mail it toaddress on form, it won't cost but the postage!!! Online Military Resources http://cooklib.org/genmil.html http://www.oz.net/~cyndihow/pensions.htm U..S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks PA 17013-5008 (for locating a specific veteran if you have unit assignment) WWI Information http://www.worldwar1.com/ ______________________________ Request Military Records-All Services National Personnel Record Center holds personnel and medical records of discharged, deceased and retired members of all branches of Armed Forces- records date from the beginning of the 20th century. Records require veteran or next of kin authorization. Request Standard Form 180 from the National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132.TO OBTAIN INITIAL ISSUE OR REPLACEMENT MEDALS...SUBMIT A LETTER>REQUESTING THE MEDALS. WHERE TO WRITE AND SAMPLE APPLICATIONLETTERS ARE BELOW. BRANCH: WHERE TO WRITE: ARMY COMMANDER, USARPC ATTN: ARPC-VSE-B 9700 PAGE AVENUE ST LOUIS MO 63132-5200 AIR FORCE AIR FORCE REFERENCE BRANCH NATIONAL PERSONNEL RECORDS CENTER 9700 PAGE AVENUE ST LOUIS, MO 63132-5100 MARINE CORPS NAVY LIASON OFFICE COAST GUARD ROOM 5409 NAVY 9700 PAGE AVENUE ST. LOUIS, MO 63132-5100 SAMPLE LETTERS FOR APPLYING FOR MEDALS >>I request that I be issued all award emblems I am entitled to. I have attached a copy of my separation doc. (DD 214 or equivalent) My Social Security number is: My service number was: Date and place of birth: Full name, addresss and phone number: OR NEXT OF KIN As the legal next-of-kin, I request that I be issued all award emblems that (full name of veteran) was entitled to. A copy of the Separation document (DD 214 or equivalent) is enclosed. Veteran's Social Security Number is: Veteran's service number was: Veterans date ofdeath was: Veterans date and place of birth was: Full name, address and phone number: ___________________________ Revolutionary War Pension Papers are all on microfilm file at Western Reserve Historical Society Library in Cleveland, Ohio. ________________________ Military Records at Natl Archives: http://www.nara.gov/nara/frc/mpromp.html or request forms by e-mail= [email protected]! Form 80 (Military service and pension records prior to World War I, including the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and Spanish-American War); Form 81 (Passenger Arrivals) Form 82 (Copies of Census Records) Form 83 (Eastern Cherokee Applications) Form 180 (Military service records, World War I and later).(note: # of forms needed and mailing address) Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson)