My Dad was a Dairy farmer who died in 1966. When I looked for his Social Security Death Index in 2000+ I could not locate it. I finally went backwards using his SS# and called Social Security. After proving that I was indeed his daughter, they told me no one had ever filed for benefits. Apparently my Mom, thinking that because he was self employed, did not have a SS # (as it was not required for the self-employed then), never filed for benefits. For some strange reason even the lawyer missed it. The benefits to Mom would probably been minimal, but no filing was even done, therefore it is NOT in the system. So - if no one files for benefits - I don't believe you will find it in the system! Judy