Genealogy through Tax Records?
Is it possible to do genealogical research through tax records?
I have an ancestor who left his wife and kids in Ohio in the 1920s and was last seen in the mid 1930s. I can’t find his death certificate and the 1940 census isn’t out yet. I’ve looked for him in numerous databases over the years but while I was doing my taxes it occured to me that if I could find his tax records I would know where he ended up living, if he had any dependents there from remarrying, and other interesting genealogical information.
How long does the IRS keep tax information?
Is there anywhere, online or otherwise, where I could legally obtain my ancestors’ tax information?
Thanks!
By: ARKdeEREH
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Published by: admin on December 16th, 2008 | Filed under Keep Tax Records
2 Responses to “Genealogy through Tax Records?”
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December 17th, 2008 at 2:07 am
keep tax records
I think the federal government keeps those records only 3 years, and then shreds them. In any case, I don’t think you have a chance of accessing another person’s tax forms.
What you could do is ask the Social Security administration to locate his social security number. There are a number of reasons why a person would not show up on the Social Security Death Index…. but if the person did apply, you can find their number for a fee from the SS administration.
Once you had that number, it would give you (the first few digits) the state where the card was issued. You could go further, and ask for a copy of his itemized social security contributions, thus finding where this person worked. It takes persistence and some experience in getting and interpreting those statements.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Caffeinated Content
you made me curious as to history of the income tax..ie when started and so forth. My thinking is that people probably did not file tax returns as we known them. They would be a good source of research, if they existed. I doubt that they do.. and that far back, they probably would not survived anyway. But, a good thought!
On the other hand, what I would suggest is posting his name and what you know about him, ie where he was living, etc. Those here who are genealogy nuts, MIGHT be able to locate what you want. The one place I would check is the ssdi (social security death index) which is free, see.. and see if he shows up. That is nationwide, and starts with about 1960.. if he lived that long. Many persons here also have ancestry.com that has (fee based) records, and someone might do a quick look. If he served in ww2, that is one type of record in ancestry. Are you aware of any siblings? if they died, and knew his location, it might show up in an obit of theirs.
I’m saying there are tons of sources..and you may be surprised to find him.