What is Elson Ray Phelps's date of birth?

Question

the only place I can find any information on this guy is on ancestry.com and I really don't want to sign up to pay for anything or make any accounts anywhere. all I want is a simple answer that has thus far eluded me.

Answer 1

Applause for KP.

The social security death index is one free source for US deaths, which includes the date of birth THAT THEY HAVE in their files.  Once you get back to persons who died BEFORE 1960ish.. then you have to go for other sources, such as tombstone, etc.  There will be death certificates long before 1960s.. I am referring directly to the ssdi as an online source.

Point that is made by her answer.. you will OFTEN find discrepancies between one record or another. One example.. ex's grandmother was able to get ssi a year earlier than she should have. When she was a kid.. dad wanted her to be able to go to school with her brother, so he signed an affidavit that she was born a year earlier than she was.  So, her social security shows THAT year of birth. Going back to the census with that.. if she had been born when that record shows.. it would have made her older brother only 4 months older than her (basically).  We know that the "official" record/ birth year is not correct by other sources.

Re ancestry.. 90% of what ancestry has (or other sites) is info that existed before computers, and was always available, if you were willing to do the leg work.  Meaning.. it could take weeks/ months to get to the library, court, etc.

The CONVENIENCE of having records (especially the census, if nothing else) to search at home.. is worth the money, big time.  Does not mean ancestry has everything.

Answer 2

Birth records shows FEB 18, 1918, SSDI and burial records show MAR 18, 1918.

Texas Birth Index 1903 - 1997

Name: Elson Ray Phelps

Born: 13 Feb, 1918

County: San Patricio

U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006

Elson Ray Phelps

13 Mar 1918 - 16 Mar 2003

Burial: OK

Socal Security Death Index

Name: E. Ray Phelps

Birth: 13 Mar 1918

Death: 16 Mar 2003 - Chaves, New Mexico 88203

Civil: Oklahoma

SSN: 446-01-6672