My great-grandfather's death record?

Question

I recently found out that my great-grandfather (my mother's mother's father) was in the US Army. I found this info on ancestry.com because his father (my great-great-grandfather) filed a naturalization petition and listed his son's (my great-grandfather) first name as George and that his birthday was February 8, 1909...He didn't list his son's last name, but being that his last name was Leoutsakos, I'm guessing it was the same? However, I can't find my great-grandfather on the SSDI, but I can find HIS FATHER. Being that my great-grandfather was in the US Army, and this petition was signed on January 9, 1940, could he have possibly died in World War 2? I'm trying to find any info I can find because only then can I get his death certificate...I find it weird how I can get my great-great-grandfather's death certificate but not my great-grandfather's...PLEASE HELP!

Answer 1

Start with attempting to locate a compiled service record for your great-grandfather with both last names Leoutsakos and Pierakos. NARA holds those records. Records older than 62 years old are available to the public (this only takes you to 1950 currently), but there are exceptions for close family. You may need help from another family member to order his record. And, with so little information about him NARA may not be able to locate his record (and if they find 2 possibilities that's the same as not finding one). Here's their website: http://www.archives.gov/



You can also attempt to locate him on the 1940 census when it is released later this year (April). This will be available for free on the NARA website; however, there will be no name index. Family Search and ancestry.com do have plans for name indexes to be released in the future. Knowing where he may have lived may help figure out where to look for a death certificate. Not all are online or searchable without a location. It will also help narrow down which last name he was likely using.



Third, check Find A Grave and Interment.net. Both are volunteer driven and don't have everyone that ever died, so not being in there doesn't tell you anything. Interment.net is pretty good for national cemeteries.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Gee, short generations! My parents were born before 1909...



Generally, it is World War II....



The only ancestors I have listed in the S.S.D.I. are my parents....



What does this have to do with it? Simple: every person's situation is different. My Mom did not have a birth certificate until she was in her 50s, so don't count on birth/marriage/death certificates. Even today not everyone here in the U.S. of A. has one.



The death toll in WWII exceeded that of Korea, Viet Nam, Gulf I & II, Panama, and all those hundreds of others since WWII and many were listed as Missing In Action. After 7 years, generally, those listed as Missing are re-classified as being deceased.



Name changes will make it more difficult, so you will need to try both names. You might try www.familysearch.org; the Department of Army, records kept at St. Louis; and, of course, the major repository of such info, the Library of Congress.



As to guessing, this is genealogy; fiction is under literature. If you cannot find the records you need, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof, you need to end where the last person has records and you can add notes that you have reason to believe kind of thing.

Answer 4

No, it really isn't unusual or unknown.

It CAN be harder to find more recent information. Nothing I hate more than persons who died between 1930-1960 (before ssdi). If you hit one of the better states with death indexes, you may find them. Other states are pure aggravation (and you may not know where the death happened). It really is pretty standard. And death during ww2 would be a logical OPTION for a son who died before a father. Many soldiers who died, are not even buried in the US.

You have to keep digging at the surrounding persons. LIST GR GRANDPA'S CHILDREN. Look closely at their birth dates/places...and if they were born pre 1940, etc. If you find one born in 1948, he didn't die in the war. Also try to list any SIBLINGS of George, and see if you can find their deaths or children. For the siblings, if you can pick up their deaths AND maybe an obit..then it often includes "survived by brother George, of New Jersey" or something to that affect. Children would also likely to be shown in gr gr grandpa's obit, if you can find that. What you need is to know if he was living as late as (say) 1950.

WHAT do you know about grandma and where she (and siblings) grew up ?? Has anyone gone through old pictures, that you might be able to zoom in on a place? WHO was in the pictures (or not in them).

If I am recalling most of your lines..they were in cities on the East coast. Those rural counties often make their court indexes available online. The urban ones are sometimes more difficult.

Answer 5

1920 census

?

Name: John Pierakos

Residence: Precincts 2 3 4 Ward 1, Suffolk, Massachusetts

Estimated Birth Year: 1884

Age: 36

Birthplace: Greece

Relationship to Head of Household: Self

Gender: Male

Race: White

Marital Status: Married

Film Number: 1820728 Digital Folder Number: 4311553 Image Number: 00318 Sheet number: 20

Household Gender Age

John Pierakos M 36y

Spouse Angelace Pierakos F 29y

Child George P Pierakos M 10y

Child Helen Pierakor F 3y

Child James Pierakor M 1y8m



............................

Info on ellis island

Given Name: Georgios

Surname: Pierakos

Last Place of Residence: Isasi, Greece

Date of Arrival: 02 Apr 1914

Age at Arrival: 18y

Ethnicity: Greece, Greek

Port of Departure: Patras

Port of Arrival: New York

Gender: Male

Marital Status: S

Ship of Travel: Laconia



...................................

First Name: Georgia

Middle Name: G

Last Name: Pierakos

Birth Date: 2 December 1925

Social Security Number: 082-54-7572

Place of Issuance: New York

Last Residence: East Aurora, Erie, New York

Zip Code of Last Residence: 14052

Death Date: 21 February 2002

Estimated Age at Death: 77

Answer 6

What was your great great grandfather's name? Wife? Any other children? Where did they live? What name did your great grandfather use when he enlisted? There are 12 Leoutsakos in the 1930 census, none named George.

Answer 7

I have just checked the Commonwealth dead and he is not on there under that surname http://www.cwgc.org