Last week’s Friday Find featured a document I obtained years ago from the Social Security Administration: the original SS-5 application for Percy Ernest Crawford (1893–1978).
That application provided exactly the kind of details genealogists love to uncover—Percy’s full name, birth date, birthplace, parents’ names, residence, and even his employment status at the time he applied for a Social Security number.
But finding a document is only part of the genealogical process.
The next step is making sure that document is available to others researching the same family.
As genealogists, many of us have files tucked away in notebooks, filing cabinets, hard drives, and computer folders—records we gathered years ago for a specific research question. Those documents may contain clues that could help cousins, descendants, or other researchers, but if they stay in our private files, they remain effectively hidden.
That thought prompted me to do something with Percy’s SS-5 application beyond simply writing about it.
Sharing the Document
Since Percy Ernest Crawford is collateral kin rather than a direct ancestor, it would have been easy to leave this document filed away in my Crawford folder. Instead, I decided to share it in the places where other Crawford researchers are most likely to find it.
Ancestry
The first stop was my public Ancestry tree, Heartland Genealogy, where Percy already has a profile.
I uploaded the SS-5 application to Percy’s gallery so anyone viewing his profile can see the actual document.
Too often, documents are mentioned in citations but not made visible. When possible, I like giving other researchers the chance to view the original image for themselves.
WikiTree
Next, I uploaded the document to Percy’s profile on WikiTree (Crawford-7164) as a source image.
WikiTree’s collaborative environment makes document sharing especially valuable. A record like this may help another researcher confirm relationships, correct details, or build out Percy’s profile further.
FamilySearch
Finally, I uploaded the document to the Memories section of Percy’s FamilySearch profile (L6R3-KG5).
FamilySearch’s Memories section can be an excellent place for preserving documents, especially for researchers who may not use Ancestry or WikiTree.
By placing the record in multiple locations, I increase the chances that someone researching Percy—or the broader Crawford family—will find it.
Why This Matters
Genealogy is often described as detective work, and that’s true.
But it’s also community work.
Many of the discoveries we make are built on records indexed by volunteers, databases created by organizations, and documents preserved by archives. Sharing our own findings helps continue that cycle.
That SS-5 application sat quietly in my files for years.
Now it has the potential to help someone else.
And perhaps that’s one of the most satisfying parts of genealogy—not just discovering family history, but making those discoveries accessible to others.
Friday Find Reflection
Do you have documents in your files that could help another researcher?
An old letter? A courthouse photocopy? A pension file? A family Bible page?
If so, perhaps this is your reminder to share them.
Because genealogy treasures do little good when only one person knows they exist.