The Social Security Applications filled out by my grandfather's (and their brothers) were the only source of information where I was able to find my great-grandmother's maiden names.   Access to these applications may be going away.   Here is a link to a recent article written by Diane Haddad on the genealogy insider blog .  She writes about the current situation, offer's links to other pertinent articles and how to order copies of your ancestor's social security applications (SS-5 forms).