[Research Guidance: U.S. Military Records - Research Outline] Research Guidance Version Of Data : 6/9/2001

U.S. Military Records
Research Outline

WORLD WAR I, 1917 TO 1918

The United States entered World War I in April 1917. Over 4.7 million men and women served in the regular U.S. forces, national guard units, and draft units. There were 53,402 killed in action, 63,114 deaths from disease and other causes, and about 205,000 wounded. New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Ohio furnished the most soldiers.

Service Records

Many records may no longer be available because of a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center. You can also contact the state archives in the state where your ancestor lived.

Indexes mentioning some sailors are the following:

Index to Rendezvous Reports, Naval Auxiliary Service, 1917–1918. National Archives Microfilm Publication T1100. (FHL film 1380690; computer number 432725.) Lists the name, enlistment date, date of assignment, and place.

Index to Rendezvous Reports, Armed Guard Personnel, 1917–1920. National Archives Microfilm Publication T1101. (FHL films 1380696–98; computer number 432736.) Lists the name, enlistment date, rank, dates of service, and name of vessel served on.

Pension Records

The Department of Veteran Affairs has benefit claims files. Veteran files are located at the regional office closest to the residence of the veteran at the time of application. To find phone numbers and addresses look in the following source:

Johnson, Richard S. How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military. 7th ed. Ft. Sam Houston, Tex.: Military Information Enterprises, 1996. (FHL book 973 M27j 1996; computer number 799337.) This book discusses various methods and addresses to locate and contact present and former military members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Reserve components.

Draft Records

Twenty-four million men who were born between 13 September 1873 and 12 September 1900 (between the ages of 18 and 45) registered for the draft. Draft registration records are available for a fee by sending a “World War I Registration Card Request” form to:

National Archives Southeast Region
1557 St. Joseph Avenue
East Point, GA 30344
Telephone: 404-763-7477

The Family History Library has acquired this collection as well.

World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918. National Archives Microfilm Publication M1509. (FHL 4,383 films; computer number 504818.) To find specific microfilm numbers, look in the Locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS - WORLD WAR, 1914–1918 [STATE] - MILITARY RECORDS - WORLD WAR, 1914–1918 - REGISTERS

To find an individual’s draft card, you must know his name and residence at the time of registration. The records are arranged by state, county, and surname (alphabetically within each draft board). Most counties had only one board; large cities had more. Finding your ancestor’s street address in a city directory will help you determine the board number if he lived in a large city. To find board numbers for Chicago, New York, and 35 other major cities, see:

United States. Selective Service System. United States of America Maps of World War I Draft Registration Boards. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989. (FHL film 1498803; computer number 702779.)

A typical card has the man’s full name and signature, home address, age, birth date, citizenship status, occupation, employer’s name and address, race, dependents or nearest relative, and physical description. For registrants born between 6 June 1886 and 28 August 1897 (45 percent of the total), the cards also give city or town, state, and nation of birth; previous military service; and marital status.

Census Records

The 1930 and 1940 federal population censuses identify veterans. Microfilm copies are not available. Authorized representatives or heirs can request a search by using form BC-600, “Application for Search of Census Records.” It is available from:

Bureau of the Census
P.O. Box 1545
Jeffersonville, IN 47131
Telephone: 812-285-5314

State Records

The Family History Library has some indexes and records from county courthouses, state archives, and state offices of the adjutant general. For example, the library has the following:

Michigan. State Library. World War I Card Index. (FHL films 1001930–66; computer number 197371.) Contains name, address, and county: some have the soldier’s parents’ names and residence if the soldier is deceased. This is a card file at the Michigan State Archives. To find specific microfilm numbers, look in the Locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

MICHIGAN - MILITARY RECORDS

Cemetery and Death Records

Sources about soldiers who died in the war include the following:

Haulsee, W.M., et al., comps. Soldiers of the Great War. 3 vols. Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920. (FHL book 973 M23s; fiche 6051244; computer number 0271442.) This is a listing of soldiers who died. It is arranged by state and gives the soldier’s name, residence, rank, and cause of death. It contains many individual photographs and a chronology of the war.

Officers and Enlisted Men of the United States Navy Who Lost Their Lives during the World War, from April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1920. (FHL book 973 M23u; film 1415261 item 7; computer number 272021.) This book lists the sailor’s name, rank, date and place of death, cause of death, and name of next of kin.

Pilgrimage for the Mothers and Widows of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the American Forces Now Interred in the Cemeteries of Europe. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing, 1930. (FHL book 973 M23uw; computer number 272313.) This book lists the widow’s or mother’s name, relationship, name of deceased, rank, organization, and cemetery. It is arranged by state and county.

Sources for Further Reading

Davis, Henry Blaine, Jr. Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, N.C.: Pentland Press, 1998. (FHL book 973 D3dav; computer number 832111.) Contains biographical sketches of the generals in the United States army during World War I.

Knapp, Michael G. “World War I Service Records.” Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives 22. (Fall 1990): 300–2. (FHL book 973 B2p; computer number 73342.)

Knapp, Michael G., and Constance Potter. “Here Rests in Honored Glory: World War I Graves Registration.” Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives 23. (Summer 1991): 190–4. (FHL book 973 B2p; computer number 73342.)

Schaefer, Christina K. The Great War. A Guide to The Service Records of All The World’s Fighting Men and Volunteers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1998. (FHL 940.41 Sch13g; computer number 820574.) The United States is covered on pages 123 to 156.

Yockelson, Mitchell. “They Answered the Call: Military Service in the United States Army during World War I, 1917–1919.” Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration 30. (Fall 1998): 228–34. (FHL book 973 B2p; computer number 73342.)

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Version of Data: 6/9/2001]