California, San Francisco, World War I Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains a digital browse. Clicking on the "Browse through images" link on the collection page will take you to a list of digital film numbers. The list does not contain any description of the content of the film. To see a description of the content see California, San Francisco, Registration Affidavits of Enemy Alien, 1918 in the FamilySearch Catalog.

Subjects of the German Empire age 14 and older living within the United States were required to register with the Justice Department during World War I. This collection consists of registration affidavits for California and was acquired from the the San Francisco Public Library. This collection is being published as images become available.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Full Name of applicant
 * Date Registration was Filed
 * Address when registered
 * Age
 * Physical description
 * Photo
 * Married or not
 * Been in Military
 * Number of Children (If married)
 * Children's Gender
 * Finger prints

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The date and place registration was filed
 * The name of a spouse

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of California.
 * Beginning Research in United States Naturalization Records
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * California Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1905 | 1905-Present

Related Reading

 * Julie Miller. "Enemy Alien Registration during World War I." NGS Magazine 44 (April-June 2018): 21-28. FHL 973 D25ngs
 * Mary J. Manning. " Being German, Being American." Prologue (Summer 2014): 15-22.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.