California, Geographical and Name Index of Californians who served in WWI - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
Geographical and name index of Californians who served in WWI for the years 1914-1918. The geographical index is arranged by counties and filed in alphabetical order. Within each county are three subdivisions indicating the service man's status/standing, e.g. decorated men, casualty, non-casualty. Names of servicemen are filed in alphabetical order behind these categories. Information on the card includes military unit, date of death, the name of the nearest relative, kind of military award or citation. The cards also indicate if there are newspaper clippings of the serviceman. The name index is filed alphabetically by name. Information on the cards gives military rank, hometown, fate in war (death, non-casualty, etc.), also indicates newspaper clippings and additional information in the biographical file.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name of serviceman
 * Next of kin and where residing
 * Branch of Service

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate age or birth date of the soldier
 * The place where the soldier enlisted
 * The years the soldier served

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date
 * Use the age and location of the military unit to find the soldier’s family in census, church and land records
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

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

 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the records of nearby military units
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of California.
 * California Guided Research
 * California Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1905 | 1905-Present
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning United States World War I Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * California. Adjutant General's Office. World War I draft report : list of California men who enlisted or were inducted into the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps.
 * California, San Francisco, World War I Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits, 1918.
 * Records of Californians who served in World War I.

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
 * United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919.
 * United States Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers, 1918
 * United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940

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.