World War I United States Military Records, 1917 to 1918

United States U.S. Military World War I

Beginner's Corner

Beginning World War I Research

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Records

Casualty Records Cemetery Records Census Records Draft Records Naturalizations Pension Records Prisoners of War Service Records Soldiers Homes Unit Histories Societies

Personnel

Air Force Army Navy Marine Corps Coast Guard

News and Events

In May 2011, the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) completed construction of its new facility in St. Louis, Mo.

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.

• Leonard Ayres. The War with Germany: A Statistical Summary. Washington,D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1919
• U. S. official pictures of the world war showing America's participation : selected from the official files of the War department with unofficial introductory photographs
• Official U.S. Bulletin, vol. 2, Jan. June, 1918
• Official U.S. Bulletin, vol. 2, July-Sept. 1918
• Official U.S. Bulletin, vol. 3,Jan.-Mar., 1919

American Expeditionary Forces

• American Expeditionary Forces
• American Expeditionary Forces. 5.26.1917-8.31.1920 Administrative History Note
• American Expeditionary Forces Order of Battle
• Order of Battle U.S. Land Forces in the World War Divisions
• United States Army in the World War, 1917-1919 3 volumes
• Records of the American Expeditionary Forces (World War I) Record Group 120)
• Records of the American Expeditionary Forces (World War I) NAID 449
• Summary of Casualties American Expeditionary Forces
• The A.E.F. Who They Were, What They Did, How They Did It
• The American Army in the World War A Divisional Record of the A.E.F. in Europe
• Final Report of Gen. John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief American Expeditionary Forces.
• British Military Records Relating to World War I, 1918-1924 includes AEF units serving alongside British units in northern France.

Training Camps

• Roster of Federal Military Training Camps, 1913-1916
• Lt. Col. W. G. Kilner and Capt. A. J. McElroy. The Cantonment Manuel: or Facts for Every Soldier. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1917

Embarkation Service

• Embarkation Service Administrative History Note
• U.S.S. Great Northern WW I Troop Transport Ship
• U.S.S. Harrisburg WW I Troop Transport Ship
• U.S.S. Mount Vernon WW I Troop Transport Ship
• Selected list of National Archives Collections
• Lists of Incoming Passengers, 1917-1938, RG 92, NAID 6234465
• Lists of Outgoing Passengers,1917-1938, RG 92, NAID 6234477
• Card Registers of vessels Requisitioned or Belonging to the War Department,1918-1920, RG 92, NAID 7192903
• Card Register of Chartered Vessels, 1917-1918, RG 92, NAID 7130549
• Reports of Debarkations by Ports in Baltimore and Philadelphia, 1917-1921, RG 92, NAID 7284911
• Reports of Embarkations from the United States, 1917-1919, RG 92, NAID 7284794
• Lists of Vessels Leaving the United States to Transport Troops to Europe, 1917-1918, RG 92, NAID 7267965
• Card Registers of Vessels Leaving the United States to Transport Troops Overseas, 1917-1919, RG 92, NAID 7268077

Army Air Service

• Army World War I Flight Training
• The U.S. Air Service in World War I
• Air University. Aerospace Studies Institute. Historical Research Division. U.S. Air Service Victory Credits, World War I. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Air University, 1969. FHL Digital Book
• Norman L. R. Franks and Frank W. Bailey. Over the Front: a complete record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918. London, England: Grub Street, 1992. FHL 973 M2frw
• James J. Hudson. In Clouds of Glory: American Airmen who flew with the British during the Great War. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press, 1990. FHL 973 M2hj
• Lowell A. Lawrence. New England Aviators, 1914-1918: their portraits and their records. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Pub., 1997. FHL 974 M2n v.1 and v. 2
• James J. Sloan. Wings of Honor: American Airmen in World War I: a compilation of all United States, pilots, observers, gunners, and mechanics who flew against the enemy in the War of 1914-1918. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Pub., 1994. FHL 973 M2swh
• Lucien H. Thayer, Donald Joseph McGee and Robert James Bender, ed. America’s First Eagles: the Official History of the U.S. Air Force, A.E. F., 1917-1918. San Jose, California: R. James Bender, Pub. Champlin Fighter Museum Press, 1983. FHL 973 M2taf

Tank Corps

• Tank Corps American Expeditionary Force
• "Tank Corps Activities" A.E.F.
• Personnel Specifications Tank Corps

Naval

• 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
• Deaths in the united States Navy from April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918. Washington,D.C.: U.S. Gov't Printing Office, 1920
• Medical Department of the U.S. Navy with the Army and Marine Corps in France in WW I

Marine Corps

• United States Marine Corps in the World War

American Field Service

• The American Field Service Archives of World War I,1914-1917
• History of the American field service in France, Friends of France, 1914-1917 : told by its members, 3 volumes
• Friends of France : the Field Service of the American Ambulance described by its members.Digital Book
• James William Davenport Seymour. History of the American Field Service in France, “Friends of France,” 1914-1917. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1920
• L.D. Geller. The American Field Service Archives of World War I, 1914-1917. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989 [Location East 43ed Street NYC]
• Arlen J Hansen. Gentlemen Volunteers: the Story of the American Ambulance Drivers in the Great War, August 1914-September 1918. New York: Arcade Pub., 1996

Medical Department

• A History of Base Hospital No. 19
• A History of Base Hospital Fifty
• Catholic Chaplains in the World War
• Story of a Hospital Unit on the Western Front
• Ambulance No. 10 Personal Letters from the Front

Timeline

• A Guide to the American Battle Fields in Europe
• American Armies and Battlefields in Europe. A history Guide and Reference Book

Date	Event
3 February 1917	Diplomatic relations with Germany were severed
6 April 1917	Congress declares war on Germany
18 May 1917	Congress passes the Selective Service Act which allows for the registration of eligable men for military service
5 June 1917	The first registration included men age 21 to 31
20 July 1917	The lottery is held in Washington to determine the order of liability for military service is held. No. 258 was the first number drawn.
5 June 1918	The second registration included men who had become 21 since the first registration
12 Sept 1918	The third registration included the ages 18 to 45. 13,228,762 registered.
25 Jun 1918	U.S. troops took over Belleau Wood, France after two weeks of fighting.7870 Americans lost their lives in the battle.
18 Jul 1918	Aisne-Marne offensive or the 2nd battle of the Marne marked the turning point of the War.  The German line was driven back to Vesle.
26 Sept 1918 - 11 Nov 1918	The Meuse-Argonne Offensive involving over one million U.S. troops
31 Oct 1918	The 2nd million U.S. soldier reached France.
11 Nov 1918	The Armistice. World War I ends with the surrender of Germany

FamilySearch World War I Collections

• United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
• United States, YMCA World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919
• United States, Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers, 1918
• California, San Francisco, World War I Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits, 1918
• Florida, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919
• Louisiana, World War I Service Records, 1917-1920
• Maine, World War I Draft Registration Index, 1917-1919
• North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919
• Texas World War I Records,1917-1920

Archives and Libraries

National WW I Museum and Memorial

• The National WWI Museum and Memorial Kansas City, MO.

U.S. Army Heritage and Education center

• U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center

National Archives at St. Louis

• Finding Your World War I Veteran at The National Archives at St. Louis
• World War I Records at the National Archives at St. Louis
• Veterans Administration Claim Files and World War I Burial Files

Library of Congress

• Library of Congress Guide to World War I Materials

National Archives

• Researching Individuals in WW I Records
• National Archives Military Resources World War I
• World War I Articles in Prologue Magazine
• NARA Military Service in the United States Army During World War I
• NARA WWI Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages Pt 1
• NARA WWI Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages Pt 2

National Park Service

• World War I

Societies

• Order of the First World War
• World War One Historical Association
• Western Front Association

American Legion

• History of the American Legion

Cemeteries

• Nationwide Gravesite Locator National Cemetery Administration
• Location of Graves and Disposition of Bodies of American Soldiers Who Died Overseas
• The Silent Cities: an illustrated guide to the war cemeteries and memorials to the 'missing' in France and Flanders; 1914-1918. FamilySearch Catalog

American Casualties

• Soldiers of the Great War 3 volumes

American Battle Monuments Commission

• American Battle Monuments Commission

World War I Cemeteries

• Aisne-Marine American Cemetery
• Brookwood American Cemetery
• Flanders Field American Cemetery
• Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery
• Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
• Oise-Aisne American Cemetery
• Somme American Cemetery
• St. Mihiel American Cemetery
• Suresnes American Cemetery

World War I Monuments

• Audenarde American Monument
• Belleau Wood
• Bellicourt American Monument
• Cantigny American Monument
• Chateau-Thierry Monument
• Chaumont Marker-AEF Headquarters
• Kemmel American Monument
• Montfaucon American Monument
• Montsec American Monument
• Naval Monument at Brest
• Naval Monument at Gibralter
• Sommepy American Monument
• Souilly Marker-1st Army Headquarters
• Tours American Monument

Related Websites

• HistoryGuide.org. Contains photographs, cemeteries & obituaries, land records, wills, and newspapers; along with a Soldier's Memorial searchable database.
• Navy Uniforms in WWI
• BYU WWI Document Archive. This archive is international in focus
• Online World War One Indexes and Records
• Alvin York,"Sergeant York"
• " Sergeant York" Draft Registration
• Eddie Rickenbacker

National Archives World War I Dead, American Expeditionary Forces. 1917-1919

Compiled Data on Casualties of the American Expeditionary Forces by State of United States Possession, 1917-1919 NAID 1726747]

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana Casualties
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming
• US Possessions

Soldiers Record Publishing Association

• Soldiers of the Great War 3 volumes

United States World War One Centennial

• United States World War One Centennial Commission
• Family Ties Documenting stories of service and family relationships of those who served in World War
• Stories of Service
• Documenting the Doughboys
• Doughboy MIA Database 1917-1920
• National Archives World War I Centennial
• Library of Congress Echoes of the Great War American Experiences of World War I
• Library of Congress Guide to World War I Materials
• Smithsonian World War I Centennial
• Smithsonian My Fellow Soldiers: Letters From World War I: National Postal Museum

State Committees or Commissions

• State Centennial Websites Map
• Pennsylvania
• Indiana
• New York
• Utah

Unit Histories

• List of Formations of the States Army during World War I
• Controvich, James T.  United States Army Unit Histories:  A Reference and Bibliography. Manhattan,  Kansas: Kansas State University, n.d.

Division Unit Histories

• 3rd Division
• 4th Division
• 5th Division
• 5th Division
• 26th Division
• 28th Division
• 29th Division
• 32nd Division
• 35th Division
• 37th Division
• 77th Division
• 78th Division
• 82nd Division
• 88th Division
• 90th Division
• 91st Division

• United States World War I Infantry Divisions
• American Expeditionary Forces Distinctive Cloth Insignia Chart

Regimental Histories

• 12th Infantry
• 16th Infantry
• 71st Infantry
• 112th Infantry
• 137th Infantry
• 139th Infantry
• 305th Infantry
• 313th Infantry
• 325th Infantry
• 346th Infantry
• 353rd Infantry
• 355th Infantry
• 361st Infantry
• 364th Infantry

World War I Service Questionnaires

• Minnesota Historical Society
• Tennessee State Library Online Index
• Utah State Archives
• Virginia State Library

Gold Star Mothers

• Minnesota HIstorical Society
• Tennessee State Library Online Index
• NARA Article WW I Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages Pt 1
• NARA Article WW I Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages Pt II

State World War I Records

Alabama   Alaska   Arizona   Arkansas   California   Colorado   Connecticut   Delaware   District of Columbia   Florida   Georgia   Hawaii   Idaho   Illinois   Indiana   Iowa   Kansas

Kentucky   Louisiana   Maine   Maryland   Massachusetts   Michigan   Minnesota   Mississippi   Missouri   Montana   Nebraska   Nevada   New Hampshire   New Jersey   New Mexico   New York   North Carolina

North Dakota   Ohio   Oklahoma   Oregon   Pennsylvania   Rhode Island   South Carolina   South Dakota   Tennessee   Texas   Utah   Vermont   Virginia   Washington   West Virginia   Wisconsin   Wyoming

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:

• Missouri State Archives and FamilySearch. Pre-WWII Adjutant General Enlistment Contracts, 1900-1941. Digital images of general enlistment contracts from counties in Missouri.

Similar collections are described in the military sections for the various states under STATE NAME - MILITARY RECORDS.

Awards

• Navy WWI Victory Medal
• Information on the issuance or replacement of military service medals, decorations and awards.
• Medal of Honor Recipients, 1863-1973 FamilySearch Digital Book
• Medal of Honor, 1861-1949: the Navy, 1861-1949 FamilySearch Digital Book

Women

• Women and War
• Women in World War One
• Women and the US Navy, WWI Era
• Female Yeoman

Sources for Further Reading

• 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. (Family History Library 940.41 Sch13g.) The United States is covered on pages 123 to 156.
• Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources.
• McMahon, M. M. Researching Your U.S. WWI Army Ancestors. Crownsville: CreateSpace, 2017.
• Gutierrez, Edward A. Doughboys on the Great War. How American Soldiers Viewed Their Military Experiences. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2014.
• Venzon, Anne C. The United States in the First World World War: Garland Publishing Co., 1996

• Knapp, Michael G. “World War I Service Records.” Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives 22. (Fall 1990): 300–2. (Family History Library book 973 B2p.)
• 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. (Family History Library book 973 B2p.)
• Yockelson, Mitchell. “They Answered the Call: Military Service in the United States Army during World War I, 1917–1919.” Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration 30. (Fall 1998): 228–34. (Family History Library book 973 B2p.)