United States, YMCA World War I Service Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of digital images of 4x6 cards listing names of individuals who served with the YMCA in supporting troops during World War I through the National War Council. The collection covers the years 1917 to 1919 and is complete through the surname "Wilson."

This collection of index cards was kept by the Kautz Family YMCA Library at the University of Minnesota. For details about the collection see the World War I-Related Records Summary.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
A punch card was created for each worker, including some or all of the following data:
 * Name
 * Gender
 * Year of birth
 * Residence or mailing address
 * Dates of service
 * Work Placement
 * Date of Placement
 * Place of service
 * Occupation
 * Salary
 * Date left or returned
 * Religion
 * Qualifications
 * Marital status
 * Education

It should be noted the cards were different colors and had different designations:
 * Men were listed on buff cards
 * Women were listed on white cards
 * African American Y/N were listed on blue cards

For more detailed information please see Service Punch Cards

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The age of your ancestor.
 * The place where your ancestor lived.
 * The names of family members and their relationships.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection by image.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search by image you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Surname Range" which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s World War I Service Card, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the person's age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Use the birth date and place to search for a birth record.
 * Use the person's age and location to find family in census, church, and land records.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.
 * Search the military records at Fold3

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: