Maine, World War I Draft Registration Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection includes card indexes to draft registrations in Maine during World War I acquired from the Maine State Archives. The index includes name, age, place and date of birth, marital status, residence, nationality, race, occupation, local board, relatives’ names and residence. The collection includes records from 1917 to 1919.

Record Content
These records generally contain the following information:


 * Name
 * Place and date of birth
 * Marital Status
 * Residence
 * Nationality and race
 * Occupation
 * Relatives’ names

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * The name of your ancestor
 * Some other identifying information such as birth date or residence

Search the Collection
To search the collection fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. 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.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * 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.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * Use the residence to search for the soldier’s family in census, church, and land records.
 * Use the information on the card to obtain the full military record.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may also have served in World War II.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the 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 with the same family number.

Related Websites

 * World War I Document Archive
 * Maine Research Outline

Related Wiki Articles

 * Maine State Archive Collections (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Maine Military Records
 * World War I United States Military Records, 1917 to 1918

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.