Arkansas, Second Registration Draft Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Arkansas

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of 4x6 cards (form SSS-1), which are arranged numerically by local board number, then alphabetically by surname of registrant. The cards cover the years 1948-1959 but they list individuals born between 1922 and 1940.

The collection was located at the National Archives and Records Administration Southwest region in Fort Worth Texas. They are now located at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. For additional information about this collection contact the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. The cards are part of Record Group 147: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975.

Sample Image
After the United States entered World War II, a new Selective Service Act required that all men between the ages of 18 and 64 register for the draft. The local draft board of the Selective Service System conducted the registration. The original registration cards were later sent to the regional branch of the National Archives responsible for receiving records from that state

The purpose of this registration was to collect information on the industrial capacity and skills of men who were born between 1922 and 1940. This draft registration was intended to provide a complete inventory of manpower resources in the United States that could be utilized for national service.

Information on the cards was supplied by the individual but recorded by a registrar. While there was a chance of a recording error, each individual signed his card to attest that the information was correct.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Registration cards usually include:


 * Name
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace (lists town or county and state or country
 * Residence
 * Mailing address
 * Name and address of the person who will always know the registrant’s address
 * Occupation
 * Employer’s name and address
 * Marital status
 * Physical description
 * Race

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The name of your ancestor
 * The birth date and birth place of your ancestor
 * The state and county where your ancestor resided

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in your ancestor’s name on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors 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 compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the appropriate "Local Board Number and Surname" which takes you to the images

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 Tips and Tricks].

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. This information will often lead you to other records.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth to locate census, church, and land records.
 * Use the occupation to locate business or employment records.
 * Use the race and residence to locate ethnic and specialized records such as Indian censuses and school records.
 * 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.
 * Compiling the entries for every person who has the same surname can be helpful in determining related individuals. This is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * 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 Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.
 * 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.

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: