United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of an index and images of draft registration cards for World War I. Three registrations were conducted between 1917 and 1918. The first was held on June 5,1917, for men between the ages of 21 and 31; the second was held on June 5,1918, for men who had turned 21 since the first registration, and the third was held on September 12, 1918, for men between the ages of 18 and 45.

The registration includes cards for 24,000,000 men. The cards are arranged by state, by city or county, by local draft board, and then alphabetically by surname. The draft registration cards are part of Record Group 163: Records of the Selective Service System (World War I),1917-1939, NARA microfilm publication M1509.

Record Content
'World War I had 3 different draft registrations. Each registration was slightly different. The details are itemized with the images shown above. However, they generally included the following information:


 * Name
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Draft registration date
 * Sometimes, father’s birthplace
 * Name of nearest relative
 * Age in years
 * Sex is implied, since all registrants were males
 * Marital status
 * List of any dependents
 * Address

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


 * Name
 * Residence
 * Age -- 1st Registration (5 June 1917): men born 5 June 1886 to 5 June 1896 2nd Registration (5 June 1918): men born 6 June 1896 to 5 June 1897 3rd Registration (12 September 1918): for men born 12 September 1873 to 12 September 1900

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name 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. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "State" ⇒Select the "Local Draft Board" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person 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 wiki article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, 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 such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use these records to learn the date and place of birth. The information could also be used to search for a birth record and for information on parents and siblings. This is the best source of birth information for men born in states where birth registration began late.
 * Use the names of spouse, dependents, and residence to look for additional records about the registrant and his family such as census, church, and land records.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties and states.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them Email. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * World War I Selective Service Records
 * Sample draft registration card for June 5, 1917
 * Sample draft registration card for July 5, 1918
 * Sample draft registration card for September 12, 1918
 * NARA article on World War One military service
 * NARA article on World War One Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages

Related Wiki Articles
United States World War I Draft Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: