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

What Is in This Collection?
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. Approximately 2,800,000 men were inducted into military service. 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. '''Classifications lists, induction notices, docket books and other records of the local boards will be located at NARA Regional Archives in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Fort worth, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. See the collection inventory tables below for more information.'''
 * Administrative History Note Office of the Provost Marshal General. 5.22.1917-7.15.1919


 *  Related Publications 
 * The World War. Selective Service in the County of Albany in the State of New York, April 6, 1917 - November 11, 1918. Albany: J. B. Lyon, 1922 FS Library fiche 6062149
 * Organization and the Execution of the Selective Service Act in the State of West Virginia. Charleston, W. Va.: Tribune Print Co., 1920?
 * Roster of Selective Service Officials and Organizations in Pennsylvania. August 1, 1918.


 * Records of the Selective Service System - Record Group 163 
 * Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Boards for Military Duty, 1917 - 1918 Digital Images (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee)
 * List of United States Residents Serving in the British Expeditionary Forces, 1917-1919 NAID 1157946
 * Lists of United States Residents Serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and Australian Imperial Force, 1917-1918 NAID 1157734
 * Casualties American Expeditionary Forces by State NAID 1726747
 * Classification Lists, 1917-1918. Office of the Provost Marshal. Selective Service System. 1917-7.15.1919. NAID 578508
 * Enforcement of Draft Registration along the Canadian Border NAID 1112597
 * Discharge from the draft records, 11.10.1918 - 11.15.1918 NAID 5752997
 * Records Relating to the Draft Status and Military Service of Employees, 1917 - 1919. (Dept. of Agriculture. Bureau of Plant Industry) NAID 571711
 * Appeals to the President, ca. 1917 - ca. 1918. NAID 36892924 Western States.
 * US District Court, for the Albany Division of the Middle District of Georgia, Listing of World War I Registrants, 1917 - 1918 Record Group 21


 * Related Collections 
 * Incoming Passenger Lists and Related Correspondence, 1918–1920 Hoboken, New Jersey
 * Registers of Commercial Vessels and Transports Embarking from Various Ports, 1917–1918 Hoboken, New Jersey
 * Medical Records of Army Transports, May 1, 1917–May 31, 1920

Collection Inventory Tables
Additional records of the Selective Service will be found at the National Archives and the National Archives regional centers.
 * Inventory National Archives at College Park
 * Inventory, Regional Archives

What Can These Records Tell Me?
World War I had 3 different draft registrations. Each registration was slightly different. The following information may be found in these records: • 2

Sample Images
Sample Draft Registration Cards
 * Sample draft registration card for June 5, 1917
 * Sample draft registration card for July 5, 1918
 * Sample draft registration card for September 12, 1918

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier
 * The county and state of residence for the soldier
 * The age of the soldier at the time of the draft:
 * 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

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * 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 name of the nearest relative and residence to look for additional records about the registrant and his family such as census, and church records
 * You will want to determine if your ancestor or relative served in the military during the war. Obituaries, cemetery records, discharges, membership in the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars may identify the military unit or dates of service.The 1930 census may also identify veterans. Other records at the National Archives from the Selective Service include classification lists, and lists of men ordered to report to local boards for induction. Discharge  records may also be helpful

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties and states
 * Check with the National Archives at St. Louis
 * 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
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the United States.
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * Beginning United States World War I Research
 * US Military Record Finder

Additional World War I State Collections Online
 * Alabama Archives World War I Gold Star Database
 * Alabama Archives World War I Service Cards
 * Connecticut State Library World War I Veterans Database
 * Florida State Library & Archives World War I Service Records
 * Hawaii State Archives World War I Service Records
 * New Jersey State Archives World War I Deaths
 * New York State Archives Abstracts of National Guard Service World War I
 * Rhode Island World War I Casualties
 * Washington State Archives Statement of Service Cards

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * John J. Newman, Uncle, we are ready : registering America's men, 1917-1918 ; a guide to researching World War I draft registration cards. North Salt Lake, Utah : Heritage Quest, c2001 FS Library 973 M2nu
 * World War I Selective Service System draft registration cards, 1917-1918.
 * United States, World War I, military muster rolls and rosters, 1916-1939
 * Maps of World War I Draft Boards
 * Alaska, Seward, draft board records, 1919
 * Arizona: Apache County, Military enrollment list, 1917
 * California: Draft Report: list of California men who enlisted or were inducted into the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps, 1 roll
 * Georgia, Meriwether County, World War I registration list, 1918
 * Illinois: Cleveland Card Indexes to Draft Registrants, Pre-September 1918, 59 rolls
 * Illinois: Honor roll for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County : Series III, the Cleveland war service record
 * Illinois: Cleveland draft board records: Series IV 26 rolls
 * Illinois: Cleveland: Series V: Draft Board Records, Sheets, 5 rolls
 * Maine World War I Draft Registration Index, 1917-1919
 * Massachusetts: Selective service records and exemptions as aliens for 1917-1918, Barnstable, Local Board for Division No. 43
 * Michigan, Deserters from draft index, 1917-1918
 * New York, Albany County
 * North Carolina, Cabarrus County,1917-1919
 * Oklahoma. Greer County. Selective service records, 1903-1919
 * Utah: Draft Board Registrations, Beaver - Weber Counties, 1917-1918
 * Virginia: Alphabetical list of registrants, Sept 12, 1918
 * Virginia, Amelia County, Names of Registrants Inducted
 * Virginia, Page County Local Draft Board Minutes
 * Virginia, Tazewell County, List of Registrants
 * Virginia, Tazewell County, List of Men Registered
 * Wisconsin: Sauk County, Draft Registrations, 1917

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * World War II Fourth Registration Draft Cards, 1942. Men born between 1877 and 1897.]
 * United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919
 * United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940
 * United States Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers, 1918
 * United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939
 * United States Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers,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
 * Utah, World War I County Draft Board Registers, Name Index, 1917-1918

FamilySearch Digital Library
State Sources
 * Army Register 1916
 * Army directory - Jan. (1918)
 * United States Army. Center of Military History. United States Army in the World War, 1917-1919. 17 volumes. Washington, D.C. : Center of Military History, United States Army, 1988. FS Library has volumes 1-3
 * Army War College (U.S.). Historical Section.. Order of battle of the United States land forces in the World War : American expeditionary forces. Divisions. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1931
 * Willis Rowland Skillman. The A.E.F : who they were, what they did, how they did it. Philadelphia : G.W. Jacobs, ©1920
 * Who's who in the Construction Division of the United States Army New York, New York : Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, c1920
 * Hermine Scholz ; with accompanying chapter by Richard J. Sommers,  World War I manuscripts : the World War I survey Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania : U.S. Army Military History Institute, 1986
 * Compiled by L Richard Grigg, WWI Draft registration cards, 1917-1918 East Point, Georgia : National Archives & Records Administration, n. d.
 * War Department. Awards of medal of honor : General orders, No. 59 Washington, D.C. : United States Government Printing Office, 1919
 * California AGO. World War I draft report : list of California men who enlisted or were inducted into the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps
 * Harold H. Richardson, Brigadier General, Adj. General's Department, Colorado national guard. Roster of men and women who served in the world war from Colorado 1917-1918.Denver? Colorado : Colorado Office of the Adjutant General, 1941.
 * Indiana Gold State Honor Roll
 * Kansas Casualties starting on page 26
 * Maryland in the World War, 1917-1919 : military and naval service records. FS Library v.2 only
 * Nevada's Golden Stars
 * New York Roll of Honor
 * Roster of North Dakota Soldiers 4 volumes
 * Roster of Ohio Soldiers 22 volumes
 * John T. Cushing, Arthur F. Stone, editors. Capt. Harold P. Sheldon, Vermont in the world war, 1917-1919 Burlington, Vermont : Free Press Print. Co., 1928
 * Organization and the execution of the Selective service act in the state of West Virginia. Charleston, W. Va. : Tribune Print. Co. 1920?
 * American Battle Monuments Commission. American armies and battlefields in Europe : a history, guide, and reference book Washington, D.C. : United States Government Printing Office, 1938

Soldiers of the Great War This series is arranged alphabetically by state. Each volume gives name, rank and residence. The volumes contain photographs of soldiers and list of casualties. The following abbreviations are used: K.A. - Killed in Action; D.D. - Died of Disease; D.W. - Died of Wounds; D.A. - Died of Accident; and W.A. - Wounded in Action.
 * Volume 1 Alabama-Maryland
 * Volume 2 Massachusetts-Ohio
 * Volume 3 Oklahoma-Wyoming

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Estado Unidos, Cartões de Registro Provisório da I Guerra Mundial (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)