Florida, World War I Service Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection is an Index to a card roster of Floridians who served in the United States Army, Navy, Coast Guard, or Marines during World War I from 1917–1919. Each soldier has one or two cards giving information on his/her military service, such as name, serial number, residence, place and date of birth, military organizations he/she served in, rank, engagements participated in, wounds or injuries received, dates serving overseas, discharge date, percentage disabled, and additional remarks. The cards were created by the staff of the Dept. during a project in 1924. This Index collection is Series Number S 1204 which was created by and located at the State Archives of Florida in Tallahassee.

World War I Service Records The United States declared war on Germany and her allies on 6 April 1917 entering a conflict that began in August 1914. Millions of American men and women served their nation in the Great War. Congress ordered that a service record for each person serving between April 6, 1917 and November 11, 1918 be created and provided to the Adjutant General of each state from which that person entered the service. This record took the form of a card that contained information digested from the service record dossier of each veteran. Clerks in the Department of War (Army) and the Department of the Navy (Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) executed the work.

The cards were sent to the Adjutant General of each state. The Adjutant General of Florida directs the Department of Military Affairs and is the uniformed officer in charge of the National Guard units in Florida. The Department of Military Affairs is located at the St. Francis Barracks in Saint Augustine Florida.

The same card form (Form No. 724-1, A.G.O.) was used for members of both the Marine Corps and the Army. These cards contain a paragraph which states "Except the data contained on the first four lines and that relating to battle casualties and physical disability, this statement is prepared as far as practicable from the service record, and no effort has been made to compare data obtained from the service record with other records, except where an error or discrepancy is patent." The Navy card does not contain this statement.

For each person, the cards provide name; age; serial number; race; place of birth; and residence at time of entering service. Some cards also provide the organizations/ships served (with dates of beginning and transfer); engagements; wounds/injuries sustained in action; time served overseas; discharge notations; and general remarks. The Navy cards note the sailor's rate as well as rank.

As noted previously the clerks made no effort to correct information unless the error was "patent" or obvious. Therefore, if there is a question as to the correctness or completeness of the information contained on any of these cards the individual's service record should be checked. These records are generally available from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis Missouri:

National Personnel Records Center Military Personnel Records 9700 Page Avenue St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name
 * Military Service Branch
 * Serial Number
 * Residence
 * Date and place of induction
 * Place of Birth
 * Birth date or age
 * Rank
 * Discharge of Discharge

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The place where your ancestor lived

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 the names, age and residence to find census records including the 1910 and 1920 census. The 1930 also identifies World War I veterans.
 * Look for discharge records. Many veterans registered their discharges at the local county courthouse.
 * Look for membership applications at the local American Legion Post.
 * Look for a published military unit history.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Florida.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning United States World War I Research
 * Florida Guided Research
 * Florida Record Finder
 * Florida Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Florida Research, 1880-Present
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * FamilySearch Catalog World War I Navy card roster, 1917-1920
 * Florida, World War I Selective Service System draft registration cards, 1917-1918
 * Florida, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, deaths, 1917-1919
 * Florida state militia, state troops and national guard, 1870-1918

FamilySearch History Records

 * United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919
 * United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
 * United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940
 * United States, Enlisted and Officer Muster Rolls and Rosters, 1916-1939

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Willis Rowland Skillman. The A.E.F : who they were, what they did, how they did it. Philadelphia : G.W. Jacobs, ©1920
 * 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
 * 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

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