France, Vienne, Military Draft Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains an Index of military draft cards for men born between 1867-1921. Each record contains information about the solider such as, name, birth place, residence, occupation, parents names and their residence, a physical description of the soldier, military curriculum, and details about wounds.

Reading These Records
For help reading these French records see the following guides:
 * France Language and Languages
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * French Handwriting
 * Script Tutorial for French
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading French Handwritten Records

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Draft Registers
 * Name
 * Birthplace
 * Physical description
 * Residence
 * Occupation
 * Names of parents
 * Residence of parents
 * Military curriculum
 * Details about wounds

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching, it is best to know the following
 * Name of the individual
 * Year of birth

As you search, look for a record which matches this information.

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

 * Copy down all the information from the record detail.
 * Look at the actual image of the record whenever possible. The original record might contain additional information that was not indexed.
 * Cite the record. See below for help citing this collection.
 * Use the information you have found to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth.
 * Continue to search the index to identify additional entries for children, siblings, parents, and other relatives.

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

 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. It was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches.
 * Search the records of nearby localities. While it was uncommon for an individual in this period to move more than about 20 miles from their place of birth, smaller relocations were not uncommon.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in France.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

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.