Louisiana First Registration Draft Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Louisiana

What Is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images of 4x6 draft registration cards (SSS–1 forms) for “Louisiana First Registration Draft Cards, 1940–1945.” The cards are part Record Group 147: Records of the Selective System, 1926-1971 NAID 2169763. This collection was originally located at the NARA SW Region in Fort Wort, Texas, and is currently located at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. While the cards are part of a record group created between 1940 and 1945, they pertain to men born between February 17, 1897 and 1928. After the United States entered World War I, a 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 February 17, 1897 and 1928. 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, and recorded by a registrar.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information on the registration cards includes:


 * Registrant's full name
 * Registrant's age
 * Birth date
 * Birth place
 * Residence
 * Name and address of person who will always know registrant’s address
 * Employer’s name and address
 * Physical description
 * Race

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. To begin your search, it is helpful to know:
 * The name and or birth date of your ancestor.
 * The residence or name of a family member

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Surname Range

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.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the information found in the record to locate the death record.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to determine an approximate birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration 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.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

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. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Known Issues with This Collection
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Citing This Collection
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 * Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation: Top of Page