California, San Francisco, World War I Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains a digital browse. Clicking on the "Browse through images" link on the collection page will take you to a list of digital film numbers. The list does not contain any description of the content of the film. To see a description of the content see California, San Francisco, Registration Affidavits of Enemy Alien, 1918 in the FamilySearch Catalog.

Subjects of the German Empire age 14 and older " living within the United States were required to register with the Justice Department during World War I. This collection consists of registration affidavits for California and was acquired from the the San Francisco Public Library. This collection is being published as images become available.

Related Reading
 * Julie Miller. "Enemy Alien Registration during World War I." NGS Magazine 44 (April-June 2018): 21-28. FHL 973 D25ngs
 * Mary J. Manning. " Being German, Being American." Prologue (Summer 2014): 15-22.

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


 * Full Name of applicant
 * Date Registration was Filed
 * Address when registered
 * Age
 * Physical description
 * Photo
 * Married or not
 * Been in Military
 * Number of Children (If married)
 * Children's Gender
 * Finger prints

Sample Images
Information in the Registration Affidavits generally include the following:

How Do I Search This Collection?
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 * The name of your ancestor
 * The date and place registration was filed
 * The name of a spouse

How Do I Analyze the Results?
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What Do I Do Next?
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I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

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

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Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of California.
 * California Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1905 | 1905-Present

Related Collections of Alien Registrations - National Archives

 * Alien Correspondence. War Department. Office of the Provost Marshal General. NAID 1157783
 * Lists of Alien Suspects Investigated,1917-1918. Department of the Navy. Third Naval District. Ship Inspection Investigation Bureau. NAID 5635505
 * Record of Aliens and Reporters,1918-1920. Office of Alien Property Custodian. Bureau of Investigation. NAID 7384967
 * Records of Interned Aliens, 1917-1918. Office of Alien Property. Bureau of Investigation. NAID 7381637


 * Alien Registration Affidavits, 2.6.1918-6.28.1918. US District Court, Phoenix Division, District of Arizona. NAID 294758
 * Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits, 1917-1921. RG 118, Dept. of Justice. Office of the US Marshal, District of Kansas. NAID 286181
 * Alien Application Permits. Dept. of Justice. Office of the U.S. Marshall for the District of Kansas. NAID 5917758
 * Alien Enemy Registrations, 1917-1920. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Franfort Term. NAID 5752917
 * Lists and Forms Relating to Alien Registration, 1918. US District Court, Shreveport Division, Western District of Louisiana. NAID 4706580
 * Reports on Aliens,1917-1919. Department of Justice. Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Judicial District of Minnesota. NAID 5821666
 * Reports of Special Agents, 1917-1918. Department of Justice. Office of the US Attorney for the Judicial District of Minnesota. NAID 5923162
 * Correspondence Relating to Enemy Alien and Espionage Act Violations. Department of Justice. Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Judicial District of Nebraska. NAID 5917191
 * Alien Registration Affidavits, 1918, US District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina. Raleigh Term. NAID 5889371
 * Case Files on Detained Enemy Aliens, 1917-1919, Western (Cincinnati) Division, of the Southern District of Ohio. NAID 17408476
 * Aliens' Applications for Permission to Depart from the United States, 1918-1919. Dept. of Labor. Bureau of Immigration, District 4 (Philadelphia). NAID 567234


 * Records of American Citizens Living Abroad, 1918-1921. Office of Alien Property. Bureau of Investigation. NAID 7384971

Citing This Collection
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