United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Military Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains the names of Army personnel who lost their lives (killed in action, died of wounds or died of disease) while serving with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. The lists include those who either enlisted in the National Guard or Regular Army or were inducted into the National Army (Selective Service). Original records are housed at The National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 407, Records of the Adjutant Generals Office NAID identifier 1726747.

Graves Registration Services

 * The Graves Registration Service was established in August 1917 and was responsible for maintaining a burial registration system and the acquiring of land in France for cemeteries.
 * Location of Graves and Disposition of Bodies of American Soldiers Who Died Overseas
 * A Report of the Secretary of War on American Military Dead Overseas. May 1920
 * Knapp, Michael G., and Constance Potter. Here Rests in Honored Glory: World War I Graves Registration Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives 23. (Summer 1991): 190–4. (Family History Library book 973 B2p.)

 Related National Archives Collections 
 * Card Register of Burials of Deceased American Soldiers, 1917-1922 - National Archives Catalog Browse Images
 * Burial Reports, 1919-1920 - National Archives Catalog Browse images
 * United States, National Archives, RG 59, Applications of the Wives of Members of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe Browse Images
 * United States, National Archives World War I Casualty, Burial and Cemetery Records Browse Images


 * Correspondence, Reports, Telegrams, Applications, and Other Papers Relating to Burials of Service Personnel, 1/1/1915 - 12/31/1939
 * Correspondence Reporting Deaths of American Military Personnel, 1917 - 1919
 * Name Files of Men in the American Expeditionary Forces Reported as Missing in Action or Taken Prisoner, 1918 - 1918
 * Name Files of Dead and Severely Wounded Casualties of Infantry Divisions in the American Expeditionary Forces, 1918 - 1918
 * Name Card Index to Casualties in the American Expeditionary Forces, 1917 - 1919
 * Compiled Data on Casualties of the American Expeditionary Forces by State or United States Possession, 1917 - 1919
 * Name Files of Dead and Severely Wounded Casualties of Various Organizations in the American Expeditionary Forces, 1918 - 1918
 * Initial Burial Plats for World War I American Soldiers, 1920 - 1920 Images
 * General World War I Organization Records Relating to Recruiting, ca. 1910 - 1921 R.G. 407

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information found in this collection may include:
 * The soldier's name
 * Serial Number
 * Rank
 * Organization they were assigned to at the time of their death
 * Date of death

Coverage Table
The following table show the number of records per state included in this collection as of 30 August 2018.

How Do I Search This Collection?
The casualty sheets are arranged as follows:: Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * State or Territory
 * By Race
 * By Cause of death (killed in action, died of wounds or died of disease)
 * By Name of soldier
 * The Name of the soldier
 * The state of enlistment or induction

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 date of death to find a death certificate or burial record. If buried in Europe Search the American Battle Monuments Commission burials database or national cemetery search the National Cemetery Administration Nationwide Grave site Locator.
 * Use the military unit and rank to search for statement of service cards, unit histories or other military records
 * Additional information may also be located at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis or state archives in the state of enlistment or induction
 * See also the following related World War I Wiki articles:United States World War I Cemetery Records and United States World War I Casualty Records

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

 * Search in a different state
 * Consider spelling variations or aliases

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

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Chris Dickon, The foreign burial of American war dead : a history Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Co., c2011 FHL 973 M2dch
 * Certificates of death completed by civil authorities outside the state of Kentucky for World War I soldiers from the state of Kentucky, ca. 1917-1920
 * Michigan, Army, Navy & Marine dead files, 1917-1919.
 * Commissioned and enlisted personnel of the Army who entered service from the state of Ohio and California and died while members of the American Expeditionary Forces

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
 * 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

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.
 * Pilgrimage for the mothers and widows of soldiers, sailors and marines of the American forces : now interred in the cemeteries of Europe as provided by the Act of Congress of March 2, 1929. Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office (United States), 1930
 * Officers and enlisted men of the United States Navy who lost their lives during the World War from April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918
 * Names of officers and enlisted men from California who lost their lives while serving in the armed forces of the United States during the World War. Sacramento, California : California State Print. Office, 1921.
 * Kansas Casualties in the World War
 * Kansas casualties in the World War, 1917-1919. Supplement no. 1
 * William A. Raupp. Report of the Adjutant General of Missouri, January 10, 1921-December 31, 1924. Includes Missouri roster of World War I casualties for the Regular Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Regular Army nurses; lists of veterans for the Regular Army and National Army. See pp 97 - (Images 100-175)
 * compiled by Brigadier General J. Leslie Kincaid, the Adjutant General of the state Roll of honor : citizens of the state of New York who died while in the service of the United States during the World War Albany, New York : J.B. Lyon Co., 1922
 * Oregon's Honor Roll
 * South Carolina Honor Roll
 * John G. Gregory, Wisconsin's gold star list : soldiers, sailors, marines, and nurses from the Badger State who died in the federal service during the World War Madison, Wisconsin : State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1925

Soldiers of the Great War Casualties. The volumes are arranged alphabetically by state. Within each state the entries are broken down in the following order. First are photographs of  soldiers averaging twenty per page. Next are the casualties arranged by Killed in Action; Died of Disease; Died of Wounds; Died of Accident; and Wounded in Action. For each soldier the volumes give name, rank and residence.
 * Soldiers of the Great War Volume 1 Alabama-Maryland
 * Soldiers of the Great War Volume 2 Massachusetts-Ohio
 * Soldiers of the Great War Volume 3 Oklahoma-Wyoming

State Sources - Internet Archive
 * Californians Who Have Died in Service.
 * Connecticut
 * Virginia
 * West Virginia

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.

Estados Unidos, Baixas das Forças Expedicionárias Americanas da Primeira Guerra Mundial, 1917-1919 (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)