In the world of genealogy, there are many treasure troves of information. Family research is not just about birth and death records. World War I draft registration cards can be a gold mine of information for family tree work.

If you are new to the genealogy world, you may ask, “What are World War I draft registration cards?” Good question.

According to the National Archives, “On May 18, 1917, the Selective Service Act was passed authorizing the President to increase temporarily the military establishment of the United States.”

“The information included on each registration differs somewhat but the general information shown includes order and serial numbers (assigned by the Selective Service System), full name, date and place of birth, race, citizenship, occupation, personal description, and signature.”

To read more about the World War I Draft Registration Cards, click on the link.

Here is my quick list of information found on registration cards:

1. Where they lived between the 1910 and 1920 US Federal Census years.
2. The exact date they were born and where.
3. Tells if they are a US Citizen, natural born or an immigrant.
4. Their occupation.
5. Where and whom they work for.
6. A description of their family.
7. Their ethnicity.
8. Their marital status.
9. Record of any previous military service.
10. Any physical problems that would exempt them from service.
11. A physical description.
12. Their signature.

Now, that you can see the awesome of World War I Draft Registration Cards, you may ask where you can find this fantastic database.

Search for FREE here on FamilySearch.

Note: While FamilySearch is free they recently started requiring an account to see search results.

Thank you for reading.

J. R. Lowe

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