Daily AncestorFind a World War I draft card
Pick one man in your family born between about 1872 and 1900 and find the draft card he filled out in 1917 or 1918.
About 24 million men registered, citizens or not, whether or not they ever served. The card was signed by the man himself and can give a birth date, an employer and a nearest relative.
Your steps this week
- Work out from his birth year which registration he belongs to: June 5, 1917, June or August 1918, or September 12, 1918.
- Search a free index such as FamilySearch, using his county and spelling variants of his name.
- Copy every answer exactly, including the citizenship answer, the employer and any nearest relative or dependents named.
- Turn the card over and note the physical description, the registrar and the local board stamp.
- Compare the birth date with the census and other records, since a card can be off by a year.