Daily AncestorGold Star Pilgrimage
The Gold Star Pilgrimage was the government-paid trip of 1930 to 1933 that took mothers and widows of World War I dead to their graves in Europe.
The War Department's Quartermaster General organized the trips for mothers and widows of soldiers who died overseas in World War I. Women sailed in parties, spent time in Paris and were guided to each grave at the American cemeteries, where staff gave them flowers or a wreath and took a photograph. In all, 6,693 women made the journey.
Each woman's papers are in the Graves Registration Service file of her son or husband, in NARA Record Group 92, arranged by the soldier's name.
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Daily Ancestor. "Gold Star Pilgrimage." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/gold-star-pilgrimage. Last checked 2026-10-12.