Record guide

World War I draft registration cards

World War I draft cards, filled out in 1917 and 1918 by about 24 million men born from 1872 to 1900, give birth dates, citizenship, employers and often a nearest relative.

When the United States entered the First World War, nearly every man of military age had to register for the draft, whether or not he was a citizen and whether or not he would ever serve. The National Archives counts about 24 million cards, roughly 23 percent of the population in 1918. If your ancestor was a man born between about 1872 and 1900 and living in the United States, there is a good chance he filled one out.

That makes these cards one of the best records for men of that generation. Each card was signed by the man himself, or marked with his X, and many name a birthplace, an employer, or a relative. But the three registrations used three different cards, and knowing which one you are holding tells you what to expect.

Three registration days

Congress passed the Selective Service Act on May 18, 1917. The National Archives lists three registrations. The first, on June 5, 1917, was for all men between the ages of 21 and 31. The second, on June 5, 1918, took in men who had turned 21 since the first; a supplemental registration on August 24, 1918 caught those who turned 21 after June 5, 1918. The third, on September 12, 1918, was for men aged 18 through 45.

The date of registration, written in the registrar's report, tells you which registration it was. A man born in 1880 could only have registered in September 1918, so do not search for him among the 1917 cards.

Card A: June 5, 1917

The first card asked twelve questions. Besides name, age, home address and date of birth, it asked where the man was born, giving town, state and nation, and whether he was a natural-born citizen, a naturalized citizen, an alien, or had declared his intention to become a citizen. It also asked his occupation and employer, whether he was married or single, his race, any earlier military service, and whether a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or sister or brother under 12 depended on him alone for support.

The last question asked whether he claimed exemption from the draft and on what grounds. Answers here can be revealing: a man may name a dependent wife and children, a widowed mother, or a disability. The card also carried the printed instruction to cut off a corner if the person was of African descent, so a card with a missing corner reflects that 1917 rule, not damage.

Cards B and C: 1918

The 1918 cards changed the questions. The June and August 1918 card asked for the father's birthplace and for the name and address of the nearest relative. The September 1918 card asked for race, citizenship, occupation, employer and the name and address of the nearest relative, with a set of citizenship boxes: native born, naturalized, citizen by father's naturalization before the man came of age, declarant alien, or non-declarant alien.

One question is missing from the September 1918 card in the National Archives' list of its questions: place of birth. For the oldest and youngest men, who registered only on that day, you may get a birth date but no birthplace. The nearest relative, often a wife or parent, and that person's address can make up for it.

The registrar's report

The other side of each card holds the registrar's report, a brief physical description. The 1917 card asks whether the man was tall, medium or short, slender, medium or stout, the color of his eyes and hair, whether he was bald, and whether he had lost a foot, arm, leg, hand or eye or was otherwise disabled. The September 1918 card asks much the same.

The registrar signed and dated the report, which also gives the precinct, city or county, or carries the local board's stamp. That tells you where to look for the board's other records.

What a draft card is not

The National Archives stresses that these are not military service records. The cards end when a man reported to the training camp and say nothing about his service. Not every registrant served, and not every soldier registered; a man already in the service, for example, may have no card. For service, look for separate military records.

Answers came from the man himself, and the registrar certified that the man had read his own answers and signed or marked the card in front of him. Even so, a birth date may be off by a year, and a name may appear as a nickname or in a form he used at work. Treat the card as strong evidence of where he lived and worked in 1917 or 1918, and check the birth details against other records.

Finding the right card

The cards are arranged by state, then by county or city, then by local draft board, and then alphabetically by surname. In a rural county, a name and a county are often enough. Large cities had many boards; New York City alone had 189. Knowing the street address from a 1917 or 1918 city directory, or from the 1920 census, helps you work out which board covered it, and the National Archives filmed boundary maps for selected cities.

If a card does not turn up, an archives technician at the National Archives at Atlanta suggests some reasons: the man registered with a different board, his name was spelled another way or he used a nickname, the address was wrong, the card was misfiled, or he was already in the service. Men born from 1877 to 1897 may also have registered in the World War II old man's draft of 1942, so check those cards too.

On the page, look for

Check the registration date to learn whether you have the June 1917, the June or August 1918, or the September 1918 card.
Copy the full name, age, home address and date of birth exactly as written.
Record the birthplace on the 1917 and mid-1918 cards, and the father's birthplace on the mid-1918 card.
Note the citizenship answer: native born, naturalized, declarant, or alien, and the nation named.
Write down the occupation, the employer and the place of employment.
On the 1917 card, read the dependents and exemption answers for family clues.
On the 1918 cards, copy the nearest relative's name and address.
Turn the card over and record the physical description and any disability.
Note the local board stamp, the registrar's name and the precinct, city or county.
Compare the signature with signatures on other records.

Where to see them for free

The National Archives at Atlanta, which holds the original cards. They are on National Archives microfilm M1509, and copies can be ordered online from the National Archives.
FamilySearch, free with an account, indexes the cards and shows images. Ancestry has them by subscription, free on National Archives computers.
For the local boards' classification lists and docket books, which show exemptions, appeals and physical exams, the National Archives facility for the region.

Sources

How to cite this page

Daily Ancestor. "World War I draft registration cards." Record guides. https://dailyancestor.com/records/wwi-draft-cards. Last checked 2026-10-10.