World War I draft registration records were created in 1917 and 1918, after the United States joined World War I. Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which required men to go to their local draft board to register.
There were three WWI draft registrations. The dates and ages of registrants for each one are:
- 5 June 1917: All men age 21–31
- 5 June 5 1918: Men who’d turned 21 since the previous registration. A supplemental registration on 24 Aug. 1918, registered men who turned 21 since 5 June.
- 12 Sept. 1918: Men age 18–45 who hadn’t already registered[1]
How to know if your relative has a World War I draft record
Look for a WWI draft registration record for each male relative who fell into the age group listed for one of the registration dates above. You can use the man’s birth date to determine his age on each registration date. This age calculator can help.
Note that men who were already in the military at the time would not have registered for the draft.
Information in WWI draft records
When men registered for the draft, the registrar asked them questions and recorded the answers on cards. The information on the cards varies slightly for the three different registrations, but the cards usually contain:
- Serial number assigned by Selective Service System
- Name
- Address
- Age
- Birth date
- Birth place (first and second registrations only)
- Race (additionally, in the first two registrations, if the registrant was Black, the registrar was supposed to tear off one corner of the card)
- Citizenship status
- Father’s birthplace (second registration only)
- Occupation and employer
- Marital status (first registration only)
- Nearest relative (second and third registrations only)
- Dependents (first registration only)
- Previous military experience (first registration only)
- Exemptions claimed if any (first registration only)
- Physical description (height, build, eye and hair color)
- Amputations or other physical disability
- Place of registration
- Registrant’s signature
- Date of registration[2]
How to find WWI draft records
Search online: Search WWI draft records by name and other details at MyHeritage.com
Search on microfilm: NARA microfilm publication M1509, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, is available at many genealogy libraries. You will need to know which registration, as well as the state and county or city of registration.[1]
Order copies from the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): Go to NARA’s online ordering service and follow the prompts. A service fee will apply.[1]
World War I record collections on MyHeritage
United States:
- United States, World War I Draft Registration, 1917-1918
- Kansas, World War I Bounty Claims
- Arkensas, World War I Discharge Records
- Tennessee World War I Veterans
- Gold Star Honor Roll. a Record of Indiana Men And Women Who Died in the Service of the United States And the Allied Nations in the World War. 1914-1918
- Illinois in the World War, Volume 1, History of the 33rd Division, A.E.F.
- Illinois in the World War, Volume 2, History of the 33rd Division, A.E.F.
- Ohio in the Rainbow: Official Story of the 166th Infantry, 42nd Division in the World War
- History of the 89th Division, U. S. A.: From Its Organization in 1917, Through Its Operations in the World War, the Occupation of Germany And Until Demobilization in 1919
United Kingdom:
- British Red Cross Society Volunteers, 1914-1918
- The National Roll of the Great War, 1914-1918
- United Kingdom, Index of Merchant Seamen’s Campaign Medals, 1914-1918
- United Kingdom, Admiralty and War Office: Royal Naval Division: Records of Service, 1914-1919
Australia & New Zealand:
- New Zealand, World War I Service Personnel Reserves Index
- Australia, First World War Embarkation Rolls
- Australia, First World War Nominal Roll, 1914-1918
- Australia, Queensland, World War I Soldier Portraits 1914-1918
- New Zealand Division
Continental Europe:
See also
Research military records on MyHeritage
Explore more about US World War I draft records
- Military records on MyHeritage
- The Great War: Researching Your World War I Ancestors, webinar by Michael L. Strauss, AG on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- World War I: Women's Lives During the War, webinar by Gena Philibert-Ortega on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- World War I Draft Registrations: Find Military Records of Ancestors Who Fought in WWI on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- How to Find Records with the MyHeritage search engine on the MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- Death and Burial Practices in World War I and WW II webinar by Rick Sayre on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Thankful villages – the impact of World War One on communities webinar by Kirsty Gray on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- African Americans in the Army: 1868-1948 on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- The Fromelles Genealogy Project: Reuniting WW1 Soldiers with their Families on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Soldiers & Rebels: Tracing Your WW1 and Irish Revolutionary Ancestors on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Spies, Slackers, and Aliens: Records of the American Protective League on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Tracing a World War One Soldier from US to Europe and Back Again on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- World War I: Women's Lives During the War on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Over the Top: Researching Canadians in the First World War on Legacy Family Tree Webinars