Draft records

Where to find them and how they help

Recently, while researching my paternal grandfather, I came across—to my surprise—a World War II US draft record for him. Now I’d heard about the “Old Man’s Draft” and had applied it to client’s research but foolishly never applied it to my own. Rookie mistake. He’d emigrated from Italy in 1912 and when WWII began, all seven of his sons volunteered. In my mind, this was my father’s war, not my grandfather’s.

If you’re unfamiliar with how drafts work, as my son was, local boards conducted draft registrations to identify men eligible for service in times of war. In this article, I will focus specifically on World Wars I and II, for which surviving registration cards provide information on several generations of men. Military draft records can include those who served as well as many who registered but were never called. On the flip side, those who enlisted or were already in the service at the time of the conflict will not be found.

The Conscription Act, or draft, was first employed during the Civil War. Although most of the troops volunteered, about two percent were draftees and another six percent were paid substitutes. (Fun Fact: Those with means paid a substitute to serve for them. The going price was around $300, but quickly rose to $1,100-plus as the war went on.) The Act declared that men between the ages of twenty and forty-five were eligible for duty along with aliens who had already filed their declaration of intention to become citizens. The draft lasted until 1865, when the war ended.

There were three WWI draft registrations that occurred between 1917 and 1918. The first two registered men between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-one and the third recorded men ages eighteen to forty-five. This means that men born as early as 1873 and as late as 1900 should have a record on file.

The WWII draft registered an even larger selection of men in four groups, including those aged fortyfive to sixty-four as part of what is often known as “Old Man’s Draft” in 1942. Rather than recoding men of fighting age, this fourth draft of men had the sole purpose of gathering information about resources in the United States. Registrations recorded the men’s industrial capacity and skills that could be used for military support.

Draft records may include name, residence, birth information, physical description, enlistment and discharge dates, injuries or illnesses, and disabilities. This information is also useful when combined with other research. Residence and occupation details can separate similar named

CAROL DIPIRRO-STIPKOVITS

ancestors while an immigrant’s claim to be a US citizen could lead you on a search for naturalization records.

Online, you can find WWI records at Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com and FamilySearch.com. WWII records are available at Ancestry. com, FamilySearch.com and Fold3. com. These record collections aren’t necessarily complete as some state’s records were destroyed before being microfilmed. You can also complete a selective service request form and email or drop it in your mailbox to request copies. Visit stl.archives@ nara.gov. for the form and more information.

Locating an ancestor’s draft card can move your research forward in many ways. Birth information can tell you about births that occurred long before a state began keeping vital records. A woman named as a man’s nearest relative might narrow your search for a marriage record while a personal description including height, build, hair, and eye color allows you to visualize your ancestor where photos are unavailable. FY

Carol DiPirro-Stipkovits is a member of both the National Genealogical Society and Association of Professional Genealogists. Carol is also Vice-President and Board Chairman of the Niagara County Genealogical Society. Contact her at noellasdaughter@gmail.com.