April 6 will mark the 100th anniversary of the United States entry into World War I. Many things will be done from now until the anniversary of the war’s end on November 11, 1918. Records survive of those who registered for the draft (a huge number registered, not all served), those who served, and those who died due to the war, not all of them in combat.
The U. S. held three draft registrations. Men age 21 to 31 by June 5, 1917 registered then. On June 5, 1918, men who had become 21 by then registered. The third draft was held Sept. 12, 1918, for men aged 18 to 45, which included men from different generations, so always check. Information differed per draft, but can include full name, date and place of birth, occupation, next of kin, and county of residence. It’s a gold mine of information and these “World War I Draft Records” are scanned on Ancestry.com for the entire nation. Service records for Georgia are also on Ancestry.com under “Georgia, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1918” and include Army and Navy. These are also on microfilm at the Georgia Archives.
Many Georgia counties kept books in their Superior Court where returning service men’s records were recorded and are also on microfilm at the Georgia Archives under county records. Next week’s column will cover more Georgia records related to those who died due to the war, including books published shortly after the war.
WWI NATIONAL RESEARCH SOURCES
“In the Trenches,” by David Fryxell, appears in the March/April issue of “Family Tree Magazine” on newsstands now or at familytreemagazine.com. It is a must read for locating information on WWI soldiers and sailors from other states. Go to the United States World War One Centennial Commission to learn what other states are doing to commemorate the war and to find leads to records. See worldwar1centennial.org. Next week we will cover the role of the Georgia branch of this commission. Another source is exhibits that commemorate the war, such as” The Great War in Broad Outlines” at the Atlanta History Center until April 30.
GEORGIA’S RURAL CHURCHES
“Georgia’s Rural Churches: Historic Treasures or Relics of the Past?” will be the Georgia Archives Lunch and Learn topic on April 14. Sonny Seals and George Hart, co-authors of “Historic Rural Churches of Georgia (UGA Press, 2016),” will be the speakers. Noon, free, bring your own lunch. For further information see GeorgiaArchives.org or call 678-364-3710. See also the authors’ website, hrcga.org and subscribe for free to get frequent updates about the history of different Georgia churches or alert them to other churches.
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