World War I ended a century ago, 19 months after the United States entered the conflict. The records created during this time are great sources for genealogy research. During the 100-year commemoration, many more records have been digitized and placed online at Ancestry.com and other sites.
• World War One Draft Cards are online at Ancestry.com and searchable by name or county. Men ages 18 to 45 were required to register, whether they served or not.
• Troops serving overseas are found on ship manifests at Ancestry.com, and many entries give the men’s parents’ names and home addresses.
• Casualty Cards are among the Statement of Service enlistment records for the Army and Navy found online, although they can be tricky. Copies of the Georgia cards are on microfilm at the Georgia Archives.
• Casualty Scrapbooks prepared in the 1920s for the Georgia Archives were compiled from newspaper notices and other data and have been digitized by the Georgia Archives and are online there.
The United States World War I Centennial Commission (worldwar1centennial.org) has been coordinating efforts nationwide, and you can see what is going on with both commemorations and records availability state by state, as well as at the National Archives. The Georgia commission digitized several key books about WWI casualties, with access via its website. It also sponsored a project to photograph the local plaques and other commemorations throughout the state. The Georgia Memorial Database documents the Georgia dead. The Gold Star Mothers program is another source for information on the war dead and their kin. Your local newspapers from the era, most of which are digitized, can give invaluable information about those who served and especially about those who died.
World War I Exhibit opens at Georgia Archives
The Georgia Archives just opened an exhibit featuring records and memorabilia from WWI. See GeorgiaArchives.org for details. The Georgia Archives, located at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, is celebrating its own centennial this year.
American Legion Memorial Certificates
In 1920, the American Legion, on behalf of the Republic of France, presented Memorial Certificates to the families of American servicemen or women who died due to the war. If any family has theirs, it should be treasured. If it’s no longer wanted, it should be donated to a museum. These certificates were presented regionally in large public ceremonies.
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