Fee or Free US World War I Draft Registration Cards
The US World War I Draft Registration Cards is a popular collection for finding male ancestors because it "accounts for approximately 98 percent of men in the U.S. born between 1872 and 1900. The total U.S. population in 1917-1918 was about 100 million individuals, so close to 25 percent of the total population is represented in these records."*
There were three primary registrations:
The first registration was on June 5, 1917, for all men ages 21 to 31 (specifically, men born between June 6, 1886 and June 5, 1896)
The second registration was on June 5, 1918, for all men who turned 21 after June 5, 1917, and a supplemental registration on August 24, 1918, for all men who turned 21 after June 5, 1918.
The third registration was on September 12, 1918 for all men ages 18 to 45 who had not previously enrolled.**
The US National Archives has some digitized draft registration cards for famous Americans, including this card for composer and jazz musician, …
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