Learning more about your World War I
soldier
Soldiers of the Great War
After the Great War, a program was
undertaken to document the names (and in many cases, the photographs)
of soldiers who died in the “Great War” (World War I). The resulting
publication was a three-volume work titled Soldiers of the Great
War, by W.M. Haulsee, F.G. Howe, and A.C. Doyle (1920).
The part of Volume I that covers Louisiana has
been placed on the Web here:
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~worldwarone/WWI/Louisiana/index.html
and an annotated version at:
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~worldwarone/WWI/Louisiana/notes.html
If your WWI soldier from Louisiana died in the
war, his (or her) name might be here. For those who are buried
overseas, he may be found here:
http://www.abmc.gov/search/wwi.php
The home page for the American Battle
Monuments Commission is:
http://www.abmc.gov/
The Soldiers of the Great War volumes
are available in large libraries, or can be ordered on microfiche from
any Family History Center. See: http://goo.gl/1F7EM
Note: These volumes do not list all of those who were killed in action
or died in service. Of the 31 soldiers listed on the Ninth Ward Victory
Arch who died in action or died in service, 10 are included in Soldiers
of the Great War.
Records in the National Archives
World War I Service Records
An overview of World War I records is
available at:
http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/military/ww1.html
and
http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1998/fall/military-service-in-world-war-one.html
Despite a disastrous fire at the National
Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis in 1973 (see: http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html),
it is still possible to obtain some records related to military service
in World War I.
To request a search of personnel records in
the National Personnel Records Center, you will need a Standard Form
180, “Request Pertaining to Military Records.” Copies of the form are
available from the center at 8600 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132,
or from the Web site:
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/standard-form-180.html
Records in the National Archives
Draft Registration Records
The original WWI draft registration
cards (about 24 million cards) are held by the Southeast Region of the
National Archives in East Point, Georgia (near Atlanta). An overview of
the registration records is available at:
http://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/draft-registration/index.html
There were three draft registrations
during World War I:
• June 5, 1917:
for all men ages 21-31;
• June 5, 1918:
for all men who had reached age 21 since June 1917;
• September
1, 1918: for all men between 18 and 45.
The draft registration records (and images of
the actual cards) for all Louisiana parishes (including Orleans) are
available online through Ancestry.com.
See: http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=6482&offerid=0%3a7858%3a0
Microfilm copies of the Orleans Parish records are
available at the Louisiana Division of the New Orleans Public Library
and the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge.
The records are also available on microfilm
through any Family History Center. See: http://goo.gl/t5y5h
Corrections and additions to this
information are welcome.
Last updated: 16 May 2012
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