Contact the GG Archives

Anderson, SC USA

Drafting Soldiers to Fight in World War 1

World War 1 Draft - The Conscription of Men in America

World War I Draft and Selective Service Document Collection of the GG Archives includes documents and photographs including Notice of Certification to District Board, Notice of Enrollment Under Military Law, Draft Registration Cards, Registration Certificates, Questions & Answers, and more.

Front Cover, Bulleting of Information fro Person Registered, 1917, Form 21 PMGO.

Bulletin of Information for Persons Registered for the Draft - 1917

1917 Bulletin of Information for Persons Registered for the draft from The government printing office provides all of the information about the draft, who is eligible for it, and how claims to avoid the draft must be dealt with by the local draft boards and the draftee.

Front Side, World War 1 Draft Registration Card, Christian Gjenvik of Garfield, Minnesota dated 5 June 1917.

World War 1 Draft Registration Cards

All men between the ages of 18 and 45 were required to register regardless of citizenship status or other factors. The Selective Service Act of 1917 passed by Congress on 18 May 1917 authorized the United States President to increase the armed forces through conscription.

Important Notice to All Men Selected for Military Service

Important Notice to All Men Selected for Military Service - 1918

The day and hour specified on the Classification List of this Local Board, and on the order and notice of induction into military service which accompanies this notice for you to report to this Local Board for military duty is the time that marks your actual obligation as a soldier of the United States.

Notice of Call and to Appear for Physical Examination for Christian Gjenvik, Red Ink Serial Number 548, Lac qui Parle County, Madison, Minnesota, 31 July 1917.

Notice of Call and to Appear for Physical Examination - 1917

You are notified that under the act of Congress approved May 18, 1917, you are called for military service of the United States by the Local Board from among those persons whose registration cards are within the jurisdiction of this Local Board.

Notice of Certification to District Board when No Claim of Exemption or Discharge has been Made, Christian Gjenvik of Madison, Minnesota, Red Ink Serial Number 548, Dated 12 August 1917.

Notice of Certification For Military Duty to District Board - 1917

Document showing WW1 Draftee was certified by the local board as having been called for the United States' military service and not exempted or discharged.

World War I Draft Registration Card for Cole Porter, 5 June 1917.

The Proclamation for the First Draft Registration, 1917

The Proclamation of the President for the first registration of 1917 was prepared before the passage of the act and was issued on the day the law became effective.

World War I Draft Registration Card for Fiorello Henry La Guardia, 1918.

Joint Resolution for Second Draft Registration, 5 June and 24 August 1918

A Presidential Proclamation on that day set June 5 for the registration of the new 21-year-old's in the continental United States. A further registration of such persons was held on August 24, 1918.

World War 1 Draft Registration Card for Harry Handcuff Houdini, 1918.

Proclamation for the Third Draft Registration, 12 September 1918

The proclamation for the major registration of all those between the ages of 18 and 45 not previously registered, which was to be held on September 12, 1918, followed the example of the first proclamation.

Drawing the First Number - World War I Draft

The World War One Draft - Reporting of the First Draft Lottery - 20 July 1917

Draft lottery selects 1,374,000 men for examination to provide 687,000 of first increment troops others of 10,000,000 are definitely listed for future service; Baker draws the first number.

Civilians This Morning, Soldiers This Afternoon. New Recruits Board the Train for Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts, Near Boston, ca Fall of 1917.

The Selective Draft - 69 Questions and Answers - World War 1

Selected for Our Readers From Two Thousand Questions and Answers About the War: A Catechism of the Methods of Fighting, Travelling and Living; Of the Armies, Navies and Air Fleets Personalities, Politics and Geography of the Warring Countries.

Don't Wait for the Draft--volunteer. Poster Showing Uncle Sam, against a Backdrop of Troops and the American Flag, Offering a Rifle, 1917.

The Selective Service System - Its Aims and Accomplishments - Its Future - 1917

We are in this war to attain victory. We have taken one significant step, but it is only one-step. As our military need for men grows, so will our industrial demand for labor grow. We have hacked our armies' first increment out with a broadax because there was time for no greater refinement.

Members of a “Silk Stocking" Division of the Draft Army ( Local Board Division No. 129) Lined up in Front of Their Headquarters at the American Museum of Natural History, Before Their Departure for Yaphank.

Three Draft Registrations Required During World War 1

Summary of the draft registrations for the Great War and registration chronology for World War 1, 1917-18. The main facts about the three registrations of the World War are summarized in a chronology.

Wallet-Sized Military Census and Inventory of 1917 Card for Harry A. Berger, Assembly District No 3X, Burough of Bronx, New York City Dated 22 June 1917.

State of New York Military Census and Inventory of 1917

Card provided to individuals who completed the Military Census and Inventory Questionnaires of 1917 for New York. Highlights and Explanations for Key parts of this questionnaire are also included.

Front Side, State of New York, Notice of Enrollment Under Military Law for Harry Aaron Berger of Bronx, New York City, Dated 22 June 1917.

State of New York Notice of Enrollment Under Military Law - 1917-06-22

The officer making the enrollment shall, at the time of making the same, serve a notice of such enrollment upon each person enrolled, by delivering such notice to him or leaving it with some person of suitable age and discretion, at his place of residence.

 

Return to Top of Page

World War I Collections
GG Archives

World War 1 Collection

Primary Military Collections

The Folks Behind the GG Archives

The GG Archives is the work and passion of two people, Paul Gjenvick, a professional archivist, and Evelyne Gjenvick, a curator. Paul earned a Masters of Archival Studies - a terminal degree from Clayton State University in Georgia, where he studied under renowned archivist Richard Pearce-Moses. Our research into the RMS Laconia and SS Bergensfjord, the ships that brought two members of the Gjønvik family from Norway to the United States in the early 20th century, has helped us design our site for other genealogists. The extent of original materials at the GG Archives can be very beneficial when researching your family's migration from Europe.