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  • U.S. WW1 military records
    • Main contributor: Daniel Maurice
    American Cavalryman in France, WW1.

    WW1 U.S. military records provide family historians with insights into the military record, tours of duty and lived experience of men and women who served in the armed forces of the United States during the First World War, 1914-1918 (also referred to as The Great War). War service was so impactful on these people that military records can provide many valuable insights into their lives and the forces that shaped their attitudes and lifestyle post-War. As well the military records may contain valuable information on ancestors, such as physical appearance and medical data, not easily found in other generally accessible sources.

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    The United States of America and WW1

    Lafayette Escadrille at Verdun, France.

    World War I in Europe was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in June 1914. The complex system of European alliances saw the war quickly expand with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria) aligned against the Allied Powers (initially including France, Great Britain, Italy and Russia). The war eventually spilled over to also engulf European colonies in Africa and elsewhere.

    The United States officially entered World War I in April 1917. But even before this date American volunteers served in WW1 in various non-official capacities. Some joined the American Ambulance Field Service in France, where they worked as ambulance drivers, transporting wounded soldiers from the front lines to hospitals[1]. A group of American pilots formed the Lafayette Escadrille, a squadron of volunteer aviators who flew for the French Air Service[2]. Still other Americans enlisted in the French Foreign Legion or other foreign military units. As well a few Americans joined the British or Canadian armies, fighting in various campaigns under those countries' flags. Among the volunteers was author Ernest Hemingway, whose 1929 novel, A Farewell to Arms, was based on his 1918 ambulance experience in the American Red Cross[3].

    Range of information potentially available

    There are many types of military records for U.S. personnel who served in WW1. Depending on the specific document type the information available might include:

    Full Name Age at Enlistment/Date of Birth Home Address Next of Kin
    Physical Description/Photograph(s) Medical Examinations/History Prior Civilian Occupation Education Level
    Rank/Promotions Tours of Duty/Deployments Campaigns/Battles fought Payments History
    Training History/Skills Achieved Leave Records (Dates/Location) Awards/Medals/Citations Disciplinary Action
    Command Structure Burial Location (if died on active service) Timeline of Military Units served Discharge Details

    Before you start

    As with all family history research it is important to gather as much personal information as possible before initiating a detailed search of WW1 military records. In particular it is crucial to have at hand basic details, such as the full name and date/place of birth to ensure that the records uncovered refer to the correct individual, especially when dealing with common names.

    Where to find WW1 U.S. military records

    National Military Personnel Records Center, Missouri.

    Military service records from WWI are physically held in the National Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The NPRC is part of the US National Archives. Next-of-kin of a deceased WW1 veteran can order a copy of their military records online direct from the NPRC. Others researchers can obtain records using a Standard Form 180, which includes instructions for preparing and submitting requests. The National Archives website provides a useful guide on how to research the records that it holds.

    The National Archives recommends that the place to start researching individuals in their WW1 Records is their draft registration cards. All American men between the ages of 18-45 were registered during the years the draft was implemented from May 1917 onwards, representing about 23% of the U.S. population at that time.

    Note that in 1973 a fire at the NPRC repository destroyed millions of Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). This included an estimated 80% U.S. Army personnel discharged from November 1912 to January 1960. The fire did not damage U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel files. Since then the NPRC has worked to salvage partially burnt documents and collected records from many other government agencies in an on-going effort to reconstruct basic service information lost in the fire[4].

    Another valuable source of information is the National WW1 Museum and Memorial. The museum’s website includes links to specialist databases, memorial databases, and other relevant information. For example, the Georgia Memorial Database contains names and details of approximately 1,200 Georgia military personnel who died during WW1.

    MyHeritage includes a wide range of collections providing access to millions of U.S.WW1 records, including several specialist datasets. Among the collections are:

    The MyHeritage Knowledge Base and Blog include several articles focused on researching U.S. military records more generally, including:

    MyHeritage also includes 14 collections of American newspapers covering the period 1900-1999 with over 43m records. Contemporary newspapers often covered the stories of individual soldiers and the battles in which they fought during WW1 as well as obituaries of those killed in action.

    Explore more about U.S. WW1 military records

    Explore other Wiki articles which provide further insights into researching military records as well as suggesting additional resources. While more general in nature they do include information on U.S. personnel serving during WW1:

    Other good sources for U.S. WW1 military records include:

    • Cyndi's List - World War I: The Great War provides a good range of links specific to U.S. military records for WW1. Categories include Battles, Battlefields & Military Sites; Locality Specific websites; Medals, Awards & Tributes; Navies & Ships; Photographs & Memories; Records covering Military Pensions, Burial, Casualties, and the Draft; and Regimental Rosters & Histories.
    • FamilySearch, a free genealogy service affiliated to the Morman Church is another resource offering an extensive range of links to assist researching of U.S. WW1 records. While focused on the period of official U.S. involvement in the War (1917-1918) it does also include some information for U.S. volunteers who participated in hostilities before this period, such as the Lafayette Escadrille (American Pilots in the French Air Service).

    As noted above there were some American volunteers who served with the armed forces of other combatants before the United States officially entered WW1 in 1917.To find information on their military service you would need to research the records of the relevant country. Separate Wiki articles are available on researching military records on France, Canada and the United Kingdom.

    References

    1. ↑ Gregory, P. (n.d.). Volunteer Ambulance Services (USA). International Encyclopaedia of World War One.
    2. ↑ About the Lafayette Escadrille. About - World War I Centennial. (n.d.).
    3. ↑ National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.-a). Hemingway on War and its aftermath. National Archives and Records Administration.
    4. ↑ National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.). The 1973 fire, National Personnel Records Center. National Archives and Records Administration.


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