Ages & Birth Dates Covered– Three draft registrations were held.
		First registration – men born June 6, 1886 – June 5, 1896
			Held June 5, 1917; registered all men between 21 and 31 years of age.
		Second registration – men born June 6, 1896 – June 5, 1897
			Held June 5, 1918; registered all men who had become 21 years of age since June 5, 1917, not previously registered or already in the military.
			Supplemental registration –men born June 6, 1897 – August 24, 1897 (Considered part of the second registration) Held August 24, 1918; registered all men who became 21 years of age since June 5, 1918, not previously registered or already in the military.
		Third registration – men born Sept 11, 1872 – Sept 12, 1900
			Held Sept 12, 1918; registered all men between the ages of 18 and 45, inclusive, not previously registered or already in the military.
Did 45 year old men have to register in the third registration? The answer is yes. The oldest age of men who had to register was clearly defined by Provost Marshal General Crowder - ". . . all men who have not reached their forty-sixth birthday on or before registration day September 12, will be included within the maximum age limit  .  .  ." [The Washington Post, 5 September 1918, 3:3, as quoted in John J. Newman, Uncle, We are Ready! (North Salt Lake, Utah: Heritage Quest, 2001), p. 28, note 53.]

Keep in Mind

• All men in the designated age brackets had to register—even the blind. Exemptions could be requested and many were granted, but registration was a requirement, not an option.
• Not all of the men who registered for the draft actually served. (Not all men were called to serve and some received an exemption.)
• Not all men who served in the military registered for the draft. (A man would not have registered if he was already in the military or had joined a branch of the military before he was due to register.)

Arrangement of the Cards Within a State

The registration cards are filed in each state alphabetically by local draft boards (county or city). While many  counties had only one draft board, larger cities had multiple draft boards. It is important to remember that the draft registration cards for the multiple-draft-board cities were filmed separately from those for the county where it was situated. 

Examples:

1. Buchanan County, Missouri had one draft board. Since the draft cards are grouped alphabetically by name of draft board within the state, the Buchanan County draft board's cards can be found under "B" for "Buchanan."
   However,
   St. Joseph, Missouri, the largest city in Buchanan County, was divided into three draft boards. The St. Joseph draft boards' cards are under "S" for "St. Joseph" rather than under "B" for "Buchanan." 



2. Pulaski County, Arkansas had two draft boards. Within the Arkansas microfilms, those draft boards' cards can be found under "P" for "Pulaski."
   However,
   Little Rock, Arkansas, the largest city in Pulaski County, was divided into two draft boards. The Little Rock draft boards' cards can be found under "L" for Little Rock" rather than under "P" for "Pulaski."

How the cards were alphabetized within a draft board

• Local boards usually filed the registration cards in one alphabetical file composed of the cards of the three registrations without regard to registrations.
  

• Some boards filed their cards in a single alphabetical file, but separated the cards under each letter of the alphabet by registrations.
  [Example: All the "A"s from the first registration would be followed by all the "A"s from the second registration, which would then be followed by all the "A"s from the third registration. This pattern would repeat itself for each letter of the alphabet.]
  
• Other boards, in some cases, made three alphabetical files of their cards, one for each registration.
  [Example: All cards from the first registration, "A" through "Z" would come first; then all cards from the second registration, "A" through "Z" would be next, ending with all cards from the third registration, "A" through "Z".]
  
• Some cards were simply not correctly alphabetized order. Check several letters before and after the correct location. If all else fails, check the entire draft board.

Finding Aids

A blue binder marked "WWI", located on the Finding Aids table by the microfilm cabinets in Special Collections, contains information to help researchers use this resource.

 Return to main World War I Draft Registration Card links.