welcome back to the ancestral findings podcast draft cards are excellent sources of information
on your military-aged ancestor drafts were used in most u.s wars and military conflicts until
the end of the vietnam war digitized draft cards from world war one and world war ii
will provide a laundry list of interesting and valuable information on your ancestors
draft records are another terrific type of military record there has typically been
some type of draft or conscription of soldiers in any military conflict in american history
even during the revolution while the draft is officially done away with today the selective
service registration requirement still exists for men just in case the draft is ever brought back
names from this registration will be used among age eligible men in any future draft
should the draft be reinstated at some point draft records are available for world war one and world
war ii and our unique useful military records for filling in the gaps on your family tree
men were required to register for the draft in world war one and world war ii registering did not
mean they were signing up to serve it meant that they were signing up to potentially be drafted
should a draft be required and should their name be selected from among the submitted draft cards
the usual age for the draft was between 18 and 35.
in world war ii so many people were needed or expected to be needed that three separate rounds
of the draft were instituted one was for younger men one for middle-aged men and one for older men
this third so-called old man's draft registered men up to the age of 64 as potential soldiers
because this draft exists there are some men who have draft cards for both world war one and world
war ii one when they were young and one when they were older these draft cards can be found online
on both free and paid genealogy record websites they are widely available in a
lot of different places online so you should have no trouble locating a digital repository for them
that you can use to search for your ancestor the cards include a lot of
important information on your ancestors whether they went on to serve in the military or not
some people registered for the draft and then later enlisted as volunteers without having to
be called up by force by the draft board the full name of your ancestor will be on the card
this is great for finding a middle name or a first name if only a middle name or initials
were typically used in other records the date of birth is recorded which can fill in an important
gap in your family tree as well in addition the place of birth is recorded as is the man's
citizenship occupation current address or address of employer if a personal address was not recorded
and whether he had any dependents and if so who they were to him there was the name and address
of a person who would always know the potential soldier's whereabouts and the relationship of
that person to him usually a wife or parent but sometimes a friend or other relative there
is also a description of your ancestors eye color hair color and build aka body type as well as any
physically distinctive features or disabilities which is great if you never had a photo or color
photo of this ancestor your ancestor's signature will also be on the draft card
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weekly historical postcard giveaway hey i hope you have a wonderful day and happy searching