Did you know that a WWI or WWII draft registration (US) does not mean the man served during the war?

Question

I sometimes see a category or template added to a profile for war service based on a draft registration card.

Please know that filling out the required registration does not mean the person actually served during the war, so you need further proof of service. The WWII Army Enlistment Records are different as they give the dates of enlistment into the US Army or US Army Air Corps. There are also the "old man draft" registrations from 1942, and those are simply registrations, not enlistments.

So, please check before adding the category or template to a profile. Thanks!

Comments

Good point!

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Those of us who registered (Vietnam era) and were not drafted know this.

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You are correct, but be sure to also state that draft registrations are still valuable to genealogists. They often are the only sources for full names, accurate birth dates, and specific birth places. We don't want new genealogists to think that draft registrations are not good genealogical sources.

Answer 1

I was aware of this myself. For the US, the typical indicators are the VA BIRLS and Enlistment Records. Though, those aren't the only ones, just what pops up first that indicates, Enlistment, Entry, Discharge, Release, etc...

~Brian Kerr

Comments

Yes! And pension files or VA Master index can be helps, too. The VA Master file often gives the unit served in, which is a great help when creating the categories.

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Where does one find the VA Master file?

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I've found it in familysearch.  You can usually find WWI vets in it, and if you look at the card, you can see the unit.

I was working on this man's profile earlier:https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WQPT-WRPZ

Answer 2

Thanks! I just came here to ask this very question. I have a registration for my grandfather in 1918 (when he was 18) and in 1942. I have found record of his service from January of 1945 to July of 1946. I have not found record of him serving in 1918. Interestingly, in 1918 he used the name Edwin Frank Anderson and in 1942 he used Edwin George Anderson (the name I always heard for him). I know both registrations are his based on the other family members listed and by the birthdate.

Answer 3

This gets really tricky when you find a relative born in the 1860s that lived until the 1970s. You might see draft registrations for WWI, WWII, and they volunteered for Korean conflict.