World War One Draft Registration Information

On July 14, 2014, I posted the WW-I and WW-II draft registration cards of Ernesto Lunogo. See that POST.  The 1917 registration image, that I used, was from Ancestry.com. We received a comment from one of our viewers that stated that often you can download a better image from FamilySearch.org and indeed that person is correct.  Often, there are other sources with better images of the same record. Don't get fooled into thinking there is only one digital image to select from.

Here are the two digital images to compare...

Ancestry.com Image

FamilySearch.org Image

Here is some information that you may not be aware of about the WW-I registration cards. It's really to bad that the digital images are not in color.

1. Three registrations occurred between 1917 and 1918. The 1st was held 5 Jun 1917 for men ages 21-31. The 2nd was held 5 Jun 1918 for men who turned 21 since the 1st registration. A supplemental registration was held on August 24, 1918, for those becoming 21 years old after June 5, 1918. This was included in the second registration. The 3rd registration started 12 Sep 1918 for men ages 18-45.

2. The first registration contained 12 questions, the second 10 questions and the third contained 20 questions.

3. There are known record entry issues from several states. Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin.  Researchers in these states should read this article.

4. I stated above "It's really to bad that the digital images are not in color." Why?  The first registration cards were printed in black, the second registration cards were printed in blue and the third registration cards were printed in red. Below is an example...