American Service Men

[tipperary]

A couple of years ago i started to look into my great uncles war history but i got nowhere i am now in possesion of his draft details can this help me find out when he was drafted and to what unit.I know that he did end up in france as family members have a postcard of him in uniform.john

[4thGordons]

A couple of years ago i started to look into my great uncles war history but i got nowhere i am now in possesion of his draft details can this help me find out when he was drafted and to what unit.I know that he did end up in france as family members have a postcard of him in uniform.john

John,

The draft card is a registration card only indicating that he registered for the draft (probably in June 1917) There should be a date of registration on it.

You cannot tell from that alone that he was even actually inducted/drafted.

If you have a photo of him in uniform that suggests that he did indeed get drafted, but unless it says "Carte Postale" or "Uncle Fred in France" on the back it might have been taken in the US so I wouldn't automatically assume that he went to France even if he was drafted (there were several draft registration dates and if he registered in the later ones the chances of him making it to France decrease.)

The Draft registration card will tell you where he was drafted and this might produce a clue as to the unit in which he served.

The US military was organized along semi-regional lines and divisions were made up of units from particular areas -- although there are lots of exceptions and overlaps and it is really only a clue, not a hard and fast lead. Several divisions essentially became feeder divisions once they got to France and the men in them were sent all over the place to fill in the gaps and make up losses.

One really good source of information if you can get your hands on it (and if it exists) is a local county Honor Roll. These were published usually by local newspapers in conjunction with a commercial publisher and are often entitled "With the Colors for XXXXXX County" or "XXXXX County record of the great war" These often have very comprehensive records and mini-bios of not just casualties but most of the men from the region who served (I have been collecting them for Illinois for some time - they can be a bit expensive and I have never seen a list of which counties and municipalities actually produced them). State archives also often hold records or lists produced in the 1920s and they are sometimes published.

So:

What was his name?

Where did he register for the draft? (town/state)

The local newspapers for this area probably covered the draft contingents sent by the local draft boards and where they went (so this will give a clue as to the unit)

The same newspapers also covered the return of the units in 1919 so these too can be useful

Can you post the photo so we can see if there are any unit clues (postwar or demob photos often have insignia, wartime often do not)

I assume he survived so he will not be listed in any of the casualty databases but, if he was buried in a veterans grave of a military cemetery he may be listed and this will probably list his unit (so do you know where he is buried and if he has a military marker?)

There were lots of US unit histories produced in the immediate post war and, unlike those for the British Army, these usually (although not always) contain listings of members so sometimes turn up nice suprises.

Unfortunately US military WWI records were (like those in the UK) laregly destroyed by fire (in the US case in 1973 with no Luftwaffe involvement) so an official approach may not yield much - but as a blood relative you could try contacting the US records office at St Louis

If you can fill in any more details above I would be happy to have a poke around - and there are others on here who are very adept at turning up amazing things.

Hope this helps

Chris

[tipperary]

Hi Chris The Postcard is indeed of french origin that much is legible it is not in my possesion and considerable effort has been made by me to get a copy of same so far to no avail(diplomatic relations not the best)enough said that i am familiar with it enough to know who it was and that it is a carte postale.

His name was David Ryan he did survive.He went for registration to draft board 132 which was manhattan new york in june 1917 and the roll number of his record was 1766348. I managed only recently to find that much on ancestry.john

[healdav]

Finding out about US servicemen demands Kafka's involvement. Basically, if you know the answer you will know who to ask the question!

The only decent records are held by the Archives of the State in which he enrolled, was drafted, etc.

You have to write to the State Archives and hope that they can give you an answer. If you don't know the State, the only way is to write to each State separately and hope that one of them comes up with the info.

If they can't be bothered, or something, then hard luck.

Been there, got the scars.

[tipperary]

Finding out about US servicemen demands Kafka's involvement. Basically, if you know the answer you will know who to ask the question!

The only decent records are held by the Archives of the State in which he enrolled, was drafted, etc.

You have to write to the State Archives and hope that they can give you an answer. If you don't know the State, the only way is to write to each State separately and hope that one of them comes up with the info.

If they can't be bothered, or something, then hard luck.

Been there, got the scars.

I think that is why i gave up the last time i have just been looking at a muster roll for 107 inf and there are no service numbers to distinguish individuals.I have a bit more time on my hands now and i will give it a little while more but i do see fully what you mean.john

[ph0ebus]

I think that is why i gave up the last time i have just been looking at a muster roll for 107 inf and there are no service numbers to distinguish individuals.I have a bit more time on my hands now and i will give it a little while more but i do see fully what you mean.john

If you have enough information about him to fill out THIS FORM and you have a dollar you may get some good answers from the NY State Archives. I found great information on two members of my family who served and it only cost me two bucks.

-Daniel

[tipperary]

If you have enough information about him to fill out THIS FORM and you have a dollar you may get some good answers from the NY State Archives. I found great information on two members of my family who served and it only cost me two bucks.

-Daniel

Daniel Thank You I beleive i have the required info to hand and it is a small cost which may produce results i will give it a go.john

[ph0ebus]

Daniel Thank You I beleive i have the required info to hand and it is a small cost which may produce results i will give it a go.john

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Daniel

[ph0ebus]

Just to give you an idea of what you might get, here is a scan of what I got for my ancestor, Archibald Winning, who was in the Army in WWI:

It says:

Army Serial # 703 8 56

Enlisted: Ft. Slocum, NY

Enlistment Date: December 15, 1917

Age at Enlistment: 28 y 4 mos.

Assigned to QMC (Quartermaster Corps) at large to discharge

Grades: Private 1st Class Apr. 23 1918, Sergeant Nov. 16 1918, Sergeant 1st Class July 28 1918.

Wounds/Injuries: None

Served Overseas May 28 1918 - Sept 11 1919

Hon. Discharge: Sept. 17, 1919

Zero Percent Disabled upon demob

In all, a nice, concise yet informative document.

-Daniel

[tipperary]

Thank you for sharing that Daniel that is just what i would love to end up with.My great uncles route to the American forces was via his poaching activities in Ireland he got caught a few times too often and seemingly the kid gloves were about to come off so he did a runner to New York. john

[PFF]

Write to the New York Adjutant Office

Possibly the 69th New York infantry

[tipperary]

Write to the New York Adjutant Office

Possibly the 69th New York infantry

Thank You for that PFF i just googled the 69th and it has a long irish heritage.john