Answers in the Trenches: Finding Family History in World War I

A pair of shots—the assassination of a world leader and his wife. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back and started the Great War.It took more than four years and dozens of countries to finish World War I. And, in the course of 1,500 days, nearly 9 million of our relatives lost their lives on the battlefields. Indirectly, we lost countless more.

Although America suffered considerably fewer casualties than the war’s other participants—only 126,000 versus the million-plus casualties in each of the French, German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian armies—for most of us, the effects of the Great War, or as U.S. President Woodrow Wilson deemed it, “a war against all nations,” linger on.

Before, during, and after the war, borders shifted, countries were redrawn, and lands were divided and subsequently unified. Immigration to the United States changed significantly. Technology improved. Plastic surgery was perfected. Even the Kleenex was invented.

It’s been more than ninety years since those first shots were fired, and the number of spectators and participants of World War I continues to wane. So for many of us today, the most valuable remaining memories of the war are the records created because of it, and the priceless information that those memories can give us about our family’s experience in the Great War.

Smoldering Home Fires
By Adele Maurine Marcum

When United States President Woodrow Wilson declared war, essentially two American battles broke out against Germany: one militarily in Europe and the other culturally in the United States.By the onset of the United States’s entrance into World War I, millions of Germans had made their way to America—estimates range from 2 million to 8 million immigrants, even more if the children and grandch ildren born on American soil to these immigrants are counted. But, while the vast majority of these immigrants stood by their fellow Americans to support the war effort, overall, American sentiment remained suspicious of anyone (and anything) with German ancestry.

Historian Carl Wittke noted in his book The German-Language Press in America that “misunderstanding, suspicion, slander, emotional conflict, bewildered readjustment, and tragedy” were easily identifiable during the years surrounding World War I. That attitude, said Wittke, was played out nationwide as suspicious Americans declared that “everything of German origin must be treasonable.”

The most obvious target for this suspicion? The German language.

Twenty-six states passed laws against the use of German on the streets, via telephone, or in public meetings. Libraries eliminated German materials. Public schools removed all German language instruction from their curriculum. Segregated German-language church congregations merged with other, English-speaking congregations. German-language parochial schools either changed their curriculum or closed.

Buildings, towns, streets, foods—anything considered German was stripped of its ties to the fatherland and renamed to denounce Germany. Sauerkraut became Liberty Cabbage, and frankfurters were anglicized as hot dogs. Chicago’s Bismarck Hotel changed its name to the Hotel Randolph as a demonstration of patriotism (the Bismarck name resurfaced following the war, in 1918).

Even surnames were changed to reflect the growing tide of anti-German sentiment. Some German-Americans assumed new, more American surnames. In 1917, for example, George Washington Ochs, journalist and former mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, legally changed his family’s surname to Oakes. Other German-Americans anglicized the pronunciation of their German surnames—Kaufmann, once prono unced kowfmon, became caughmin.

The United States government also employed its own methods of taking care of the “German problem” by investigating anyone suspected of exhibiting too much German sympathy. Records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) known as the Old German Files enumerate case after case of reports (usually by next-door neighbors) of suspected enemy aliens, German sympathizers, and other people thought to be disloyal to the United States during the war. Interestingly enough, many of these alleged enemy aliens turned out to be born in the United States to parents who were also born in the United States. Other federal records delineated passport and visa matters. A separate Alien Enemy Index was even maintained by the U.S. government for the years 1917 though 1919.

Additionally, the U.S. government required all resident aliens who had not been naturalized, for whatever reason, to register with the U.S. Marshal nearest their place of residence; a failure to register risked internment and possible deportation. This mass alien registration occurred between November 1917 and April 1918 and generally collected the following data:

  • Full name (including maiden name for females)
  • Current residence and length of residence there
  • Birth location of registrant
  • Spouse’s name and residence, if applicable
  • Children’s names, sex, and years of birth, if applicable
  • Parents’ names (including maiden name for mother), birthdates, and birthplaces
  • Names, dates of birth, and current residence of all siblings
  • Whether any male relatives were serving in the military for or against the United States
  • Whether registered for selective draft
  • Account of all previous military or government service
  • Date of immigration
  • Name of vessel of emigration and port of arrival
  • Whether reported to or registered with a consul since 1 June 1914
  • Whether applied for naturalization or took out first papers; if yes, when and where
  • Whether naturalized in another country
  • Whether ever taken an oath of allegiance other than to the United States
  • Whether ever arrested or detained on any charge
  • Whether held a permit to enter a forbidden area
  • Signature
  • Photograph
  • Description of registrant
  • Full set of fingerprints

Unfortunately for family historians, the majority of these applications were destroyed. Only the applications for German Aliens who lived in the state of Kansas or the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota, survived.

Fighting to Become American
By Brian Peterson

Rather than registering with the U.S. Marshal, non-citizen members of the U.S. armed forces during World War I were given the option of a military naturalization—a means of gaining citizenship that was much simpler and somewhat more lenient than the traditional method. And, for family historians today, it’s a naturalization that contains a wealth of valuable information.Military naturalization records may sometimes be the first official records created for immigrants who eventually became U.S. citizens. For example, during both World War I and World War II, there were incidents of individuals fighting for the United States without having U.S. citizenship and, on occasion, without ever having set foot in America. The opportunity to become American citizens was opened up to individuals in these circumstance, providing them with a simpler and speedier naturalization alternative.

Military naturalizations originated in 1862 when the U.S. government, in an effort to entice aliens to enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War, passed legislation waiving the need for aliens serving in the army to file a declaration of intention, thereby greatly reducing the amount of time required for an immigrant to become naturalized. To qualify for a military naturalization, the immigrant merely had to be at least twenty-one years old, honorably discharged from U.S. military service, and prove at least one year of residency in the United States. Once these conditions were met, the immigrant could file a petition for naturalization.

Immigrants to America early in the twentieth century didn’t always feel a pressing urge to become American citizens. At the time, the primary motivation for an immigrant to become naturalized stemmed from either a desire to be American or to raise children as American citizens. Other motivations included possible political or business gain or a simple fear of deportation.

An eighteen-year-old immigrant fighting for America in World War I may not have felt an urgency or really any need at all to file for naturalization. As a result, it wasn’t uncommon for the various branches of the U.S. military during the war to find their ranks scattered with young immigrant men who were fighting for a country of which they weren’t yet citizens.

Patriotism, fortunately, was at a high when America entered World War I. Recognizing the value of this patriotism, the U.S. government passed the Act of 9 May 1918 to encourage U.S. servicemen and women who weren’t American citizens to become naturalized. At the time, alien soldiers who wanted American citizenship were already exempt from filing a declaration of intent, but, as a result of this act, they were also cleared from filing a certificate of arrival or a proof of residence. To expedite the process further, soldiers were naturali zed at military posts where they were stationed rather than waiting until they returned to their legal residences.

During World War II, another modification to the naturalization procedure for people serving in the U.S. military was made. The Second War Powers Act of 27 March 1942, dramatically sped up the process of naturalization for those aliens who were serving in the U.S. military, both within the United States, as well as overseas. Additional modification happened again in 1953, 1954, 1955, and 1968.


  How a Military Naturalization Could Affect Your ResearchMilitary naturalizations contain most of the same information as a standard naturalization, including the alien’s name, address, occupation, age, physical description, race, place and date of birth, spouse’s name, marriage date, last foreign residence, children’s names and places of birth, and even sometimes a photograph. There are, however, a few aspects of military naturalizations that family historians should keep in mind.

  • Immigrants may have changed their names or the spelling of their names, for a number of reasons.
  • Prior to 1906, military naturalizations will be filed with a local court or jurisdiction where the naturalization took place. After that date, the naturalization process was standardized and a copy of all records are maintained by the USCIS (formerly the INS).
  • When a military naturalization took place, the records were to be sent to the court that had jurisdiction over the alien’s permanent U.S. residence. This left a predicament for individuals who joined the military before establishing a U.S. residence. In these situations, the only copy of the naturalization is the one kept by the USCIS.
  • During World War I, busloads of soldiers would make the trek to the local courthouse to file for naturalization. These courts should still house the records associated with these naturalizations today.

Searching the Home Front
By Echo King, AG Events are like ancestors: the more notorious, the better the records. As long as you know where to look.As is the case with most family history research, the best place to start your search for an ancestor serving in the military in World War I is right at home. Photos, letters, medals, and awards—any of these may contain important clues and information about a veteran and his or her family. Even if existing records are sparse, you may still be able to acquire the basic information, such as branch of service, unit, or regiment, that you’ll need for future research.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the right records st ashed away in an accessible attic. In these situations, there are a number of other sources to explore, including the following options. Remember, however, that some basic information, like the soldier’s name and social security number, birth date, or even the unit he or she was assigned to, may be necessary to make real progress.

Service Records
Unfortunately, as many as 80 percent of the service records for army personnel discharged between 1912 and 1959 were destroyed in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis in July 1973. Files for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, however, survived the fire. The center has also reconstructed the records of living military personnel who needed the data for benefits.

Information can be requested from the NPRC. If you are the veteran or next-of-kin, you may request the information online at www.vetrecs.archives.gov or you may make a request offline via a Standard Form 180 (SF-180), available online here.

If you are neither the veteran nor the next-of-kin, you will need to either submit an SF-180 or send a letter outlining your request to the NPRC at the following address:

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

Include as much of the following information as possible in your letter about the veteran:

  • Service number
  • Social security number
  • Branch of service
  • Dates of service
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth

After you’ve made your request, the NPRC will inform you of whether a fee is required to fulfill the request (see SF-180 for details). Additionally, the NARA website offers tips on requesting military service records.

Draft Records
Perhaps the largest single source of U.S. World War I records are 1917–18 draft registration cards. The cards in this collection record names and personal information for over 24 million men born between September 1873 and September 1900. The information recorded includes name, home address, age or date of birth, race, physical description, citizenship, occupation, employer’s name and address, and nearest relative. Some cards may also include birthplace, father’s birthplace, and marital status. Anyone with a male ancestor who fits the age range and who was in the United States during World War I should check this collection. And even if your male ancestor didn’t fight in the war, there may still be a registration card as only a small portion of the men who registered were actually drafted.

World War I draft registration cards have recently been indexed at Ancestry.com and are available for sea rching by name. Draft registration cards are also available at a number of other locations including the National Archives-Southeast Region in Atlanta, Georgia; on microfilm through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Microfilm Publication M1509; or at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Each of these collections is organized according to draft board; knowing your ancestor’s address at the time of registration will expedite the search.

Discharge Papers
In many cases, counties kept a record of soldiers and sailors whose permanent residence was within that county and who received an honorable discharge. These discharge records contain the veteran’s name, race, rank, serial number, reason for discharge, birthplace, age at enlistment, occupation, and a personal description. The individual’s service record may also be included with the discharge papers.

Cemetery and Death Records
In an effort to properly mark gravesites and pay respect to American soldiers who lost their lives in World War I, a Graves Registration Service (GRS) was established in 1917. The GRS prepared a “Report of Disinterment and Reburial,” that listed the soldier’s name, serial number, rank, organization, and whether the soldier was buried in Europe or returned to the United States. If the soldier was buried in Europe and the soldier’s mother or spouse took the Gold Star Mothers’ Pilgrimage, the record of the pilgrimage is also included. Information o n these and other federal World War I records may be obtained from the Military Textual Reference Branch (NWCTM), National Archives, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 or from the NARA website.

The American Battle Monuments Commission maintains a listing of soldiers interred at American military cemeteries overseas, as well as those Missing in Action from World War I. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) operates the National Cemetery System in the United States. Available at their headquarters is an alphabetical list that identifies nearly every soldier buried in national cemeteries or other cemeteries under federal jurisdiction. Gravesite information can also be found on the VA website.

Abroad
The impact of World War I on the United States was minimal when compared to the other countries involved, both in the form of casualties and records. Family historians may find that records they’re seeking have been destroyed, that an ancestor’s birth country may no longer exist, or that border changes could make locating a former hometown seemingly impossible. In some areas of Europe, World War II may have compounded these problems.

Adele Maurine Marcum holds a bachelor’s degree in Family History from Brigham Young University, and has created and taught online German genealogy classes. Brian Peterson holds a master’s degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and currently works with content acquisi tion at MyFamily.com, specializing in military and immigration records. Echo King, AG has a Family History degree from Brigham Young University and specializes in English research.

Memoirs and Memories

First hand accounts, whether from your own ancestors or their contemporaries, can add a perspective you won’t find in any history book. Look to the following locations for first-person details on the World War I experience:

How the War Played Out in Your Family Tree

Immigration to the United States was historically at its peak just before World War I broke out. Between the years 1900 and 1910, nearly 9 million immigrants arrived in America; in the next decade, 1911 to 1920, as the war broke out in both Eastern and Western Europe, only 5 million immigrants arrived on U.S. shores. Following the war, U.S. legislation reduced the number of immigrants permitted into America annually, and additional caps were placed on the number of immigrants to the United States from countries in the eastern hemisphere. Oftentimes, immigrants who arrived in America during the period immediately following World War I were family members reuniting with other family members already in America.Whether your ancestors were here or abroad, finding out what life was like for them during World War I can sometimes pose a challenge. In November 2004, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that only about one hundred United State s World War I veterans were still living; 2005 estimates are closer to fifty. And, unlike World War II, media images of WWI aren’t always easy to come by. A trip to a local bookstore, for example, might net half of a shelf devoted to books on World War I, while books about World War II–related topics could fill the entire store. Similarly, film images depicting World War I are also scarce: few films were created with World War I as a backdrop. All Quiet on the Western Front, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Sergeant York, A Farewell to Arms, and The African Queen are notable exceptions.

Even without an extensive media presence, existing records pertaining to World War I can offer you a glimpse of everything from social conditions and attitudes about war and politics, to your own immigrant ancestor’s lifestyle, job, and personal details.


Sources and Suggested Reading

Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Ancestry, 1998.
Szucs, Loretto Dennis. They Became Americans; Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins. Ancestry, 1998.
Tolzmann, Don Heinrich. The German-American Experience. Humanity Books, 2000.

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