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Four New States Added to the WWII Draft Registration Card Collection

Fold3 has added four more states to our collection of U.S. WWII Draft Registration Cards! The collection now includes cards from New York, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Vermont. We now have Draft Registration Cards from 45 states or regions! The cards in this collection are registration cards and do not necessarily indicate that the individual served in the military.

There were seven draft registration periods in the United States for World War II service. The first draft registration was held on October 16, 1940—before the United States had entered the war. Men ages 21–36 were required to register at their local draft board. The second draft registration was also held prior to the American entrance into the war, on July 1, 1941. This registration was for men who had turned 21 since the previous registration date nine months earlier.

The third (February 16, 1942) and fifth (June 30, 1942) registration periods expanded the ages required to register; the age ranges for the third were extended to 20–21 and 35–44, while the fifth extended them to ages 18–20. The sixth registration (December 10–31, 1942) was for men who had turned 18 since the fifth registration six months prior. There was also a seventh registration, known as the “Extra Registration,” from November 16 to December 31, 1943, which was for American men ages 18–44 who were living abroad.

The cards from the fourth registration (April 27, 1942; for men ages 45–64) are not included in the WWII Draft Registration Cards but in Fold3’s WWII “Old Man’s Draft” Registration Cards collection.

Pictured below is the draft card for Jacob John Dukart of North Dakota. He registered for the draft during the first registration period in October 1940. He enlisted in 1942, and in 1943, Pvt. Dukart was captured by German soldiers and sent to a POW camp. That Christmas, POWs in the camp sent a short wave broadcast greeting home to their families. It is not clear if the broadcast reached anyone at home during Christmas, but in February 1944 the messages were re-broadcast and listeners in Montana and Florida picked up the voice of Pvt. Dukart. He sent greetings to his wife and parents back in Dickinson, North Dakota, and asked for a photo of his daughter Jacqueline whom he had never seen. Pvt. Dukart was eventually freed and returned home to the United States. He passed away in 2004.

What stories will you uncover using this collection? Get started searching our WWII Draft Registration Cards today on Fold3!

37 Comments

  1. Sarah Fairchild says:

    Thank you for he update.

  2. Monica says:

    Still waiting for more of Michigan…. and waiting, and waiting.. 🙁

  3. Megan H says:

    You said there were 7 draft periods, but you only listed 6 ….
    so either you skipped one or there were 2 for the same time-frame…..

    Might want to correct that.

    • Rosemary Avita says:

      Reread the information, it states that the fourth is not included as in was released prior in the Old Men’s Draft.

    • Kathryn John says:

      They did list seven. 1 Oct 1940; 2 Jul 1941; 3 Feb 1942; 4 Apr 1942; 5 Jun 1942; 6 Dec 1942; 7 Nov-Dec 1942.

  4. Maime C. Robinson-Omari says:

    My dad served and was in WWII. I can not find his card. How can you help me find it?

    • Rose Burleson Sewell says:

      Hi Maime, I had similar problem his name was spelled much differently berrillson vs Burleson as we spell it. I only found after narrowing the draft registrations to specific state and county. Cant remember if I had to do a search for the county and then by individual. It was very tedious but I found him! Hope that helps. You might be able to use wildcard characters like the * or ? To make the search broader for typos and misspellings then on each page use the Ctrl key + f key to find the occurence of his maybe his first name on each page to speed up the search. Good luck.

  5. Larry H says:

    The New York Cards are from the State of New York But do not contain records from the New York City 5 Boroughs area. Any idea when records will be released from the City Of New York Area ??? Thank You

  6. James .Ritter says:

    Can someone do a quick search for George J. Ritter? I believe the J is for Julius. From NY. Write me at [email protected]. Thank you in advance.

  7. Is IN one of the last five states to be added? My father was in the Army and served in Italy and my mother served in the WAC and I have been unable to find anything on either.

    • Jenny Ashcraft says:

      Hi Terry, Indiana Draft Cards are already on Fold3. Sadly, we don’t have WAC registration cards (but hope to add those in the future). Try checking alternative names (i.e. shortened names, initials, or full names) and hopefully you can find your father’s card.

  8. Please help me find my father’s card as he was in WWII. His name was Charles Heber Davidson from East Liverpool, Ohio, Columbiana County.

    Thank you.

    • Ann Roettger says:

      Are you sure that is his middle name? There is a Charles William Davidson from East Liverpool, Ohio, Columbiana County who registered in 1942. His birthdate was 4-23-1892 and wife was Pauline.

  9. Donna Switzer says:

    Was looking for my father’s card from Michigan.Arthur Dewayne Phelps .He was from Sanford. Mi.

    • Robert Mulvanny says:

      Name: Arthur Dwayne Phelps
      Gender: Male
      Race: White
      Age: 21
      Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head)
      Birth Date: 27 Aug 1920
      Birth Place: Isabella, Michigan, USA
      Residence Place: Sanford, Midland, Michigan, USA
      Registration Date: 16 Feb 1942
      Registration Place: Sanford, Midland, Michigan, USA
      Employer: The Dow Chemical Co
      Weight: 160
      Complexion: Ruddy
      Eye Color: Blue
      Hair Color: Brown
      Height: 5 11
      Next of Kin: Herbert Deitsch

    • Donna Switzer says:

      Was looking for my father’s card from Michigan.Arthur Dewayne Phelps .He was from Sanford. Mi.

    • Robert Mulvanny says:

      I sent you that information two days ago. These cards do not indicate where a person served, rather only that they registered for the draft.

  10. Pat Saunders says:

    Do you have South Carolina?
    Looking for an uncle,
    William Pope Crouch
    Saluda, South Carolina

    • Name: William P Crouch
      Birth Year: 1919
      Race: White, citizen (White)
      Nativity State or Country: South Carolina
      State of Residence: South Carolina
      County or City: Saluda

      Enlistment Date: 20 Nov 1942
      Enlistment State: South Carolina
      Enlistment City: Fort Jackson Columbia
      Branch: Branch Immaterial – Warrant Officers, USA
      Branch Code: Branch Immaterial – Warrant Officers, USA
      Grade: Private
      Grade Code: Private
      Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
      Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
      Source: Civil Life

      Education: 2 years of high school
      Civil Occupation: Farm hands, general farms
      Marital status: Single, with dependents
      Height: 74
      Weight: 177

  11. Ethel Jane Walker says:

    How do I find draft cards for Step-father & two Uncles, all from Minnesota?

  12. Robert Mulvanny says:

    This database is included in Ancestry.com subscriptions. If you don’t have one, send me the names, birth dates and town and I’ll try to find them for you.

    • Patricia Patterson Hotze says:

      Looking for draft card of my uncle, Fred Lee Patterson, dob 19 Sep 1908 (or 1909), Lawrenceton, Ste. Genevieve, MO. Parents John Wesley and Clara Elsba Thurman Patterson. Lived in Arkansas (?Blytheville) at time of draft. Married to Edith Mae Henderson. Would be grateful for any help you can give. Thank you.

    • Red Mulvanny says:

      I have checked WWII Draft Registrations in both Arkansas and Missouri and have not found anything on your ancestor, sorry.

    • Patricia Patterson Hotze says:

      I appreciate your effort; many thanks. Any possibility you could try Georgia?

    • Robert Mulvanny says:

      I found this in Georgia. Not sure he’s your ancestor though since only his year of birth is listed. Good luck.

      Fred L Patterson
      Birth Year: 1908
      Race: White, citizen (White)
      Nativity State or Country: Missouri
      State of Residence: Tennessee
      County or City: Henry

      Enlistment Date: 24 Feb 1943
      Enlistment State: Georgia
      Enlistment City: Fort Oglethorpe
      Branch: Branch Immaterial – Warrant Officers, USA
      Branch Code: Branch Immaterial – Warrant Officers, USA
      Grade: Private
      Grade Code: Private
      Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
      Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
      Source: Civil Life

      Education: 2 years of high school
      Civil Occupation: Salesmen and sales agents, except to consumers
      Marital status: Married
      Height: 72
      Weight: 159

    • Patricia Patterson Hotze says:

      Thank you SO very much! I feel this is my uncle as he was a salesman and was tall and thin. Those facts fit with enough of the other info that I have every confidence this is he. The only thing I can’t figure out is — why Georgia?

    • Robert Mulvanny says:

      Great, glad to help. Good luck in your research.

  13. Nancy Smith says:

    Looking for draft card on Donald Ray Hatchette, Spartanburg or Cowpens, SC. Born Nov. 14, 1910.

  14. Ron Lee says:

    How do I learn to use Fold3 and the Newspaper that I paid for recently.

    • Jenny Ashcraft says:

      Hi Ron, You’re going to love searching Fold3 and Newspapers! There are instructions and tutorials for using both sites on their home pages. For Fold3, go to the bottom of the home page under “More”. There you will find help pages and tutorials. On the Newspapers.com home page there are tutorials at the bottom right of the page that will walk you through how to use it. Have fun searching!

  15. John E Portello says:

    This isn’t worth much when I still need to pay extra to view a draft card that’s designated Premium. Disappointing to keep requiring more money.

  16. Donna Switzer says:

    How do you find out where some one served in the army My Father was in the army. Arthur Dewayne Phelps from Sanford Mi. I was told they thought he was in. .Italy

  17. Joel E. Wheeler says:

    My father, Merton Henry Wheeler, of Calais, Washington County, Vermont, was not called up until after the end of hostilities in 1945. He was the only son in his family. I believe he was called up in late 1946 or in 1947. He ended up as a military policeman in Tokyo, Japan during the occupation. He spent a year there, and rotated home. By the time he got home, the state of Vermont was starting the Vermont State Police. The state tried to recruit him, but he declined. The reasons he declined were that 1) he never finished the 7th grade in school, and 2) he could not read enough to be able to do the job.

  18. Carol Sullivan says:

    The info would be in your father’s file , which would be at either the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO, or at the National Archives. There was a bad fire at the St Louis facility in the early 1970s, and many military records, especially the Army section, were destroyed at that time. A few Army records survived and the center has tried to build new files by obtaining copies of records from families, etc.
    I believe many military records were later transferred to the National Archives.
    It was also common in earlier years for returning servicemen to take their discharge form, DD214, to their local courthouse and register their discharge there. This is not done today.
    That form lists dates of service, units served in, places stationed, ranks held, and awards given. The info was copied from the DD214 into whatever format the court used. There wasn’t detail on battles or military actions, but once you have the dates of service and unit(s) served in, you can look up unit histories and see where they were and what actions they were involved in.
    I don’t know if this practice was followed all over the US, but I found where my father, his brother, and their cousins had all registered their forms on their return home.
    If your father did register his form, it will be much easier and cheaper to obtain it from the courthouse. If his official military file does still survive it would have further info on any awards he may have received, and could have copies of reports on any actions he was involved in.
    Good luck with your search.