Fold3 HQ

Texas and California Added to the WWII Draft Registration Cards Collection!

Example WWII Draft Registration Card
Fold3 has added two new states to its collection of U.S. WWII Draft Registration Cards! The collection (from the National Archives) now includes Texas and California. The cards in this collection are registration cards for the draft 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.

Information on the WWII Draft Registration Cards may include the man’s name, address, telephone number, age, place of birth, country of citizenship, name and address of the person who will always know the registrant’s address, employer’s name, place of employment, and a description of the registrant.

Get started searching or browsing the WWII Draft Registration Cards on Fold3!

16 Comments

  1. Robert D. Hilliard says:

    I have family members (including direct line) in every American conflict from the American Revolution to Vietnam, but have failed to find ANY information from draft card, to pension, to anything to show they ever served.

    Tonight, I had Pennsylvania and Revolutionary War on the left and Pearl Harbor (?) in the far right column. I have no idea how to locate any records of any in any conflict.

    • doc says:

      So your family missed King Phillip’s War and the French and Indian? Mine only stayed home for the Mexican War.

    • G says:

      My grandfather was in the Spanish American war but I found his records under the Civil War collection.
      Try searching the other wars for a mis-filed record.

    • John says:

      You have a rather difficult task as in 1964 a terrible fire destroyed a lot of military records. With the records in alphabetical order, the letter H was among those destroyed

  2. Glenn says:

    Thank you RDH for your question. I want to know too. While our line ONLY goes to the War of 1812. Where is that info? Where are the US Army WW II service records? Help us please.
    (BTW, thank you to Navy-Marine Corps for their records.)

    • Marg says:

      Trying to locate husband’s father’s records of serving in Midlands Uk during WWII. Chinese American last name Quong/Kwon from California. Are there any embarkment records for the US? Any surviving service records??

    • Theresa Kelly says:

      I have been told by the National Record Archives Center that 75% of the records were destroyed in a fire in the 1970s. I had requested my grandfather’s records from WW1 and my uncles’ records from WW2. There is a form to fill out for them to try to piece together some records using alternative sources. So that will be my next step.

  3. Serena P. says:

    Thanks for sharing this information.

  4. Thank you for your comments. Here are a couple of links to help with better using Fold3 search: https://www.fold3.com/tour/. In addition our conflicts are sometimes better searched through our browse feature: https://www.fold3.com/browse/

  5. Joseph Fitzgerald says:

    Fold3 is really underwhelming !!!! My wifes Dad fought in the battle of Iwo Jima and Saipan in World War 2 but yet Fold3 does not even showing him in the military at all.

    My Uncle fought in the Battle of the Bulge and he is also not listed in Fold3.

    Disappointing………………………….

  6. Sue says:

    Many records were lost when the St. Louis Federal Information Center caught fire……not sure of the date but many records from WWI were lost.

  7. Carole says:

    I find this site very difficult to navigate and I’m pretty good with Ancestry. Perhaps our comments will instigate some changes.

  8. Elisa Cossey Brock says:

    Where do u look for Purple Heart recipients?

  9. C. Proctor says:

    If you are looking for a specific recipient and he was in the Marine Corps or the U.S. Navy they will likely send it to you unless he was awarded that already.

    I went to my County VA Service Officer and made a request for military papers and information on any awards or medals. I was incredibly surprised when their packages came in the mail. First came the military records and disability records (which he was denied the disability). Second came the two medals! I was so excited to see his Victory Medal and his Good Conduct Medal.

    Sadly, there was a fire in St. Louis some years ago and I was told it destroyed all the Army and (Army Air Corps?) records.

    I wish you good luck.

    • Patti says:

      Is Army Air Corps completely different and separate from the U.S. Air Force (I hope)?

  10. Marg says:

    Regarding the fire destruction of record in respect to the alphabetical order is there a guide as to those records which survived. I am looking for Quong or Kwong WWII so would be significant in the elimination process if ‘Q’ survived.
    With thanks, MB