Fold3 HQ

WWII Draft Registration Card Collection update

Fold3 has added four new states to our collection of U.S. WWII Draft Registration Cards! The collection now contains cards from Montana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Oregon. The cards in this collection are registration cards for the draft and do not necessarily indicate that the individual served in the military.WWII Draft Registration Card Collection

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 physical description of the registrant.

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

11 Comments

  1. GABRIEL BAUTISTA says:

    Kool.

  2. JoyAnna says:

    That’s awesome! Thanks! The registration cards can be a wealth of information. Birth places, wife’s name etc

  3. Elizabeth MacMillan says:

    I have been finding these Draft Registrations very useful as I work on my family tree and individual profiles. They have helped with providing basic physical descriptions and the names of spouses and residences as well. It is also wonderful to see the person’s handwriting when they fill out and sign these records. Thank you so much.

  4. Andy says:

    Those 4 states where already in there, so whats new ?
    Are they updated ?

  5. Wayne MacMillan says:

    Hey Elizabeth – Could we be related? Got a couple of Elizabeths in my family tree. Wayne MacMillan

  6. Deborah Pomper says:

    I am most interested in the Canadian men that went to War

  7. Sharon Cieszkiewicz says:

    What other states are in your data base? Why isn’t this information included with my Ancestry membership? I have draft cards from WW1 that I found doing my research without having this additional membership and cost.

  8. Dorothy Cox says:

    I thought these were included in my regular Ancestry membership. I’m paying a lot of money for not all that much help any more now that I’ve filled out much of my direct line.

  9. Tom says:

    How about Korean

  10. Kenneth Peck says:

    These registration cards are invaluable to letting us know of our ancestors. Thank you for your research for us.