Order of Induction into Military Service of the United States
The President of the United States
To: Joseph W. Doakes,
Greeting: Having submitted yourself to a local board composed of your neighbors for the purpose of determining the place and time in which you can best serve the United States in the present emergency, you are hereby notified that you have now been selected for immediate military service.
You will, therefore, report to the local board named below at: 48 South Grand Avenue at 4 pm, February 16, 1918 for military duty.
From and after the day and hour just named you will be a soldier in the military service of the United States.
 |
| Reporting for Duty |
Family history buffs can search the database of US WW1 Draft Registration cards at Ancestry.com for free at http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6482
ReplyDeleteDiane, I've made extensive use of the Ancestry.com WWI draft registration database, and I agree with your assessment. Users would do well to remember that all kinds of spellings are possible. We are at the mercy of, first, the interaction between the person who is registering and the clerk taking his information. Next is the problem of spelling some names, particularly the names immigrants. Finally, a transcriber had to read the name in order to digitize and catalog the card. Still, these are a great resource for historians!
ReplyDeletePete
Don't forget that World War I draft registration cards are also available on FamilySearch.org: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1968530. Having multiple search options increases the chance of success.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather served in the Navy during the war, but was drafted, My grand uncle enlisted in the Royal Artillery. Personal note, I received my draft notice in 1968 while at Parris Island
ReplyDeleteFascinating wording! I'm really struck by the use of euphemism, as well as reference to the community as the decider of the action: "Having submitted yourself to a local board composed of your neighbors for the purpose of determining the place and time in which you can best serve the United States in the present emergency...."
ReplyDeleteIT was such a polite era. Off they went to the trenches. Waving goodbye- mostly they had no real idea of what they were about to experience. Not in any realistic way. But they were very ready to do their duty if called on ," By their Neighbors."
ReplyDelete