How to Get Free WWI Enlistment Records
For genealogy buffs, family history researcher, and those simply wanting to know a bit more about their ancestors, there's nothing quite like war.
Modern warfare led to modern record-keeping. Soldiers had to get recruited, uniformed, fed, housed, provisioned, transported, paid and, all too often, buried. Next of kin had to notified.
All this activity resulted in massive records, many of which are finding their way online. These records are a gold mine for family history work.
It's possible to access millions of WWI enlistment records and other military files, from a variety of sources, and very often, free of charge.
Here's how to view World War I enlistment and service records.
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Instructions
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**Search Military Lookups**
There are dozens of sources of online information on soldiers that allow name searching. For instance, Forces Reunited allows searching of more than a million military records from the UK.
In the US, the National Gravesite Locator identifies the burial sites of millions of US soldiers.
Even the ANZACS (Australian-New Zealand Army Corps) have a look-up site of their own.
Most of these lookups are free, and can be focused to search just on World War I, or for another conflict of particular interest.
See the Resources section for links to these wonderful genealogy and military history tools.
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**Visit Free Genealogy Tools**
The freegenealogytools.com website includes dozens of sources of information for military records, from medieval times up through modern-day conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere.
World War I records can be searched at many of these family history tools. The Resources section includes a direct link to the relevant sections of this site.
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**Make Use of State Archives**
Individual states are digitizing their archive content and making it available online. These are wonderful, yet little-known resources for military history.
For instance, the NY State Archives house the muster rolls of the Harlem Hellfighters, the first African American fighting unit in WWI.
Alabama's Archives include online enlistment records of both Civil War and World War I soldiers.
These are just examples. Visit DigitalStateArchives.com to see what's available in any state of interest to you.
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**Check the Stars and Stripes**
The Stars and Stripes was the official newspaper of the Armed Forces in WWI, as well as for later conflicts. The full set of newspapers for the First World War is available online, and can be searched at no charge.
A fair number of soldiers are mentioned in the pages of the newspaper, and a quick name search on your ancestors who may have served may well turn up a few unexpected nuggets about their time in the military. The paper also carried obituaries on occasion.
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I know Dr Abhijit He was our hero at Basushree cinema Hall coffee house and also at SUTRIPTI opp Desapriya Park at South Calcutta in the year 1974-77. Oh God, World is so small. Nothing is lost. Everything remain some where else either in mind or in real life. Hi Abhi, Kemon Accho? Madhumita Mukherjj. Formarly leaving at Lake Road, Now at New York.
