My Dad was born on the last day of 1912. I had always wondered why I couldn’t locate a World War II Draft Registration card for him. I thought they had all been put online. After all, I found the registration cards for my grandfather’s, uncles etc.
It turns out that all the images for this record set were not online. Who knew? Randy Seaver wrote about this in his Genea-Musings blog.
Off I went to see if I could find this record for my Dad. Sure enough, there it was. U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 - Harry Norman Gould
This record gives me a little more information about my Dad and his first wife, Elaine. The address listed here, 18286 Ferguson, Detroit, Michigan, is different than the address listed in the 1940 census. The date of this registration is 16 Oct 1940. The 1940 census is dated 16 Apr 1940 and this couple is living at 12892 Faust Ave., Detroit, Michigan. They are said to have been at that address in 1935, as well. So, between April & October 1940, they had moved.
What information is available on this record?
Serial Number 3106, Order Number 1217
Harry Norman Gould
18286 Ferguson, Detroit, Wayne, Mich.
Telephone VE 5-7622
Age 27 years
Place of birth – Detroit, Mich.
Date of birth – 12-31-12
Country of citizenship – U.S.
Name of person who will always know your address – Mrs. Elaine Gertrude Gould, wife
Address of that person – 18286 Ferguson, Detroit, Wayne, Michgan
Employer’s name – Wayne County Auditors
Place of employment – County Bldg., Detroit, Wayne, Mich.
Race – white
Height – 6’ 1 1/2”
Weight – 183
Eyes – Blue
Hair – Brown
Complexion – light
Scars – None
If I didn’t already know my Dad’s physical description, this is certainly a wonderful source.
Here is a screenshot courtesy of Google Maps showing the home at 18286 Ferguson. I wonder what it looked like in 1940?
I enjoy collecting signatures from as many ancestors as possible. I already have my Dad’s from a later record. How much had it changed over the years?
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| Left signature from 1940 and right from 1971 |
What interesting or unknown information have you found in the various draft card registration files?
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
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I look forward to reading your comments. If you have any connection to the people mentioned in this blog, please let me know. I write about mine and my husband's ancestors and would welcome new information or meeting a new cousin or two. Thanks for visiting and come back soon.