WWI Draft Card - Victor E. Lund

The United States joined World War I on April 6, 1917. The Selective Service Act of 1917 required all males aged 21 to 30 to register for military service. Later the age range was expanded to include ages 18 to 45 and to ban volunteering. 4.8 million Americans served during World War I, and about 2.8 million of those were drafted. Approximately 24 million men registered for World War I.

Victor Erastus Lund took part in the first registration, on June 5, 1917 which was for all men ages of 21 to 31. The draft cards are two sided with the draftee filling out the front side and the official completing the back.

click on image to enlarge.

Source: "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, United States, Selective Service System, Ancestry.com (ancestry.com : downloaded 6 May 2011), Victor Erastus Lund Registration Card; citing World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, form 664, card no. 10233.

Transcript:

Registration Card

Form 664

No. 10233

·         Name in Full – Victor Erastus Lund, age in yrs. 28

·         Home address – Plain City, Utah

·         Date of Birth – Dec 13, 1888

·         Are you – “natural born”

·         Where where you born? – Plain City, Utah

·         If not a citizen, of what country are you a citizen or subject? ---

·         What is your present trade, occupation, or office? – Farming

·         By whom employed? – myself

·         Where employed? – Plain City

·         Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or a sister or brother under 12, solely dependent on you for support (specify which)? – wife – one child

·         Married or single (which)? – married

·         Race (specify which)? – Caucasian

·         What military service have you had? – none

·         Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)? ---

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

(signed) Victor Erastus Lund

Registrar’s Report

A 43-1-34

·         Tall, medium or short (specify which)? – Tall

·         Slender, medium, or stout (which)? – Medium

·         Color of eyes? – Dark Brown

·         Color of hair? – Dark Brown

·         Bald? ---

·         Has person lost arm, leg, hand, feet, or both eyes, or is he otherwise disabled (specify)? ---

I certify that my answers are ture, that the person registered has read this own answeres, that I have witnesssed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows: _______.

(signed) ???Jackman

Precinct – Plain City

City or County – Weber

State – Utah

Date of registration – June 5

---

Interesting:

• I found this card on Ancestry last year, before I had a photograph of Victor. I love that it lists his characteristics.
• The triangle at the bottom of the front side says: "If person is of African descent, tear off this corner." Not sure why they wanted this information displayed prominently...they already asked for race on the card.