Online World War I Service Databases
In 1973, a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri destroyed approximately 80% of Army Personnel discharge records from 1912 through 1960, complicating research on the service of WWI Veterans.
State-level records remain, some of which are available in our Edward Jones Research Center. Other records have been made available online through the efforts of various organizations and individuals.
Go to:
U.S. General Resources
National Archives - Veterans' Service Records
Veterans and the next-of-kin of deceased veterans can request records online or by mail. http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records
National Archives - WWI Records
WWI-specific link. https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/wwi
National Archives - "Compiled Data on Casualties of the American Expeditionary Forces by State or United States Possession, 1917 – 1919"
This series contains compiled information on Army personnel who lost their lives while serving with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), organized by state. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1726747
National Archives - WWI Centennial
Home page with many additional links to specific information. https://www.archives.gov/topics/wwi
American Battle Monuments Commission - Burial Sites Overseas
This register includes records for those buried and memorialized at WWI military cemeteries overseas. It does not include individuals who died overseas and were repatriated to the United States for burial. https://www.abmc.gov/database-search
National WWI Museum and Memorial - Online Collections Database
The Museum and Memorial's collection, which began in 1920, includes letters, documents and photographs donated by veterans and their families. Search by name to see if any records related to a particular individual have been digitized. https://collections.theworldwar.org/argus/final/Portal/Default.aspx?lang=en-US&p_AAEE=tab2&d=d
Role of Honor Foundation
The Role of Honor Foundation is a nonprofit charity with the mission of honoring the military service of the men and women of America’s Armed Forces. The foundation provides a digital database to search for servicemembers during WWI. https://www.rollofhonor.org/ww1/
Alabama
Alabama Department of Archives and History: World War I Service Cards - This collection consists of index cards with personal details about Alabamians who served in the armed forces during World War I. http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/landingpage/collection/p17217coll3
Alabama Department of Archives and History: Gold Star Search - The Alabama Department of Archives and History used the Official Bulletin of Gold Star Mothers, published by the U. S. Committee on Public Information, to identify soldiers from Alabama who died, then sent out biographical questionnaires to their families. https://digital.archives.alabama.gov/digital/collection/goldstar
Family Search - This collection from the Alabama Department of History and Archives includes records for the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines from 1917-1919. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2865018
Alaska
Alaska State Libraries, Archives & Museum - Spreadsheet of Alaska World War I Veterans, organized by name. https://archives.alaska.gov/documents/indexes/AK-WWI-Veterans.xlsx
WWI and the Alaskan experience - this online exhibition leads to several collections and resources detailing Alaskans and their contribution to the war, including a list of veterans. https://archives.alaska.gov/education/wwi.html
Arizona
National Archives: Arizona WWI Dead - This digitized file on Arizona’s fallen soldiers is from the National Archives collection, Compiled Data on Casualties of the American Expeditionary Forces by State or United States Possession, 1917 – 1919. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/34389293
Arkansas
Arkansas World War I discharge records - This searchable index contains information from over 99,000 World War I discharge records for the men and women from Arkansas who served in World War I. https://digitalheritage.arkansas.gov/ww1-discharge/
Arkansas Death Records Index, 1812-2006 - This Arkansas death records index, formerly referred to as the "In Remembrance death index," provides researchers with the location of death records in early Arkansas, as published in church publications, cemetery records, mortality censuses, newspaper obituaries, or county and local records in the Arkansas State Archives' holdings. https://digitalheritage.arkansas.gov/death-records-index/
Arkansas and the Great War - Presented by the Butler center for Arkansas studies. This exhibition links to several collections of documents from the era. http://bc-digital.org/arkansas-and-the-great-war/
California
California Department of Veteran Affairs: Veteran Registry Search - Find the names of Californians in military service from the California Veterans Memorial in Sacramento. https://www.calvet.ca.gov/VetServices/Pages/Vet-Registry.aspx
Colorado
Denver Public Library: Colorado Military Research Tools - Search through multiple collections of WWI records from the Denver Public Library, including draft registration cards, an index of Colorado's minority soldiers and the state's causalities in Europe. https://history.denverlibrary.org/research/colorado-military
Connecticut
Connecticut State Library: World War I Veterans Database - Military Service Questionnaires, from World War I veterans and families of deceased veterans, 1919-1920. http://www.ctatatelibrarydata.org/ww-1-veterans
Service Records: Connecticut men and women in the armed forces of the United States during WWI 1917-1920 - accessible on Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/servicerecordsco03unse
Delaware
Family Search: Delaware, World War I Servicemen Records, 1917-1919 - Available through Family Search, this collection from the Delaware Public Archives includes records for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2858132
District of Columbia
No resources known
Florida
Florida Memory: World War I Service Records - Browse service cards from WWI. https://www.floridamemory.com/discover/historical_records/wwi/
Florida Department of State homepage regarding WWI - On this page, the Florida state library provides many resources for individuals to start their research about Florida and WWI. https://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/research/explore-our-resources/florida-history-culture-and-heritage/wwi/
Georgia
The United States World War I Centennial Commission: Georgia Memorial Database - Built from the Georgia State Memorial Book, published in 1921, this database contains the names and information for approximately 1,200 Georgia military personnel that died during WWI. http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/georgia-memorial-database.html
WWI Casualties Scrapbook, presented by Georgia Archives at the University System of Georgia - This is an alphabetical list of casualties of Georgians during WWI. https://vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/p17154coll7
Hawaii
Hawaii State Archives Digital Collections: World War I Service Records - World War I Service Records from 1919-1926 document the service history of Hawaii residents (and some non-Hawaii residents) who were in the armed forces during World War I. https://digitalcollections.hawaii.gov/greenstone3/library/collection/worldwar/page/about
Service records of all Hawaii recruits - Filipinos and non-Filipinos - who entered the U.S. military during WWI - The legacy of Filipinos serving in the U.S. military during WWI is little known. These records are still being digitized. http://efilarchives.org/collections/WWI.htm
Idaho
Idaho Military Records - Maintained by Idaho Genealogy, this website links to many different resources for WWI service records. https://idahogenealogy.com/military
Illinois
World War I - Documents - This archive contains many different resources for WWI service records from the Illinois State Library. http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/isl8
Illinois and the Great War - Maintained by the World War One Centennial Commission, this website includes links to different resources for WWI collections from Illinois. https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/illinois-wwi-centennial-home.html
Indiana
Indiana, World War I Enrollment Cards, 1919 - Available through Family Search, this collection includes enrollment cards for Indianans in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2968238
Indiana World War I Deaths - This database maintained by the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center contains the names of the 1,420 Indiana soldiers listed as having lost their lives in Europe in World War I. https://www.genealogycenter.info/search_inww1deaths.php
Iowa
State Historical Society of Iowa: World War I Honor Roll - In 1920, while memories of the war were still fresh, the Iowa Department of History and Archives asked Iowa families to send in names and photographs of the loved ones they had lost. This exhibition features the names and faces of those Iowans, and the website includes links to more resources on WWI casualties for the state. https://iowaculture.gov/history/museum/exhibits/world-war-i-honor-roll
Kansas
Kansas Historical Society: Kansas Soldiers of the Great War - Database of approximately 5200 Kansans who served in World War I, compiled from multiple sources. https://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-soldiers-of-the-great-war/15805
Kansas Historical Society: Bounty Claims - Copies of enlistment and discharge papers and other documents submitted by individuals applying for a state bonus paid to World War I veterans or their widows/orphans. https://www.kshs.org/p/world-war-i-bounty-claims/15808
Kansas Memory: Soldier Search - Around 1919, the Kansas State Historical Society and the American Legion solicited biographical information from returning veterans (primarily members of the 35th and 89th infantry divisions) and the families of those who died in service, notably from the Gold Star Mothers. Each veteran or family member was asked to provide letters, photographs, a biography, and military records. http://www.kansasmemory.org/category/11597
Kentucky
Fallen Kentucky Soldiers in WWI - Organized by county, this website contains the Kentucky records from Soldiers of the Great War, which was published in 1920. http://usgwarchives.net/ky/military/wwi/
Louisiana
Louisiana World War 1 Draft Registration - Draft registration records, organized by parish. https://accessgenealogy.com/military/louisiana-world-war-one-draft-registration.htm
Maine
World War I Grave Cards, 1914-1950 - Available through Family Search, this collection includes grave cards for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard from the Maine State Archives. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2968248
World War I Draft Registration Index, 1917-1919 - Available through Family Search, this collection includes draft registration cards from the Maine State Archives. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1807269
Digital Maine Repository - The National Guard of Maine kept many records of WWI service. This collection includes infantry and death records during WWI. https://digitalmaine.com/wwI_personnel/
Maryland
Hathi Trust Digital Library: WWI Military and Naval Records - Digitized and searchable records from Maryland in the World War, 1917-1919; Military and Naval Service Records are available through the University of Michigan and Columbia University. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000403213
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Genealogy Trails: Honor Roll of World War I Casualties - Compiled by the Genealogy Trails History Group, this website provides a list of soldier casualties from Massachusetts. http://genealogytrails.com/mass/ww1casualties_pg2.html
World War I Soldier Photographs - From the State Library of Massachusetts, this is a digitized collection of thousands of World War I portrait photographs, mostly of members of the 26th Division 101st Field Artillery, 101st Engineers, 102nd Field Artillery and 104th Infantry. https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/124230
Michigan
Census of World War I Veterans: Kent County - An index of WWI soldiers from Kent County, Michigan. http://data.wmgs.org/WWOneVeteransCensus/FMPro?-db=Orders&-lay=WWOneVeteransCensusOrders&-format=search.htm&-New
Minnesota
World War I Records, 1918-1941 - Available through Family Search, this collection includes service records for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard and the Gold Star Honor Roll from the Minnesota Historical Society. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2421524
Minnesota Military service records - This page leads to many primary sources including the Minnesota War Records Commission. https://libguides.mnhs.org/milservice/ww1?gad=1
Mississippi
Mississippi World War I Statement of Service Cards and Indices - These records from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, digitized by FamilySearch, document the World War I-era military service of thousands of Mississippians. Included are indices listing Mississippi veterans along with statement of service cards providing details about their service. http://www.mdah.ms.gov/arrec/digital_archives/wwicards
Missouri
Missouri Over There - Over There: Missouri & the Great War is a statewide collaborative digitization project to document Missouri’s role in World War I. The project is a digital collection of historical documents, photographs, artifacts, oral histories and other primary source material from museums, archives, libraries, and private collections from across Missouri. http://missourioverthere.org
Missouri Digital Heritage: Soldiers' Records: War of 1812 - World War I - The Missouri State Archives holds nearly 1½ million pages that document the service of Missourians in domestic and foreign wars between 1812 and World War I. These military records primarily consist of individual service cards, but the extensive collection also includes muster rolls, special orders, reports, and more. https://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/archives/archivesdb/soldiers
Montana
Montana Memory Project: WWI Military Enlistments - The bulk of this collection consists of WWI army enlistments, organized into groups by surname. The collection also includes marines, marine officers, and nurses, as well as dishonorable discharges, fraudulent enlistments, and enemy aliens. This card file is part of the Montana Adjutant General's Office Records 1889-1959 (RS 223). https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/12944
Nebraska
Nebraska World War I Draft Registration - Transcribed draft cards of servicemen are available to browse by county, hosted by USGenWeb Project. https://accessgenealogy.com/military/nebraska-world-war-one-draft-registrations.htm
Nebraska WWI Commemoration presented by the Nebraska State Historical Society - This page links to several other resources and databases about WWI and Nebraska. https://veterans.nebraska.gov/WWI/resources
Nevada
Nevada World War I Draft Registration - Transcribed draft cards of servicemen are available to browse by county, hosted by USGenWeb Project. https://accessgenealogy.com/military/nevada-world-war-one-draft-registration.htm
New Hampshire
New Hampshire WWI Dead - These records of New Hampshire’s fallen soldiers are from the National Archives collection, Compiled Data on Casualties of the American Expeditionary Forces by State or United States Possession, 1917 – 1919. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/34390566
New Jersey
New Jersey Department of State: World War I Deaths - More than 3,400 New Jersey men were killed in action or otherwise died while in United States service during World War I, 1917-1918. This database includes 3,427 name entries, linked to an information card or photograph, or frequently both. https://wwwnet-dos.state.nj.us/DOS_ArchivesDBPortal/WWICards.aspx
New Mexico
Honor Roll of World War I Casualties - Compiled by the Genealogy Trails History Group, this website provides a list of soldier casualties from New Mexico. http://genealogytrails.com/newmex/wwi_casualties.htm
New York
New York State Military Museum and Research Center - A glossary of New Yorkers who served and died in World War I. Multiple collections are linked from this site. https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/wwi
North Carolina
Family Search: North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 - Accessed via Family Search, this collection includes an index and images of service cards for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. The collection is located at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2568864
State Archives of North Carolina - Military finding aids. https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/finding-aids/military-finding-aids#20thCentury-427
North Dakota
North Dakota Roster and Honor Roll - Lists of servicemen and casualties, compiled by the United States WWI Centennial Commission from other records, are available to view and download from their website. https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/north-dakota-fallen-hero-database.html
Roster of the Men and Women who Served - The digitized book Roster of the Men and Women who served in the Army or Naval Service (including the Marine Corps) of the United States or its Allies from the State of North Dakota in the World War, 1917-1918 is available through HathiTrust. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008230948
Ohio
World War I Service Cards, 1914-1919 - Available through Family Search, this collection includes service cards for the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/3010045
World War I Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 - Available through Family Search, this collection includes enrollment cards. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/3029263
Military Records at the Archives & Library of the Ohio History Connection - This Ohio history center provides many records and resources regarding WWI and Ohio. Many of these resources have been digitized. However, some resources must requested through the Ohio State archives. https://ohiohistory.libguides.com/military/WWI
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Historical Society: Oklahoma Military Casualties - The Oklahoma War Memorial Collection (2004.001) covers World War I to the Korean War. The collection is based on the efforts to collect information after the approval of the Oklahoma War Memorial in 1955. The information about soldiers who served in World War I and Korea comes mainly from newspaper articles and the US War Department. http://www.okhistory.org/research/mildeaths
Oregon
County Military Service Records, 1919-1920 - Available through Family Search, this collection includes country service records for various counties in the state of Oregon. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/3010088
Veteran State Aid Applications, 1921-1938 - Available through Family Search, this collection includes WWI veteran state aid applications card index for the state of Oregon for the years 1921-1938. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/3007580
Pennsylvania
Fallen Pennsylvanians of World War I - The USGenWeb Project offers a transcribed Honor Roll, with some entries including photos. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/military/ww1/haulsee/wwi-a.html
Pennsylvania State Archives - A database for Service Medal Application Cards from Pennsylvanian soldiers. http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp?view=ArchiveIndexes&ArchiveID=6
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Archives - Many of the records of Puerto Rico are not digital. The Puerto Rico archives is a website where you can request this information and someone will help you research. https://archivespuertorico.com/who-are-you-researching/
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Department of State: WWI Records - This collection of records from the Rhode Island Department of State includes WWI service cards, statements of military service, records on Army nurses, and more. https://sosri.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/SO_a197818a-b752-4937-b9c3-b8760dcaef5e/
South Carolina
Official Roster of South Carolina Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the World War, 1917-18 - This is the Official Roster of the South Carolina soldiers, sailors and marines who served in the first World War and contains the names and records of the men and women from South Carolina who served. https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/handle/10827/9425
South Dakota
Gold Star Volume, American Legion Auxiliary - Searchable by surname, death designation and town, the American Legion Auxiliary of South Dakota’s Gold Star Volume offers a list (and in some cases, photographs) of the state’s fallen soldiers. https://history.sd.gov/archives/goldstar.aspx
Tennessee
Tennessee Secretary of State: Tennessee World War I Veterans - The data contained in this site was taken from Record Group 36, the compiled service records of soldiers and sailors who served in the First World War from Tennessee. http://sharetngov.tnsosfiles.com/tsla/history/military/ww1intro.htm
Texas
Texas Military Forces Museum: World War I Records, 1917-1920 - Available through Family Search, the Texas Military Forces Museum provides digitized and searchable federal military service related records (statement of service cards and applications for victory medal cards) including over 250,000 cards related to Army, Marines and Navy service. If there are questions, please call the Texas Military Forces Museum at 512.782.5659. https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2202707
Texas Digital Archive - The Texas Digital Archive is a project which includes digital records, photographs, letters and many other digital primary sources. https://tsl.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/SO_8c78e189-50fa-4db2-bdc6-9c15bafcde2a/
Utah
Utah Military Records: World War I, 1917-1918 - Digitized Draft Board Registers, Questionnaires, Records, and Military Listings are available to view online from the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service. https://www.archives.utah.gov/research/guides/military-wars.htm#wwi
Vermont
Roster of Vermont men and women - A digitized version of Roster of Vermont Men and Women in the Military and Naval Service of the United States and Allies in the World War, 1917-1919 allows users to search for specific names of or information on soldiers. https://archive.org/details/rosterofvermontm00herb
Virginia
Library of Virginia - The Library of Virginia provides access to multiple collections, including a project indexing the Virginians who have died in military service and the World War I History Commission Questionnaires Database. http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/using_collections.asp#_guides-MilitaryService
Washington
World War I: Soldiers Remembered - This database provides information—like service dates, rank, and military branch—on soldiers from Washington state. Records are incomplete, with soldier information still being added alphabetically on a monthly basis. https://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/ww1/records2.aspx
West Virginia
West Virginia Memory Project: Veteran Database - Search by name or war for records on soldiers from the West Virginia Veterans Memorial. https://archive.wvculture.org/history/wvmemory/vet.aspx
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Veterans Museum: World War I Roster Database - You can search the database by any combination of Name, Rank, Unit, City, County, or Notes. https://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/research/search-the-wisconsin-veterans-museums-world-war-i-database/
Wyoming
World War 1 Honor Roll of Casualties - Compiled by the Genealogy Trails History Group, this website provides a list of soldier casualties from Wyoming. http://genealogytrails.com/wyo/ww1casualties.html
Military Service Records for Other Countries
Britain
International Committee of the Red Cross: Prisoners of the First World War Historical Archives - Search by name or nationality. Records include British and Commonwealth servicemen interned, as well as French, Belgian and British civilians. https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Search
UK National Archives Digital collections - This resource connects large digital collections of WWI records, photographs, letters, etc. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/centenary-digitised-records/
Royal Air Force Museum - Provides many records and databases regarding British military service during WWI. Much of their collection is still in the process of being digitized. However, there are still many useful resources on their website. https://www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk/
National Library of Scotland - British Navy lists during WWI, located on the Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/nlsnavylists
Belgium
In Flanders’ Fields Museum: The Names List - An inclusive register of war victims, this list includes civilians and soldiers, regardless of nationality, who died or were fatally wounded in Belgium, as well as Belgians who died abroad. http://www.inflandersfields.be/en/namelist/searchname
Canada
Veterans Death Cards: First World War - When Veterans Affairs was notified of the death of a First World War veteran, a death card was created and is now in the custody of Library and Archives Canada. https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/mass-digitized-archives/veterans-death-cards-ww1/Pages/veterans-death-cards.aspx
Library and Archives Canada: First World War - A collection of multiple resources from the Library and Archives Canada, including personnel records. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Pages/introduction.aspx
France
Mémoire des hommes - A database of those who died in the First World War, available in French, English, German and Spanish. http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/en/article.php?larub=80&titre=those-who-died-for-france-in-the-first-world-war
Mémorial Gen Web - French collaborative website (monitored by an administrative team) which has records for all French conflicts and war. http://memorialgenweb.org/
Germany
Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (VDK) - An online database of soldiers, maintained by a humanitarian organisation that records and cares for the graves of German war casualties abroad.The archive is in German, but some website content is available in other languages, including English. http://www.volksbund.de/en/archiv0.html
Punjab (India and Pakistan)
Punjab and World War One - A collaboration between UKPHA and the University of Greenwich, allowing users to navigate a map of the Punjab and find names of men who fought in the First World War. http://punjabww1.com/
About this list
This list was compiled by the National WWI Museum and Memorial as a tool to assist individuals in researching U.S. service in WWI. The linked resources are not maintained by the National WWI Museum and Memorial. While efforts were made to find informative resources available to the public, the Museum and Memorial makes no guarantees for the accuracy of content hosted by other organizations.
Find an omission or error? Please let us know! We welcome your assistance on this project. Please contact us at education@theworldwar.org with your additions and questions. Thank you.
Last edited: June 28, 2023