This guide contains a sample of The Newberry's resources on this topic. To locate additional resources, please check our catalog or consult a reference librarian.

You can search by Subject in our Primo VE catalog using the “Advanced Search” function to the right of the search bar. Select “Subject” in the drop-down menu of search features in place of “Any field.” The following subject headings may be useful:

• World War, 1914-1918 Registers
• World War, 1914-1918 Regimental histories
• World War, 1914-1918 [State]

Results can be filtered by Material Type, Language, Date, Author, Title, etc. prior to searching by using the drop-down menus in the search panel. If your search produces too many options, you can also narrow results using the faceted options on the left-hand side, under the heading “Refine your results.” Clicking on one of these filter terms or the box to their left will limit results to only those that fit this criterion, while clicking on the red box to the right of the term will exclude those results. For more information about searching in our online catalog, please see our Guide to Primo VE.

Guides and Bibliographies

Enser, A. G. S. A Subject Bibliography of the First World War: Books in English, 1914-1987. Aldershot, Hants, England: Gower, 1990. Call # Z6207.E8 E58 1990. Includes a number of unit and battle histories.

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States. Ed. Anne Bruner Eales and Robert M. Kvasnicka. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2000. Call # Local History Ref Z5313.U5 U54 2000 (2nd floor open shelf).

Johnson, Richard S. and Debra Johnson Knox. How to Locate Anyone Who Is or Has Been in the Military. 8th ed. Spartanburg, SC: MIE Publishing, 1999. Call # Local History Ref U11.U5 J54 1999 (2nd floor open shelf).

Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1994.
Call # Local History Ref Z1249.M5 N43 1994 (2nd floor open shelf).

Newman, John J. Uncle, We Are Ready! Registering America’s Men, 1917-1918: A Guide to Researching World War I Draft Registration Cards. North Salt Lake, UT: Heritage Quest, 2001. Call # Local History Ref D570.8 R4 N49 2001 (2nd floor open shelf).

Register of Federal United States Military Records: A Guide to Manuscript Sources Available at the Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City and the National Archives in Washington, DC. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1986. Call # folio CS68.R44 1986.

Research Outline: U.S. Military Records. Salt Lake City, UT: Family History Library, 1993. Call # Local History Ref CS68.C44 1993 (2nd floor open shelf).

Schaefer, Christina K. The Great War: A Guide to the Service Records of All the World’s Fighting Men and Volunteers. Call # Local History Ref Z6207.E8 S29 1998 (2nd floor open shelf).

The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. Ed. Anne Cipriano Venzon. New York: Garland Pub., 1995. Call # Ref D510.U65 1995 (3rd floor open shelf). Includes biographical entries for military leaders, activists, and other important figures.

The United States in World War I: A Selected Bibliography. Comp. Ronald Schaffer. Santa Barbara, CA: Clio Books, 1978. Call # Z6207.E8 S3. See Chapter 6 for a list of published unit histories.

Awards and Decorations

Congressional Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Distinguished Service Medal Issued by the War Department. Washington, DC: GPO, 1920. Call # Govt W 3.2: M46. Includes awards given between April 1917 and November 1919.

Heroes All! A Compendium of the Names and Official Citations of the Soldiers and Citizens of the United States and of her Allies who were Decorated by the American Government... Ed. Harry R. Stringer. Washington, DC: Fassett Publishing Co., 1919. Call # F1109.U585.

The Navy Book of Distinguished Service. Ed. Harry R. Stringer. Washington, DC: Fassett Publishing Co., 1921. Call # F1109.U584. Lists people who were decorated by the Navy Department in World War I.

Soldiers Who Died in the War

Database of American War Dead. Provided by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Only includes those buried overseas or missing in action.

Soldiers of the Great War. Comp. W. M. Haulsee et al. 3 vols. Washington, DC: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920. Call # F1109. U583. Organized by state. Includes some portraits.

State-Specific Resources

Florida

World War I Service Cards Online at the Florida State Archives. Free online database provided by the Florida State Archives.

Illinois

Database of the 1929 Illinois Roll of Honor. Provided by the Illinois State Archives.

The History and Achievements of the Fort Sheridan Officers’ Training Camps. Fort Sheridan Association, 1920. Call # F1070.31. Includes photographs of men from Ft. Sheridan who died during the war.

Roster of the Illinois National Guard and Illinois Naval Militia as organized when called by the President for World War Service, 1917. Springfield, IL: Illinois Adjutant General, 1929. Call # U1896.436.

Indiana

Gold Star Honor Roll: A Record of Indiana Men and Women who died in the service of the United States and the Allied Nations in the World War. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Commission, 1921. Call # F895.435, Vol. 6 (Indiana Historical Collections).

Indiana Book of Merit: Official Individual Decorations and Commendations Awarded to Indiana Men and Women for Service in the World War. Comp. Harry A. Rider. Indianapolis: Historical Bureau, 1932. Call # F895.435, Vol. 18 (Indiana Historical Collections).

Maryland

Maryland in the World War 1917-1919: Military and Naval Service Records. Baltimore: Maryland War Records Commission, 1933. Call # F857.5508.

Michigan

Silliman, Sue Imogene. Michigan Military Records: Soldiers of Michigan Awarded the Medal of Honor. Lansing, MI: Michigan Historical Commission, 1920. Call # F901.5751, No. 12. Covers 1914-1917. Arranged by place and name.

Missouri

World War I Military Service Cards Database for Missouri. Provided by the Missouri State Archives.

Nebraska

Pool, Charles W. Roster of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines Who Served in the War of the Rebellion, Spanish-American War and World War. Lincoln, Nebraska: 1925. Call # F924.5995.

Ohio

The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the World War, 1917-18. Columbus: F. J. Heer Printing Co., 1926-29. Call # Microfiche 2249. Organized alphabetically.

Vermont

Cushing, John T. Vermont in the World War 1917-1919. Burlington, VT: Free Press, 1928. Call # F843.29.

Roster of Vermont Men and Women in the Military and Naval Service of the United States and Allies in the World War, 1917-1919. Montpelier, VT: Tuttle Company, 1927. Call # F843.9348.

Virginia

Davis, Arthur Kyle. Virginians of Distinguished Service in the World War. Richmond, VA: The Executive Committee, 1923. Call # F863.956, Vol. 1.

Wisconsin

Gregory, John Goadby. Wisconsin’s Gold Star List: Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Nurses from the Badger State Who Died in Federal Service during the World War. Madison: The Society, 1925. Call # Microfiche 4627.

Other Resources

Yockelson, Mitchell. “They Answered the Call: Military Service in the United States Army During World War I, 1917-1919.” Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives. Vol. 30, No. 3 (Fall 1998). Call # CD3020.P76 (specify date). Available online.

The National Archives, Washington, DC Offers a wealth of online resources and guides related to World War I research.
The National Archives, Great Lakes Branch, Chicago IL 7358 South Pulaski Road Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898
Holds World War I draft registration records for in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.