Author: Mark W. Swarthout
Published on: April 6, 2001
World War I
In 1914, Germany arose and began a concentrated effort to conquer Europe. This had far reaching affects on genealogy! Numerous records were destroyed and thousands of individuals fled across the continent to find safety. Refugees flooded borders everywhere trying to find new homes and ways of life. A site with many links and resources can be found at http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/EMS/WWI/...
There are still a few living veterans of this conflict and this makes it a bit more difficult to obtain information. Privacy laws must be complied with. If you are a descendant, and the the death has been documented, you shouldn't have any difficulties in obtaining them, but be aware that you may be asked to prove your relationship.
My experience has been that veterans of more recent wars, anything in this century, are less likely to talk about their service. Probably the best time to find out what they did and where they were is to get them together with other service members, particularly those that served with them. Reunions and veterans' organizations are good. If you have ever had the privilage of 'eavesdropping' on one of these conversations, I hope you take the time to document it. One of the few times I remember my grandfather talking about his experience was late at night, on a car ride over the Pennsylvania mountains. I was about 8 or 10 and laying on the back seat. Both my grandfathers were in the front, telling each other stories about growing up. Truly memorable!
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As always, don't forget to look at the family picture album. The advances in photography made it even more common for pictures to be taken. And those uniforms look great! Find a medal that looks like this in the family junk drawer? The World War I Victory medal, awarded to all members of the American Military. And perhaps you found an oval disk such as this, scratched and worn. This is the origin of the dogtags we are more familiar with. |
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World War I was truly a global war, raging across Europe and pulling in troops from countries throughout the British Empire and America. Many countries have web sites with histories, photographs and documents. World War I Document Archive contains many documents associated with the war. It also is an excellant starting point for useful links across the world. It includes a Biographical section and remembrances of key persons involved.
New fraternal organizations were formed by the returning veterans. Several continue to exist and their publications can be excellent sources of overall historical information, though they may not go into individual information.
Among those organizations was the American Legion, founded in 1919. The American Legion can help other members make contact with members of their organization. They refer individuals to the National Personnel Records Center for information.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States traces its roots back to before World War I to the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902). Several local organizations were formed to secure rights and benefits for service members, and in 1905 the various local groups merged and became the American Veterans of Foreign Service. They also refer individuals to the National Personnel Records Center for information.
An additional group that was formed was the La Societe des Quarante Hommes at Huit Chevaux better known as the 40 & 8 Society. It got the name from the French railroad cars that were marked "40 hommes, 8 chevaux". At the end of the war, France presented each of the states with one of these cars, a few are still preserved. They issued membership medals of light blue material with a brass rectangle picturing horses in the rail car. Currently membership in the Forty & Eight is by invitation only for recognition of service to the American Legion and/or its programs.
The Veterans Affairs Canada web site provides history, interviews, letters and diaries of Canadian Veterans of this conflict, as well as links to other sites. They also have a listing of World War I memorials in Europe. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm...
Don't forget that you can obtain service records of U.S. individuals that participated. Though many have been destroyed through time and fire, it never hurts to make the request!