MyHeritage Publishes United States, World War II Draft Registrations, 1940–1947
MyHeritage has published a new historical record collection: United States, World War II Draft Registrations, 1940–1947. This collection includes 42 million records of men who registered with the Selective Service System during and immediately following World War II, between 1940 and 1947. The records span multiple draft registration rounds and include men aged 18 to 64.
Search United States, World War II Draft Registrations, 1940–1947
The records span registrations from 33 states and the District of Columbia, including New York, California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. The collection includes registration cards filled out between 1940 and 1947 under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 — the first peacetime draft in U.S. history, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Initially, men aged 21 to 35 were required to register, though this was later expanded to include those aged 18 to 64. The draft cards typically list a registrant’s full name, birth date, residential address, occupation, employer, next of kin, and a physical description.
Use of AI in Indexing
To index the collection, MyHeritage employed machine learning models capable of extracting text from scanned images, including cursive handwriting. This automated method allowed for efficient processing and helped produce high-quality indexes. While errors may still occur, the overall precision is very good. The same technology will be applied to additional record collections in the future.
Example Records
One example from the collection is the draft registration card of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States. Johnson registered for the draft in his early 30s while living in Johnson City, Blanco County, Texas. His draft card includes a description of his height and weight at the time.
Another notable registrant is Robert William Barker (1923–2023), aka Bob Barker, host of The Price Is Right.
At the time of his registration, Barker was 18 years old and living in Springfield, Missouri. His card records his address, birth date, and the name of his mother, M. B. Valandra, who lived at the same address.
Barker later joined the United States Navy Reserve in 1943 and trained as a fighter pilot. He returned to civilian life after the war and completed his degree at Drury University.
Accessing the Collection
Searching the collection on MyHeritage is free. Viewing full records or saving them to your family tree requires a Data, Complete, or Omni subscription.
If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, MyHeritage’s Record Matching technology can automatically identify potential matches between draft cards and individuals in your tree.
This collection adds another layer to the historical resources available on MyHeritage, supporting the ongoing effort to make important records available for family history research.
