Before World War II, the war was also known as The Great War, The World War, The Kaiser’s War, The War of the Nations, The War in Europe, or The European War. In the United Kingdom and the United States it was commonly called The war to end war. In France and Belgium it was sometimes referred to as La Guerre du Droit (the War for Justice) or La Guerre Pour la Civilisation/de Oorlog tot de Beschaving (the War to Preserve Civilization), especially on medals and commemorative monuments. The term used by official histories of the war in Britain and Canada is First World War, while American histories generally use the term World War I.
World War I was a military conflict centered on Europe that began in the summer of 1914. The fighting ended in late 1918. This conflict involved all of the world’s great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (centered around the Triple Entente) and the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. More than 9 million combatants were killed, due largely to great technological advances in firepower without corresponding ones in mobility. It was the second deadliest conflict in history.
The United States was a formal participant in World War One from April 6, 1917 until the war’s end in 1918. Up to that point, the US had remained neutral, though the US had been an important supplier to The United Kingdom and other Allied powers. During the war, the US mobilized over 4,000,000 military personnel and suffered over 300,000 casualties, including over 110,000 deaths. The war saw a dramatic expansion of the US government in an effort to harness the war effort and a significant increase in the size of the US military. See Wikipedia
1914-1918 (US entered 1917)
Records for World War I
Cemeteries
- US Military National Cemeteries
- US Military State Cemeteries
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission (Great Britain)
World War War I Draft Records
Microfilm Roll Lists
Records of Interest
- Who’s Who in World War I (hosted at First World War)
- Biographies of World War I (hosted at World War I Document Archive)
- Doughboy Center (hosted at World War I, Trenches on the Web)
- Stars and Stripes Collection (hosted at American Memory)
- Knights of the Air (hosted at WWI Aviation)
- Peace Treaty of Versailles (hosted at BYU Education)
- World War I US Military Records (hosted at FamilySearch)
Records by State
You should check the following sites for County information for Draft Registrations, Databases, Death Indexes, Casualties, Unit Rosters before going to records by State.
- Draft Registration by State
- USGenWeb Archives Search Counties for Military Records
- USGenWeb Special Projects
- USGenWeb Project
- American Local History Network
- American History and Genealogy Project
- Cyndi’s List, Word War I
- Draft Registration Microfilm (hosted at National Archives)
- State Archives
- World War I US Military Records (hosted at FamilySearch)
Alabama World War 1 Records
- Black Alabamians in World War I (hosted at Alabama Department of Archives and History)
- Draft Registration by State
Arkansas World War 1 Records
- Arkansas World War I Records (hosted at Arkansas History Commission)
- USGenWeb Archives
- Draft Registration by State
Arizona World War 1 Records
- Arizona World War I Dead (hosted at WWI)
- Arizona World War I Alien Registration Records
- Letters from Home (hosted at Becky’s Place)
- Draft Registration by State
California World War 1 Records
- California and the First World War (hosted at California State Military Museum)
- Draft Registration by State
Colorado World War 1 Records
- Enlisted Men of Teller County (hosted at Colorado State Archives)
- Colorado World War I Casualties in Europe (hosted at Denver Library)
- Colorado Minorities
- Colorado in World War I (hosted at ColoradoGenealogy)
- Draft Registration by State
- Colorado Soldiers in WWI, 1917-18 $ (Ancestry.com)
Connecticut World War 1 Records
- World War I Veterans Database (hosted at Connecticut State Library)
- History of the 101st Machine Gun Battalion (hosted at Hathi Trust Digital Library)
- War on the Homefront (hosted Connecticut History Online)
- Draft Registration by State
Delaware World War 1 Records
District of Columbia World War 1 Records
Florida World War 1 Records
Georgia World War 1 Records
- USGenWeb Archives Search Counties for Military Records
- USGenWeb Project Search State, Counties, Military Records
- Georgia Veterans (hosted at GA-Veterans Website)
Idaho World War 1 Records
- World War I Draft Registrations
- World War I Veterans Buried in Idaho
Illinois World War 1 Records
- World War I Casualties (hosted at Illinois Genealogy Trails)
- American Women and the World War (hosted at Illinois Digital Archives)
- USGenWeb Project
- Camp Grant Illinois WW I Cantonment (hosted at Gjenvick-Gjonvik Archives)
Indiana World War 1 Records
- Indiana Veterans of World War I (hosted at WWVets)
- Gold Star Honor Roll
- Gold Star Honor Roll, Indiana 1914-1918 (hosted at Internet Archives)
- Bartholomew County (hosted at Indiana Genealogy Trials)
- Cass County (hosted at Cass County INGenWeb Project)
- Gibson County (hosted at Indiana Genealogy Trials)
- Franklin County (hosted at Franklin County INGenWeb Project)
- Floyd County (hosted at New Albany Floyd County Public Library)
- Jasper County (hosted at Indiana Genealogy Trails)
- Jefferson County (hosted at My Indiana Home)
- Knox County (hosted at Historical Marker Database)
- Miami County (hosted at Miami County INGenWeb Project)
- Monroe County (hosted at Indiana Genealogy Trails)
- Indiana Gold Star Honor Roll, 1914-1918 $ (Ancestry.com)
Iowa World War 1 Records
- The Price of Our Heritage
- Draft Registration by State
- USGenWeb Archives Search Counties for Military Records
- USGenWeb Special Projects
- USGenWeb Project
- Ida County
- Matthew Gray Post #93 (hosted at AccessGenealogy)
- Sac County
- Odebolt Area Servicemen Lost in World War I (hosted at The Odebolt History Pages )
- Draft Registrations , Persons born in Odebolt
Kansas World War 1 Records
- Draft Registration by State
- Kansas State Guard (hosted at Digital Library Kansas USGenWeb)
- Clay County Veterans of the World War (hosted at AccessGenealogy)
- Volunteers for the Army and Navy (hosted at Comanche County Genealogy and History)
- World War I Bounty Claims (hosted at Kansas Historical Society)
- Kansas City War Dead (hosted at National World War I Museum)
- Kansas 353rd Infantry Regiment in World War I $ (Ancestry.com)
Kentucky World War 1 Records
- WW I Detachment Co. H. 3rd Kentucky, Ohio County (hosted at Herman Genealogy)
- World War (hosted at National Guard History eMuseum)
- Soldiers of the Great War (hosted at USGenWeb Archives)
- Brock Ancestry’s Military Database (hosted at Brock Ancestry)
Louisiana World War 1 Records
- Research resources for World War I (hosted at Tulane University)
- Draft Registration by State
- USGenWeb Archives Search Counties for Military Records
- USGenWeb Special Projects
- USGenWeb Project
- Soldiers of the Great War (hosted at World War I and wars involving the US)
- Poster Collection (hosted at Louisiana State Archives)
Maine World War 1 Records
- Roster of the 56th Pioneer Infantry (hosted at DistantCousin)
- Sacrifices Around the Globe (hosted at State of Maine)
- WWI Veterans (hosted at Northern Maine Veterans)
- Women, War and the Home Front (hosted at Maine Memory Network)
- Maine Military Men, 1917-1918 $ (Ancestry.com)
Maryland World War 1 Records
- Maryland Military Men, 1917-18 $ (Ancestry.com)
- Maryland World War I Service Medal (hosted at Wikipedia)
Massachusetts World War 1 Records
- World War I Draft Registration Cards (hosted at JewishGen)
- World War I Veterans Cemetery (hosted at Town of Littleton)
- World War I 102nd Field Artillery (hosted at Queen City Massachusetts)
Michigan World War 1 Records
- Iosco County, Michigan WWI Veterans Index – Free Index $ (Ancestry.com)
- World War I (hosted at Michigan.gov)
- Polar Bear Unit (hosted at Michigan.gov)
Minnesota World War 1 Records
- Pipestone County’s Honored Dead (hosted at Access Free Genealogy)
- 151 Field Artillery in World War I (hosted at Minnesota Historical Society)
Missouri World War 1 Records
Nebraska World War 1 Records
- WWI Draft Registration Cards (hosted at Nebraska State Historical Society)
- Soldiers of the Great War (hosted at NEGenWeb)
- Nebraska Alumni Killed in WWI (hosted at ALHN)
Nevada World War 1 Records
- 10 Unknown Soldiers (hosted at Elko Rose Garden Association)
- World War I Draft Registrations, Churchill County (hosted at Genealogy Trails)
New Jersey World War 1 Records
New Mexico World War 1 Records
- Soldiers of the Great War (hosted at Genealogy Trails)
- Camp Cody (hosted at Camp Cody)
- Service Men and Women who Died (hosted at New Mexico ALHN)
New York World War 1 Records
- New York City WWI Draft Board Database (hosted at Jewish Genealogical Society)
- Herkimer County, New York Soldiers, 1916-1918 $ (Ancestry.com)
- Oneida County, New York Servicemen, 1917-19 $ (Ancestry.com)
North Carolina World War 1 Records
- North Carolina Military Deaths (hosted at New River Notes)
- Beaufort County in the Great War (hosted at North Carolina Roots)
North Dakota World War 1 Records
- North Dakota Military Men, 1917-1918 $ (Ancestry.com)
- 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, Vols. 1-4 $ (Ancestry.com)
Ohio World War 1 Records
- Ohio Military Men, 1917-18 $ (Ancestry.com)
- Ohio Soldiers in WWI, 1917-1918 $ (Ancestry.com)
- Ohio Soldiers in World War I (hosted at AncestralFindings)
Oregon World War 1 Records
- Oregon at War (hosted at Oregon State Archives)
- Oregon Honor Roll
Pennsylvania World War 1 Records
- Berks County, Pennsylvania Service Roster, 1917-18 $ (Ancestry.com)
- World War I Service Medal Application Cards (hosted at Pennsylvania State Archives)
- Tioga County Pennsylvania Draftees (hosted at Tri-Counties Genealogy and History)
Rhode Island World War 1 Records
- What did you do in the War Grandma (hosted at Scholarly Technology Group)
- Rhode Island Military Records (hosted at FamilySearch)
Tennessee World War 1 Records
- Tennessee World War I Gold Star Records, 1918-1924
- Tennessee World War I Veterans
- Tennessee World War I Veterans / Ex-Soldiers in World War I
Records of Ex-Soldiers in World War 1 is an index to individuals who appear in the compiled service records of soldiers and sailors who served in the First World War from Tennessee. The names of over 83,000 individuals appear in this index. The listings do not include Tennesseans who enlisted in other states or who enlisted in federal units.
- Tennessee World War I Veterans / Ex-Soldiers in World War I
- Gold Star Veterans
Tennessee World War I Gold Star Records is an index to Tennessee soldiers who died of wounds or disease during World War I. The information was compiled in the 1920s from information given by the families of the soldiers. Over 1,500 names are listed in this index - Alvin Cullum York
- Tennessee in World War I
Texas World War 1 Records
- Camp Travis, Texas World War I Records $ (Ancestry.com)
- Ellis County, Texas World War I Veterans