T.S. Eliot’s World War I Draft Registration Card

Posted September 26, 2012 by Amanda | No Comment

Today is poet T.S. Eliot‘s birthday! In honor of his 124th birthday, check out T.S. Eliot’s World War I draft registration card. Did you know WWI draft cards hold lots of genealogical intel? Six weeks after the U.S. declared war on Germany, the Selective Service Act of 1917 was passed, which authorized the federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into World War I through conscription. Between 1917 – 1918, every male between the ages of 18 – 45 living in the United States were required to sign up for the draft, regardless of citizenship.

T.S. Eliot

In general, you can find the following information on draft registration cards:

Full name
Date and place of birth
Age
Race
Citizenship
Occupation and employer
Physical description
Signature

Let’s take a look at what information T.S. Eliot’s draft registration card holds!

The Nobel Prize winner was born Thomas Stearns Eliot on September 26, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was 29 ½ years old at the time he filled out his registration card. Eliot lists his home address as 4446 Westminster Place in St. Louis, Missouri. He was working as clerk at Lloyds Bank Ltd. in London at the time. From his registration card, we also know that his wife was solely dependent on his support, which he used to claim exemption from draft. He specifies his race as Caucasian and his physical appearance as medium height and built. He had hazel eyes, brown hair and was not bald. Lastly, we can see his signature and the card registration date as August 19, 1918.

You can check out this document on T.S. Eliot’s Geni profile page here.

Want to know where to start looking for World War I draft registration cards? Take a look at Cyndi’s List for links to helpful resources. You can also order copies of WWI draft registration cards online through the National Archives.

Have you found your ancestors’ World War I draft registration cards? Make sure to upload the documents to their Geni profiles to share your discoveries with your family!