Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Guide to the World War I Soldiers File
2038-2055
No online items
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: World War I Soldiers File
Box Number: 2038-2055
Collector:
California Historical Survey Commission
Extent: 18 boxes
Repository:
California State Library
Sacramento, California
Language:
English.
Unrestricted.
Please credit California State Library.
Copyright has not been assigned to California State Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing. Permission for publication is given on behalf of California State Library as the owner of the
physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by
the reader.
[Identification of item], World War I Soldiers File, California State Library.
World War, 1914-1918--California--Sources
World War, 1914-1918--Women--California
World War, 1914-1918--Registers of dead--California
World War, 1914-1918--California--Medals
United States--Armed Forces--California--Sources
Soldiers--California--Registers
Registers of births, etc.--California
California--Genealogy
Military decorations--California
Women in war--California
Newspaper clippings.
In 1918, the California State Council of Defense (first created in 1916) formed the War History Committee for the purpose
of assembling the records of the war and preserving all material of historical value relating to California's part in that
War. The actual direction of the work of the Committee was given to the Historical Survey Commission (created in 1915) under
the immediate supervision of Dr. Owen C. Coy. Under this director, a county war history committee was to be created in each
of the 58 counties. Each committee was expected to prepare reports dealing with local war activities and to gather and compile
statistical information on those activities. They were to collect newspaper clippings, war programs, war addresses, photographs,
manuscripts, documents, posters, and other fleeting war history material.
Beginning in 1918, the Committee forwarded requests and a preprinted form (California Honor Roll) to the various counties
to gather biographical information on soldiers. The soldiers' record cards were 3x5" cards separated into Casualty men and
Non-casualty men. A Casualty card would contain the soldier's name, date & page where listed in Official U.S. Bulletin, name
of relative, a code indicating type of death. A Non-casualty card would begin with a code in upper left corner signifying
type of card, soldier's name, location of his biographical file, indication of a biographical card (California Honor Roll)
and/or photograph. These cards, in addition to photographs and newspaper clippings from local papers were sent by the counties
to the Committee.
The list is arranged alphabetically by county, then by name
Material Transferred from the Collection
- Portraits of World War I soldiers transferred to California Section's Photograph File, World War I Soldiers (indexed in Information File).
- California Honor Roll: Pre-printed forms transferred to California Section's special card files. Housed at the Reference Desk (indexed in Information File).
- Card File: File of 3x5 cards, missing and presumed destroyed when collection was filmed.