NEW AUTOMATIC "SELECTIVE SERVICE" DRAFT REGISTRATION : OLD DRAFT REGISTRATIONS ARE VALUABLE GENEALOGY LINKS

CNBC New Draft Laws Starting Dec 2026

Oh, this change brings up so much history -

Not registering in the first place was one of the ways that some chose to evade being involved in war. Unpopular wars, wars not defined as wars or not officially declared, religious membership and non-violent lifestyles, and yes, the question of women's participation, all come to mind. There was no official involuntary service in the Revolutionary War because there was not yet a government of the United States and militia were voluntary and as for the Civil War, that's controversial too.

LETS LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF REGISTERING FOR THE MILITARY DRAFT (rather than voluntarily signing up for participation) IN THE UNITED STATES.

THERE WAS NO "SELECTIVE SERVICE" - DRAFT UNTIL WORLD WAR I

The SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT WAS passed on May 18, 1917, authorized the federal government of the United States of America to draft men for military service after voluntary enlistments for World War I proved insufficient, ultimately registering millions of American men between the ages of 18 and 45 in three waves.

REGISTRATION DID NOT and DOES NOT MEAN THE PERSON WILL BE DRAFTED TO SERVE.

The reason the Civil War enrollment is controversial is that this seems to apply to those to serve the Union, which won the war. An excerpt regarding the Civil War: No organized selection process. Those selected could pay cash in lieu of service, or hire substitutes. Induction was accomplished by district enrollment boards.

SELECTIVE SERVICE TIME LINE US GOV

I consider the most valuable of these draft registrations for most Americans researching at this point, is the World War I draft registration.  Many "industrial age" immigrants who arrived in the late 1800's and early 1900's registered for this draft, WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE A MAN BE A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES. Often the man registering will state the date they entered the United States and where they were born, revealing the name of the town where you can look for church records.

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SUNNY DAY

 

FIRE CRACKERS!?

 

250th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE - UNITED STATES HISTORY

The United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, marking the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence.

Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

James Barton Longacre (11 Aug 1794)

Etching and stipple and line engraving on paper.

Public Domain

Ancestry Worship - Genealogy

A GOOD STORY

 

HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS ON LINE - CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH : ALWAYS CHECK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY COLLECTIONS

Many colleges and universities have collections that are useful for genealogy research and family history writing.  Some still have microfiche and microfilm!  

It's always a good idea to check your local colleges and universities where you may be able to use what they have without having a library card, so long do so within the library. Others have cards for alumni or offer rights and responsibilities to the paying public.

But you may be surprised to find that the collections may not just be local.  And you can call or visit to find out how to access as a guest. Besides holding many newspapers in microfilm, there's also digitalized collections,

Here is an example, from the California State University at Long Beach.

CSULIB - LIBRARY GUIDE - HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS ON LINE

Sampling:

California Digital Newspaper Collection 1846-1922
A collection of free full text searchable historic newspapers, including these:
California Star 1847-1848
Daily Alta California 1849-1891
Imperial Valley News 1901-1911
Los Angeles Herald 1873-1910
Los Angeles Star 1851-1854
Marin Journal (San Rafael) 1861-1920
Pacific Rural Press (SF) 1871-1922
Sacramento Daily Union 1851-1898
San Francisco Call 1890-1913
Sausalito News 1885-1922

More sampling:
Chung Sai Yat Po (San Francisco)  coming from UC - example of collaboration between Cal States and UC's.
Chinese language newspaper, 1900-1904

Daily Forty-Niner Online Archive, 1949 to Date
Online archive of the campus newspaper from 1994-2006.

El Clamor Publico
A early Los Angeles Spanish language newspaper, with some English articles, published from 1855 - 1859.

Daily 49er (Current issues). Student CSULB Newspaper.

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FATHERS DAY

 

A 'mid-century' loving family gifting dad a watch...

Remember all those who nurtured you with love...

SPEAKING OF MONEY : DID YOU EVER TAKE A TOUR OF A UNITED STATES MINT? : ANNIVERSARY 250 YEARS : FIVE NEW QUARTERS

Yes there are tours and there are also offers such as the quarters minted for the 250th anniversary of this country.  UNITED STATES MINT GOVERNMENT SITE

Denver, CO
Philadelphia, PA
Washington, DC
San Francisco, CA
West Point, NY
Fort Knox, KY

Now, private businesses are offering $2 bills that are color enhanced (I never heard of such a thing being legal but it must be), but officially, the United States mint has created five new quarters designed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Semiquincentennial Quarters 2026 :  Buy a bag and distribute them among family and friends?

****

Deep in my memory is a tour of the mint in Washington DC when I was about ten years old. I was in awe of the sheets of paper money that were so messed up that they were in a bin, likely on their way to a big paper shredder.

FATHERLOSS by NEIL CHETHIK : AN EXCELLENT BOOK ABOUT GRIEVING THE DEATH OF YOUR FATHER

I picked up this book, published years ago, at a book sale. It's an excellent book!  It starts with a 'gypsy' proverb : You have to dig deep to bury your father. While this book is written for sons, I think daughters can benefit too. It's a book of empathy and understanding.

  

This book was based on a national survey of over 300 men back in the day, along with in-depth interviews of many others. Some famous men are examples used to bring up the different ways that men grieve or process their relationship and feelings - or lack of - for their fathers. So I'll name drop:

John F. Kennedy Jr.

Michael Jordan

Dylan Thomas

John Quincy Adams

Mahatma Gandhi

Ernest Hemingway ....

Read about men's style of mourning and how one's relationship with dad is so impactful.

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QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

You can use COMMENTS to ask me for advice on a problem you're facing as you research. I don't respond immediately but will try to fit in a post on the subject whenever possible. The Question and Answer will appear on this blog, ANCESTRY WORSHIP - Genealogy Blogspot, and hopefully be helpful to you as well as other researchers.

I read all COMMENTS before publishing them and WILL NOT PUBLISH your personal information or your exact comment to me. I may also change names you provide for purposes of teaching and to maintain your privacy. 

This seems to have worked well so far!

Christine

Ancestry Worship - Genealogy