Al, did that registration apply to naturalized Americans (Germans) , or only those
who had not applied for citizenship. This is very interesting, never heard that before.
Joy Eggers Bold
I think that this only applied to "aliens". If you were a naturalized citizen you were exempt.
Al in Music City
It is always best to say on thread (instead of re-titling) whenever possible. Cuts down on confusion.
I'll add a little more info on WWI draft registration should it help.
Aliens and civilians alike were required to register. The information collected about each registrant varied with the type of card used. At least four different card types, or forms, have been identified. The information collected that is common to all card types is: name, age, address, date of birth, natural born, place of birth, occupation, employer, dependents, marital status, race, prior military, and exemption claim. Several of the card types also include: father's place of birth, nearest relations, and basic physical description.
Registrations took place on three designated days: one in 1917 and two in 1918, depending on the birth date. Slightly different information was requested on each of these days. For example, those who registered in 1917 gave their birth location. Those registering September, 1918 did not do so. But those registering June 1918 gave not only their birth location but their father's as well. The vast majority of men registered in their own counties of residence or in their designated section of a city.
Almost all the cards are handwritten, and it is often quite a task to interpret the writing. Staff generally filled out the registration cards. Volunteer interpreters were recruited and assisted with the registration of those who did not speak English. NOTE: ERRORS were inevitable, like on every other type of record, so be prepared!
All civilian men born approximately 1872-1900 were required to provide information for a draft card. In turn, they received a special card saying they had registered. Few of these men went into the military, but some did. During this 1917-18 period, an especially virulent, deadly influenza pandemic killed mostly young adults. As this influenza situation affected draft registration, some men under age 21 were dead by the time it came their turn to register in 1918.
There may be some additional confusion in this regard since most World War I (and World War II) service records were destroyed by fire in 1973.
Jb
PS. The record Al cites specifically may be something additional, or else special registrations that required more information from certain classes of aliens (or in certain locales). If so, this is not a well documented set of records. Should anyone have more specifics on this class of records, please post!
Some information on these Alien Registrations, I believe, has also appeared in WWI opinions. I must say I've been very entertained by the list in recent days! I must say it never occurred to me WHY this registration was done until reading many of your postings.
The Minnesota Alien Registration of 1918 was conducted by order of the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety in February 1918 to register all non-U.S. citizens in Minnesota. The resident was required to complete a 35 question schedule and to provide much personal information, including kind and amount of property holdings. The two-page form includes information about a person's place and date of birth, port of entry and date of arrival in the United States, occupation, names and ages of children, financial situation, and male relatives taking part in World War I.
The Iron Range Research Center holds microfilmed copies of the original 1918 Alien Registration documents for all 87 Minnesota counties, and has created an index for those entries that can be searched at www.ironrangeresearchcenter.org. Click on Database Search, then you can choose "ALIEN REG" from the drop-down menu for "Record Type." Copies of documents can be ordered through the website once a record has been identified.
Any immigrants who were not naturalized by Feb., 1918, had to complete an Alien Registration and Declaration of Holdings form. If you found your ancestors on the 1920 census, and know that they arrived before 1918 and they stated on the census that either they're still alien (AL) or filed first papers (PA), then there is a good chance that one of these registrations would be on file. This is for Minnesota only, I don't know what other states it may also pertain to. I believe the Minnesota Historical Society also has the records.
Lila
The heading on myh relative's form reads:
United States of America
Department of Justice
Registration Affidavit of Alien Female
(Under proclamation of the President dated April 19, 1918)
There follows a box of text stating the requirments - affidavit in triplicate, four photos, appearance before a registration officer, finger printing, etc.
The body of the form follows; it is 4 pages in length.
A red stamp on top says it is a copy that came from the NARA Central Plains Archives, Rg: 118, Subgroup: Kansas, Series: Enemy Alien Registrations.
Al in Music City
Hat's off to Lila for adding this. Perhaps it's a matter of checking each state of interest to see if these Alien Registrations still exist (at least in one form or another). Appears the State Archive or State Historical Society would be likely starting points for inquiries.
Jb
Cross reference : Re: [HN] WWI opinions