World War I, also known as the “Great War” was officially concluded on the 11th hour of the 11th day of November in the year 1918. In 1919, President Wilson declared November 11 as "Armistice Day." In 1954, President Harry S. Truman renamed the celebration "Veteran's Day." Today, Veterans Day is still observed on November 11th as a national holiday to honor all veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
Today's research tip is given in honor of all the people who have ever defended our country by serving in one of our Armed Forces.
What does the BDC have on the Great War?
The image on the right is from the Beaufort Gazette newspaper, June 22, 1917, pp.4 and 8. This is a "Complete Official Draft Registration List of Beaufort County," including these precincts: Barrel Landing (above); No. 1 or "A"; No. 2 or "B"; Bengie Point; Bluffton; Brick Church; Hardeeville; Hilton Head; Ladies Island; Port Royal; and, Tomotley. Over 1200 men are listed.
For point of illustration, I chose to investigate "Henry Buncomb" of Barrel Landing. What can I find out about him from Library resources?
The BDC holds the Official Roster of South Carolina Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, World War 1917-18 (2 volumes) [Call number SC 940.4 OFF]. Vol. 1 lists the white folks; Vol 2 lists the "Colored" folks.
Can I tell Henry Buncomb's race from the newspaper list? No. There does not appear to be any separation by race in the newspaper list, so it is prudent to check both volumes.
Arrangement is alphabetical by surname. Volume 1 (for whites) does not include the name "Buncomb, Henry." Volume 2 (for black men) has this entry on p. 1233:
BUNCOMBE, HENRY. 4134177 Res Bluffton SC NA Beaufort SC Aug 12/18. Br Bluffton SC May 10/95. 156 Dep Brig to Sept 18/18; Co A 431 Res Lab Bn to disch. Pvt. Hon disch Dec 21/18
Translating the abbreviations into regular English: "Buncombe, Henry. Service registration number 4134177, resided in Bluffton SC, joined the National Army in Beaufort SC on August 12, 1918. He was born in Bluffton on May 10, 1895 (but the long list of abbeviations doesn't make this clear). He was attached to the 156th Depot Brigade to September 18, 1918. I think that he was part of Company A, 431st Reserve Labor Battalion until his honorable discharge three months later on December 21, 1918. His rank was Private.
Well, I've got a pretty good start. Having his Army service number may allow me to secure his service record from the National Archives. I am aware that I may have to pay for the service record.
OK. Money is tight - even for County employees. What other Library resources can help me learn more about Henry Buncombe?
Beaufort County Library provides access to Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) inside our facilities. One of the subscription databases inside ALE is the World War I Draft Registration Cards database.
From the description of the WWI Draft Registration Cards I learn that:
On 6 April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and officially entered World War I. Six weeks later, on 18 May 1917, the Selective Service Act was passed, which authorized the president to increase the military establishment of the United States. As a result, every male living within the United States between the ages of eighteen and forty-five was required to register for the draft.
[Because of the date that the Complete List was published, we know that the men listed were part of the First Registration of men between 21 to 31 years old.]
The card used for the first registration (sometimes called the Twelve-Question card because of twelve questions on the front) includes this information: name, age, address, date and place of birth, citizenship status, employer’s name and address, dependent information, marital status, race, military service, and physical appearance.
I locate the digital images of his original WWI Draft Registration Card. Here's what I learn:
Henry Buncomb is 22 years old and had been born at Okatee on May 10, 1895. He is a self-employed farmer with a wife but no children. He gives his race as "African." He wants to be exempted from the draft because of his "dependent wife." The registrar describes Henry's physical features: Medium height, medium build, black eyes, and black hair. He is not bald. Henry has at least one eye from which to see, both hands, both feet, both legs, and both arms so does not qualify for exemption from the draft due to physical disability. Henry was registered on June 5, 1917.
Not bad for about 20 minutes worth of work, is it?
Drop by any of our locations and the reference librarians will try to help you learn more about your World War I ancestors.
2 comments:
Henry Buncomb is related to me. Do you have any other information on the Buncombe family? Any and all help would be appreciated
We may have additional information on the Buncombe family but our role is to guide researchers through our historical and genealogical resources. I did some of your basic work. I looked in our obituary files for his name. We do not have a published obituary for Henry Buncomb in our files. Although we have about 30 or so family files, the Buncomb(e)family is not one of them. Next step is to check the census for Henry and his wife. Have you done your census work for 1920, 1930 and 1940 yet? It may help you identify other facts beyond those provided in this blog post about his military service during WW1.
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