Draft Registration

The Selective Service Act of 1917 authorized the federal government to raise a national army for the American entry into World War I through the compulsory enlistment of people. Three registrations occurred between 1917 and 1918. The first was on June, 5, 1917 for men aged 21 to 31. The second took place on June 5, 1918 for men who had turned 21 since June 5, 1917 (a supplemental registration included with the June 5th registration occurred on August 24, 1918 for men who had turned 21 since June 5, 1918 ). The third took place on September 12, 1918 for men aged 18-45. All activities of the Selective Service System of World War I were officially terminated on July 15, 1919.

Due to rising world tensions President Roosevelt signed into law the first peacetime selective service draft in U. S. History in October 1940. After the United States entered World War II a new selective service act required all men between ages 18 and 65 to register for the draft. Between November 1940 and October 1946 over 10 million American men were registered. Only the draft cards of the indexed collection of the Fourth Registration, also called the "old man 's registration " are available to the public due to privacy laws. The Fourth Registration occurred on April 27, 1942 and registered men who were born on or between April 28, 1877 and February 16, 1897 (men aged 45 to 64 years old who were not already in the military ).

It should be noted that draft registration cards are not military records and contain no information about military service. Men who registered for the draft may not have actually served in the military. Draft registration cards do offer important information to genealogists and should not be overlooked when researching an individual. These cards often include information about a persons weight, eye color, hair color, any scars or missing parts, as well as next of kin.

You can browse the available Cochran County WWII Draft Registration Cards by clicking on a letter in the menu to the right. Draft registration cards have been alphabetized by surnames.

At this time, we have not been able to find WWI draft registration cards for persons in Cochran County, Texas.

Please note:
These images are large may take longer than normal to open.

If you have an obituary or funeral program you would like included on this page, please email me.