The Dallas Journal, Volume 41, 1995 Page: 110

                                
Locations of the 1917 Draft Registration Polling Precincts
for Dallas, Texas
Compiled by Sammie Townsend Lee
On 5 June 1917, the first selective service draft registration for World War I was held in the
United States in an effort to register all men between the ages of 21 and 31 (both native born or
alien). On 5 June 1818 a second registration was held to register those men who had turned 21
since the first registration. A third draft registration was held on 12 September 1918 to list men
between the ages of 18-21 and 31-45. This included men born between 1873-1900. Draft
registration cards exist for about 24.2 million men. Not all men who registered actually served
in the military; not all men who served in the military registered for the draft.
Each of the registrations used a slightly different form, but all asked essentially the same
information: full name, full date and place of birth, race, citizenship, trade or occupation,
employer, marital status, dependents, and personal description. Some forms requested the name
of the next of kin and all required a signature. Cards are arranged by state, then county or city,
then draft board, then alphabetically by the names of registrants.
If you are seeking a draft registration card for a man and you know the location where he
resided during this time period, originals of the draft registration cards may be ordered from the
Regional Branch of the National Archives, 1557 St. Joseph Avenue, East Point, Georgia 30344.
You must know the state, county, city (if applicable), draft board, and name of registrant. You
can also order these records on microfilm from the Family History Library.
Dallas registrations.
Just prior to the first registration in Dallas, a local newspaper, The Dallas Daily Times
Herald, printed a list of the polling locations where Dallas men were required to register. About
three weeks after the registration, the newspaper began to publish the names of the registrants
by printing one polling precinct per issue. Unfortunately, it appears they discontinued printing
the lists before all precincts had been published.
Newspaper source: The Dallas Daily Times Herald, 4 June 1917, page 1.
PLACES WHERE MEN OF MILITARY AGE WILL REGISTER
For the benefit of the men of military age who will register Tuesday [5 June 1917] for
service in the United States army under the selective draft bill, the following list of polling
precincts in the city of Dallas is re-printed. All men past twenty-one and under thirty-one years
of age, must appear there and register Tuesday under penalty of the law. The precincts follow:
1-Barnett's court room, first floor County Jail building.
2-South Akard and Marilla Streets.
3-No. 1417 McKinney avenue, near Orange.
4-No. 309 North Akard street.
5-corner Bryan and Masten.
6-No. 2823 Ross avenue, near Central railroad.
7-Corner Ross and Haskell avenues.

DGS Journal

110

1995