Summary Information
Wisconsin Adjutant General's Office Roster Books
1919
- , Wisconsin Adjutant General's Office
WVM Mss 599
3.0 linear ft. (15 volumes)
Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)
Roster books describing the men and women from Wisconsin who joined the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Nurse Corps during World War I. The books list each service-person's name, rank, residence, serial number and the unit with which they served. The books are arranged by the county in which the men and women resided at the time of the war, then by branch of service, and then alphabetically by last name.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00599 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Prior to the United States' entry into World War I, members of the Wisconsin National Guard had been called into service on the Mexican border, where they helped to stop the raids of Pancho Villa and his followers. When the United States declared war against Germany in April 1917, the entire state National Guard was mobilized at a strength of over 15,000 men. They received initial training at Camp Douglas during the summer months of 1917.
Three companies were selected for service with the 42nd “Rainbow” Division and traveled to New York to train with that unit. The rest of the Wisconsin National Guard traveled to Waco, Texas to train at Camp MacArthur, where they were later joined by an additional 3000 Wisconsin men. There, with the Michigan National Guard, they became the 32nd Division and came under the command of General William G. Haan. In early 1918 the Division began shipping across the Atlantic to France. The 32nd “Red Arrow” Division saw significant action in Europe during the war. They took part in three major offensives (Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, and Meuse-Argonne) and were the first American troops to reach German soil.
In addition to the 18,000 Wisconsin National Guardsmen in the 32nd Division, the Selective Service Act brought 90,000 more men from the Badger State into the service. These men served in all branches of service under hundreds of different units. An additional 10,000 enlisted voluntarily during the war, bringing the total number of soldiers from the state to an estimated 118,000. The state's men suffered a less than ten percent casualty rate, and the number of Wisconsin soldiers killed is estimated at under 2,000.
Scope and Content Note
The fifteen volumes of roster records comprise the entirety of this collection. The volumes are arranged alphabetically by the county in which the serviceperson resided at the time of the war, then by the branch of service (Army, Navy, Marines, or Nurse Corps), and finally by surname. The information in these records forms a solid base from which a researcher could, for example, request further records from the National Archives. The organization of these records can present difficulties to researchers who are not certain about the residence of a serviceperson during the war.
Entries for individuals begin on the left-hand side of the page with their name (last name first). If the man or women died in service prior to the creation of this roster, the word “deceased” will appear in parentheses directly below the name. Moving to the right the person's rank, listed as an abbreviation, is next. The city of residence and often the street address are to the right of the rank. The final column, on the far right side of the page, contains serial number and the military unit with which the person served, listed as an abbreviation.
Note
There are a number of potential stumbling blocks one might encounter while using these records. Most can be overcome with the help of Research Center staff and additional sources.
The first problem a researcher might encounter is deciding in which volume to begin their search. If the city of residence during World War I is known but not the county, a listing of all Wisconsin cities and the counties in which they are located is available upon request. There are also county maps available that can help a researcher to search in bordering counties if uncertain about the exact residence of a serviceperson.
Once a volume is selected, the researcher should not become discouraged if initially unable to locate the surname. Because the soldiers' names were usually spoken to the recorders, the spelling of the surnames will vary depending on the speaker's accent and enunciation and the recorder's hearing and spelling skills. Researchers should always check potential alternate spellings (e.g. Hanson, Hansen, Henson, Hensen).
Finally, there are many abbreviations used in these records to denote both rank and military units that can be quite difficult to decipher. The Reference Archivist has several military abbreviation lists, available upon request, that can be of great aid to researchers.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Transferred from the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Madison, WI, 1989. Accession Number: VA 1982 May 20. This collection was organized as a result of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission project grant (2003-075).
Processed by Russell Horton in 2004.
Contents List
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Volume
1
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Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, and Burnett
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Volume
2
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Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, and Dane
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Volume
3
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Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, and Eau Claire
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Volume
4
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Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, and Iowa
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Volume
5
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Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, and Kewaunee
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Volume
6
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La Crosse, LaFayette, Langlade, and Lincoln
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Volume
7
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Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, and Marquette
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Milwaukee
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Volume
8
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Army, A-L
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Volume
9
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Army, M-Z
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Volume
10
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Navy, Marines, and Nurses
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Volume
11
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Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, and Pepin
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Volume
12
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Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, and Richland
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Volume
13
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Rock, Rusk, St. Croix, Sauk, Sawyer, and Shawano
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Volume
14
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Sheboygan, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, and Washington
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Volume
15
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Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood, and At Large
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