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World War I Alien Registrations
in the United States
by David Dreyer
© copyright 1997 by David Dreyer and FEEFHS, all rights
reserved
First Posted: 25 August 1997
See also St. Paul Minnesota
Alien Registrations
From - Fri Aug 22 18:15:28 1997
From: David Dreyer ddreyer@pacbell.net
This is the message I sent out on the Banat List about World War
I Alien registrations in the United States. I was hoping to get
some feedback about the location of these records for other
states.
Today I discovered a series of three miniarticles in recent
issues of Der Blumenbaum concerning World War I Enemy
Alien registration records. Each subsequent article triggered
more input from readers. The latest was in the Sacramento German Genealogy
Society publication Der Blumenbaum 15, 20 (1997). The
first article announced that the New York Herald in 1917
published a list, in book form, of more than 28,000 "German enemy
aliens". These apparently were compiled from a "NY City military
census" and gave only name and street address.
Then a reader replied concerning "German enemy alien"
registration in Kansas. These records are currently being
published by counties in the Kansas Review (Publication of
the Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies). These lists give,
full names, date of birth, place of birth and locality of
registration.
The introduction to these records states, "All states were
required to do this registration, but records were later
destroyed. Kansas has the only known existing file of these
registrations, and they are on deposit with the National
Archives, from which this index was made".
A reader then reported that the Minnesota Historical Society has
filmed the Minnesota records exactly as previously reported by
Richard Barton and Marie Bibus of the Zichydorf Village Association
and posted on the
FEEFHS Website on 9 June 1997 as St. Paul Minnesota Alien
Registrations.
The reader then went on to point out the copies of the "enemy
alien registration were recorded in triplicate. One copy went to
the Justice Department at Washington DC, one copy went to the
respective State Capital and the third was retained by the local
authorities -- the sheriff or postmaster. There apparently was a
separate registration of alien females at a later date -- see the
Blumenbaum article.
The National Archives also has another file of documents which
tracked the movements of registered individuals from one location
to another. "This is a large file, indexed by county and town of
registration." The File Number was not given in the article (but
David Dreyer and FEEFHS would like to have it).
Summary from the Wauwatosa (Wisconsin) News, 25 January
1918; All German aliens were given 5 days to register, 4
February - 8 February 1918. Registration occurred at Police
stations or in small towns at the Post Office. Failure to do so
will result in internment and possible deportation. Filing first
citizenship papers is not sufficient grounds for not
registering.
Some of the data collected in the registration follows:
1. Full set of fingerprints
2. Photograph
3. Name and physical description
4. Name of vessel of emigration
5. Date of immigration
6. Parents names, birth dates and places
7. Place of origin of the immigrant
8. Wife's name and residence
9. Children's names, sex, years of birth
10. Whether had any male relatives in arms for or against the
US
11. Whether registered for selective draft
12. Account of all previous military/navel government service
13. Whether applied for naturalization or took out first papers;
if yes. when and where.
14. Whether had naturalization in another country
15. Whether had taken an oath of allegiance other than to the
US
16. Whether reported to or registered with a consul since 1 Jun
1914
17. Whether had ever been arrested or detained on any charge
18. Whether had permit to enter a forbidden area
19. Signature
From all of the above it is apparent that these registration
records constitute a potential resource for family history work.
There appears from the above to be some confusion whether just
Germans had to register or if all enemy aliens had to
register.
From the comments of Richard Barton and Marie Bibus we know it
was the latter. If such records surived for Minnesota and
Kansas, it is possible that they may have surived for other
states too.
The prospects seems promising in view that there were three sets
of records deposited in three different jurisdictions. Of
special interest for Banat researchers would be such records from
those states having the greated Banater populations;
Chicago,Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and St Louis, Missouri.
Members on the Banat List having Banater ancestors from these
states should query their state and county archives, local
historical and genealogical societies.
Dave Dreyer
Mail address: ddreyer@pacbell.net