World War I Draft Card Adds Color to a Black and White Photo

The World War I draft registration cards are helpful in many ways. The front of the card gives his full name, birthdate and age, address, occupation, employer, place of occupation, and name and address of the nearest relative. At the bottom is his signature. There were three different registrations and these cards have slightly different questions.[1]

The back of the card listed a description: height, build, color of eyes, and color of hair. Also included were any distinguishing marks or scars. The third registration card asked if there were obvious disability to be physically disqualified.

These cards are a great way to get a picture of a family member, especially if you do not have any photographs.

For example. William Carlton “Carl” Lancaster, my maternal 2x-great-grandfather, registered for the draft in the third registration because this registration on 12 September 1918 captured men between 18 through 45 and Carl was 45.

He was a farmer and his wife, Martha Jane, was his nearest relative. The back of the card gave his description as medium height and build, with blue eyes and brown hair.[2]

Photos
I have two photos of Carl, both black and white. I could use a program to colorize them, but that is not a guarantee I will get the correct colors. Plus, unless a closeup, photos cannot show eye color. Both the photos are when he was older and include his son and grandchildren.

The first is a photo of Carl, in the center, with his son, Warren to his right, and grandson, R.D. to his left. I have no date, but it’s possible that R.D. was in college, which would place this about 1940. Here Carl’s hair looks pretty light in color.

The second photo has Carl siting with his wife, Martha, and great-granddaughter, Lela Nell (my mother). Warren is behind Martha. Warren’s sister, Margaret, is standing beside him. Warren’s daughter, Pansy (my Mam-ma), is on the floor. In this photo, his hair is darker with gray temples. However, looking closely at his eyes, they are light in color, lighter than the others in the photo. I think this photo is around 1937-38. Lela Nell looks about three or four and was born in 1934.


I sure wished I had a photo of a younger Carl, closer to the WWI draft card.

Do you record the physical data from draft registrations, military registrations, naturalization, or pension records? It is a great way to give a physical description of your ancestor when you have no photo.

#52Ancestors: Week 2: A Record that Adds Color

This is my ninth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe.

I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.


[1] “World War I Draft Registration Cards,” National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/draft-registration : accessed 5 Jan 2026).

[2] "U.S., WW I Draft Registration Cards 1917-1918," database and images, Ancestry, (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6482 : accessed 5 Jan 2026) > Texas > Erath County > ALL > Draft Card L > image 35 of 308, William Carlton Lancaster, order no. 1644, serial no. 1035, Sep 12, 1918. 


Copyright © 2011-2026 by Lisa S. Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family, All rights reserved.

Comments

  1. Marian B. WoodJanuary 9, 2026 at 4:09 AM

    What I especially appreciate in these physical descriptions are specific notes such as "tattoo on right arm" or "missing right ring finger"!

    ReplyDelete

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