The questionaire called for a complete birth date, but it asked of foreign-born residents only the country of their birth. Other information on file via a returned questionaire is the type that can readily lead to other records with a specific place of birth. I will try to show below an image of page one. Both pages of the questionaire are reproduced in full in an online book in the "Internet Archives" at: http://www.archive.org/details/newyorkstatemili00newy
I will also show a table indicating how many NYC residents were involved in this census.
Since I myself have not used this as a resource yet, I can't say how easy it is to get to the actual questionaire. There is some indication that short summaries are available with fewer details than on the federal draft cards. I haven't seen anyone saying that the underlying questionaires have been destroyed. It sounds like the questionaires went for recordkeeping purposes to each county and may be in the county clerk's office. Here is a posting on this subject made in 2006:
"The 1917 'Militia Census,' or its true name 'Militia Enrollment List' is different from the WWI draft cards. It covers males 18-45 years of age. It's in bound volumes in ledger format and the alphabetization is not completely accurate. The record gives you only the following information: name, age, date of birth, occupation and street address, and whether or not the person had prior military service. The New York City Clerk, Division of Old Records, 31 Chambers Street, Room 703, NY, NY has this collection. Perhaps they will do a lookup for you if you call them at 212-374-4781. If you can get there, you can look it up yourself." [applicable to Manhattan residents]
The Brooklyn Genealogy Information Page (a comprehensive website created by a fellow Brooklyn descendant Nancy Lutz) states regarding this census: for Brooklyn - at the Kings County Clerk's Office.
Since this was a state-mandated activity for state militia purposes and based on a NYS constitutional provision, there is a chance that other states did not also have such censuses done in the WWI era. Connecticut had one done for all males aged 16 and older; note this description provides no idea how detailed a record is:
In February 1917 the Connecticut General Assembly directed...the Military Census...of all male inhabitants over the age of sixteen taken in 1917-1918. However, additional surveys included such things as farms,... doctors, nurses, and factories.
Approximately 502,549 sheets of the manpower census were completed and arranged in numerical order. An index card was prepared for each sheet and arranged under each town alphabetically by surname. Each card gives the name, address, and form number.
In 1988 and 1989 the Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed the completed forms and index cards and provided the State Library with a donor copy of each series. The index cards are on 16mm microfilm arranged by town and then alphabetically by surname. If a card for a name is located, researchers should take down the form number(s). The forms are arranged numerically on 35mm microfilm. Researchers may consult the microfilm camera operator's reports, in the descriptive register for RG 29 in H&G, or check the Family History Catalog to find the microfilm roll that includes the form in question. Form numbers appear in the upper right hand corner of each sheet. Since numbers on many of the original forms are faded, researchers may have difficulty in reading them, but the sheets are in numerical order on the microfilm.
The State Archives is treating the microfilm as the use copy. Hence, access to the original sheets are subject to the Guidelines on Use of Restricted Original Archival Records. The History and Genealogy staff does not search or provide copies from microfilmed records, and the State Library's copies of these films are not available on inter-library loan. However, a list of Professional Genealogists Familiar with Connecticut State Library Collections who can make copies for a fee is available and films may be used at LDS Family History Centers."
http://www.cslib.org/milcens.htm
When a state did such a military census, these are extraordinary resources and yet I have not heard that the major gen. companies have digitized any. By the way, military censuses were also done for earlier wars, like the Civil War, for which the State of Illinois had a census done in 1862 and 1863. I happened across this subject while perusing the online catalog of the Library of Congress, which has such censuses if they were published in a book format.
Sharon Carberry
- NYS June 1917 military census stats.jpg (55.64 KiB) Viewed 4040 times
- NYS'17 military census questions p.jpg (45.16 KiB) Viewed 4041 times