Hunting ancestor through WWI. HELP! lol?

[Dem2theMax]

Hello to everyone in the Genealogy group! :hi: It's my first time posting in here. I'm a newbie. All of three weeks young in the search for my ancestors and I'm already addicted. I'm going to be posting in here like crazy, asking questions, helping out wherever I can, and hopefully, starting a sticky thread of resources for all of us. :) (If the mods agree!) :) :)

In the meantime, here is my first post/problem:


I have a great uncle (dead) who was in WWI.

On his tombstone (in Kentucky) it reads:

Sherman Woodson
Michigan
Pvt 1C1 106 Engineers 31 Division
Died 2-19-1941

I'm trying to find out about his life through his military service. But I'm lost when it comes to WWI and divisions, etc. What I could find of the 31st division didn't have anything to do with his home state, Kentucky, or the state on his tombstone, Michigan. (I could be wrong there, but I really didn't find any links in my research.) I just don't get the "Michigan" part at all.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to start looking? I've done the search engine route on his name. Nothing but a hit on the cemetery where he is buried. That's it. AAAARRRRRGGGGGG.

Any suggestions will be VERY much appreciated.
Help the newbie. Pity me. I'm addicted!!! ;) ;)

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. Well, a quick Google search returns the info...

that the 106th Engineers WERE part of the 31st Infantry Division under Major-General Leroy S. Lyon during WWI; the 31st was known as the "Dixie Division", and the infantry troops were from the Georgia, Florida, and Alabama National Guard (but it would appear that the engineer battalion assigned to the division was composed of men recruited elsewhere). The division never entered the line, being designated a replacement division on reaching France.

And it's possible that he entered service in Michigan (or may have been living in Michigan for a time; a check of the 1910-1920 census might bear fruit there).

[Dem2theMax]

3. I'm replying in PM!

:)

[Montauk6]

2. I'm not sure what you're looking for but I'm looking at his WWI draft reg card now

5'7"? Brown hair, blue eyes? Lived on Fort Street in Detroit?

[Dem2theMax]

4. AAAAARRRRRGGGGGG! I want to see it! LOL.

I have no idea of what he looked like, or where he lived other than Kentucky. The man has been a total mystery. Didn't even know I had a great uncle till two weeks ago. My Dad didn't know he had an uncle!
He always thought his Mom was an only child.

Any way I can see this WWI draft card? ;)

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. They have them at ancestry, sweetie.

I know--- money!

Here's a tip. Sign up for their free trial, then watch the date like a hawk, and when it expires, call them to cancel. They are a known racket. I did that, and searched for every draftable age guy we had in the family at the time. So I copied the front AND back of all the cards.

The physical descriptions and birthplaces are the best part. Remember the part I told you about the first and secondary sources? You can use what they put down as their birthplace as a verifying source if you can match with something else.

Also, they had a fire at the personnel records center in 1975, so many of the military records are gone, but use this link to print off a SF-180 form to request the records. You may or may not get lucky!

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html

:hi: D2tM!

[Montauk6]

6. The one fire that merits a class action lawsuit is the one that took out

1890. :argh: :grr:

But, Dem2, private message me your email addy and I'll send you form. It's not a picture of your uncle, mind you! Just his reg form.

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. I'm with you, Montauk.

The 1890 census, the Personnel Records Center for military files, and the late 1800s burning of the town of Newfield, New York are the three that drive me CRAZY!

fsc :hi:

[Dem2theMax]

10. Email addy on the way!

Thank you! :)

[Dem2theMax]

9. I'm back. I got side-tracked by the election. LOL.

Can you imagine? Something actually distracted me from my ancestors? ;-)

I can't even do the free trial right now. Cut up the credit cards years ago. Have been trying to live on a cash only diet. I'll have to borrow a card just to join Ancestry. LOL?

I remember what you told me. And I have a question. I keep running into the description of death certificates as 'certified' or not certified. Do you have to have a 'certified' certificate or will a normal (read 'cheaper') one do? I've been meaning to post that question on here. And before I start ordering them all over the place, I had better find out the answer! :-)

Thank you for the link for the military records! I'll get busy on that right away. I have another relative, (civil war,) that needs to be hunted down through his records as well.

This is TOO much fun. But I'm just about brain dead from lack of sleep. I swear, since I started doing this, I've spent way too much time on the computer and not nearly enough time in my bed. Sound familiar to anyone? ;)

[fudge stripe cookays]

13. Uncertified is fine.

Certified is only for folks that need official government proof of death to receive money, insurance...things like that. And a lot of times, the uncertified copies are cheaper.

Here is the SF-180 to request records:
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/standard-form-180.html

Download the free Acrobat Reader to view it. You'll most likely be sending to St. Louis (#14 on the form), which is:

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

You have his Division number, so that will help peg him down, if you don't have an SSN. It helps to know his birthplce and death date as well. Whatever you can give them.

:hi:
fsc

[kestrel91316]

8. He's in the 1920 Census in Muhlenberg, KY. Living with

parent/stepparent. Age 30, father Thomas G. Woodson, stepmother Barbara, siblings Casier, Gilbert, Author.

Ancestry.com is worth the price just for the census goldmine!

[Dem2theMax]

11. I found a rootsweb email group and I posted on that board -

and someone sent me the same info! I was stunned. Now I have even more to find out and more people to search for! Oh GOODY. LOL.

I'll get my behind into Ancestry.com. Just not till after the new year. DARN IT!

$$$$$$$$ As in the lack of it right now. Oh well. No. DARN IT. That fit better. LOL.

[CBHagman]

14. Don't forget libraries, NARA, and the LDS.

If you can get to a library with a subscription to Ancestry (and unfortunately, not every subscription covers every record), you might be able to print out information for free. I got a copy of my grandfather's WWI draft card that way.

You can also try regional branches of the National Archives or the actual genealogy research rooms at the National Archives in D.C. or perhaps the Library of Congress. The National Archives recently cut back their hours pretty dramatically, though, so you would have to check times very carefully.

Obviously you've already discovered family surname, regional, and other genealogical topic boards. You can also look up Family History Centers (volunteer-staffed genealogical facilities run by the Mormons) here:

http://www.familysearch.org

Good luck!

[Donnachaidh]

12. You can send a request for his actual papers thru the Army

I'll have to dig for the info for you. The only costs involved would be the actual photocopies (unless they've changed that since I requested records a few years ago.)

There is also a caveat -- there have been floods and fires that have destroyed records, and IIRC, WWI records were effected. But you may get lucky.

Let me see if I kept the contact info on where to do the request. I'm pretty sure the office you need to contact is in Missouri. It may take me a few days to find, but I will post it.

You don't need to go thru Ancestry. Good old fashioned genealogy searches can get you better and more ACCURATE records.