Kansas Resource

Many families of Kansas can trace their genealogy roots to the orphan trains which ran from 1867 to 1930. An estimated 6,000 children were sent from charitable institutions in New York City to Kansas in the hopes that living with families in the west would offer these orphans a better life than living in orphanages in the city.

The Kansas Collection website has a page devoted to the Kansas Orphan Trains. This page includes stories about some of the riders, the history of the movement, transcriptions of newspaper accounts, graphics of some of the riders and a reference section.

Some of the children and the families that took them in are listed in the newspaper accounts so its worth a look to see if you find the name you are looking for. In some cases, the age of the children are also given. If you're looking for a common name, having the age may help pinpoint if you have the correct orphan train rider.

The reference section contains several free genealogy resources of interest. These include a  partial list of the institutions that sent children west, a partial list of the riders, examples of the forms used, a list of trains arriving in Kansas, placing agents of the train and a bibliography that lists books, magazine articles, videos and newspaper articles that contain information on the Kansas Orphan Trains.

Last but not least, the reference section has a page that lists some town name changes. This can be helpful if you know an ancestor arrived in a certain city, but are having trouble locating them in later censuses or other records.

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Free WWI Records

Arizona WWI Alien Registrations-During WWI, people who lived in Arizona, but were citizens of other countries were required to register as aliens. This free genealogy resource just gives you a list of the names, their date of registration and the ARC description number. Once you have the description number, visit the National Archives ARC system and put the number in the search box. Then click on the icon on the left that looks like a CD to view a digital image of the registration documents. From the documents, you get the name of the individual, any other names used, address, how long they have lived at that address, any other residences, birthplace and date, employer, occupation, date arrived in the US, port of arrival, ship arrived on, name of parents, address of parents if they are living, name of spouse and children, name of relatives fighting for or against the US, whether registered for draft and where if they are, previous military or government service, whether naturalized or not, if naturalized or applied to be naturalized where and when, any oaths of allegiance and any criminal history. It also includes a photograph, age, physical description and fingerprints of the individual. This is one of the many free genealogy resources available that could be considered a goldmine for researchers.

Connecticut WWI Military Service Questionnaires-This database is searchable by name and residence. It gives you the full name of the individual, residence, if they had an foreign service, notes if there are any pictures, and gives you the box number of their questionnaire. Some results may include notes. You can request a copy of the questionnaire for a small fee.

Florida WWI Service Cards-This database searches service cards, which are an abbreviated version of the individual's military record. All cards include name, age, serial number, race, birthplace and residence when entering service. Cards may also include information on service with dates of beginning and transfer, engagements served in, wounds or injuries sustained in action, time served overseas, discharge notes and other comments.

Kansas Enemy Alien Registration-This one is broken down into county. Once you select the correct county, you get a list of names. Information included with the names is the city and county of residence, sex, birthdate, birth country, city of origin and maiden name for women. The name can be searched in the National Archives ARC System to find their documents.

Kansas WWI Casualties-This database is searchable by surname. There are also several options for statistics including by cause of death, by state, by residence, etc. Be sure to note the number beside your ancestor's listing. This corresponds to a list that has the person the soldier named as an emergency contact. In most cases, the individual listed in this list is a family member. You may also want to check the supplements as they correct erroneous information that may be in the original listings.

Louisiana WWI Soldiers-This includes soldiers killed in action. Unfortunately, this isn't searchable so finding your ancestor requires browsing or using your browser's find command. You get name and residence. Some names are hyperlinked and clicking on them will take you to a photograph of the individual. Some names also have notes for further information about the individual.

Missouri WWI Service Cards-This database covers soldiers from multiple conflicts. Just select WWI from the conflict drop down to access. Cards give name, branch of service, serial number, race, residence, place and date of induction, birthplace, age or date of birth, organizations served in with dates, rank with dates of appointment, engagements, injuries sustained in action, overseas service dates, discharge information, disability upon discharge, and remarks.

St. Louis WWI Casualties-This database covers casualties from St. Louis, MO and St. Louis County. You can scroll through the names or select the first letter of the surname to jump to that set of names. You get name, rank at time of death and residence at time of enlistment.

Virginia Military Dead Database-This databases covers just about all conflicts in history. Just select World War I from the conflict drop down box for your search. Results will give name, city or county, gender, race, service branch, rank, date and place of death, cause of death, source, residence and comments.

WWI Casualties-This database is from the American Battle Monuments Commission. It only contains records of those individuals buried in their cemeteries or listed on the Wall of the Missing. That's roughly a third of WWI casualties, but as a free genealogy resource, it's worth a check. Search results give you the name, rank, state, death date and cemetery location. Clicking on the 'Go' button beside the name yields a little more information.

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