Military Service Records of World War II

A few years ago I wrote about searching for information on someone who served in World War II, George DeForest Russell (1913-1997).

Military records in the United States are collected, housed, and maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration ("NARA"). NARA holds other records and performs other functions as well.

Draft cards can be viewed on Ancestry. A draft card does not mean that someone actually served in the military; however, in George's situation, the notations on his draft card indicated that he served in the Army.

Draft card of George DeForest Russell
World War II
Collection at Ancestry

Side Two of draft card.
Don't forget to look for another side on any record!

After 62 years, you can request an individual's military service records. Unfortunately, there was a fire in 1973 where the records for World War II were stored in Missouri. Although not everything was destroyed, the standard response from NARA is that only the Final Pay Voucher is available (for purchase). 

Letter from NARA to writer that only the Final Pay Voucher
is available for George D Russell

Below is the Final Pay Voucher received via postal mail from NARA.

Final Pay Voucher for service in World War II
George D Russell

Some companies advertise that they can search for remnants of a veteran's file within the repositories. I contracted with one such company who claimed that nothing was found.

I tried another researcher, Alex Beckstrand, of Legacies of Service. (Substack link here.) He was able to find documents of two types: Specific to the veteran and specific to the units he was assigned to.

Below are some of the copies found by Alex Beckstrand for the service of George D Russell. I don't know why NARA did not offer copies of these records years ago.

Some of the paperwork for the honorable discharge of
George DeForest Russell from the Army 1946

George earned:

-Asiatic Pacific Service Medal

-European African Middle Eastern Service Medal

-Good Conduct Medal

-Philippines Liberation Ribbon

-World War II Victory Medal

Part of George D Russell's discharge paperwork.
The section of "Civilian Occupations" placed him
in Kearny, Hudson County, New Jersey in 1942 and 1943.
This was a missing piece of this puzzle.

Apparently, promotions and movements within units was documented and these records survive. From these, a veteran's activities can be gleaned.

Company Morning Report
[George D] Russell promoted on October 1, 1943.
He was stationed at Fort Screven, Georgia.

George D Russell moved to another unit
on December 10, 1943

Where a unit was and what that unit was doing at any given point during the War is also preserved. A veteran's whereabouts and activities can be inferred from these documents.

October 1945 activities of George and the 1053rd Engineers

Thank you, Alex, for learning how to research these repositories and helping others who seek answers about lost stories of World War II.

If you would like information on a veteran's life during World War II, please reach out to Alex Beckstrand at Legacies of Service and inquire if he might be able to help your research goals.

Forbidden New York State Records

We aren't going to be seeing vital records from the State of New York any time soon.

The New York State Senate and Assembly passed bills (2025-S7782A and 2025-A8314A) to allow digitization and publication of births, marriages, deaths, and dissolutions of marriage. Governor Kathleen Hochul vetoed the bill in October 2025.

There remains no path to obtaining a vital record from the New York Department of Health if it falls under a genealogical time frame: 75 years for births and 50 years for marriages and deaths.

I await fulfillment of four records ordered from the New York State Department of Health. Three were ordered 21 months ago and the other almost four years ago- after the Department failed to find the certificate the first time around.

Although the Department will not copy and mail the documents, it is able to open the envelopes, remove the form of payment, and deposit same into the State's coffers.

The Department's website has not been updated since January 2023 and still falsely promises:
    1- orders of genealogical records will be fulfilled
    2- orders of genealogical records may take eight months or longer

Website of the New York State Department of Health
falsely offering genealogical copies of vital records

In contrast, New York City was able to digitize and place online a self-reported 75% of its vital records. Ancestry has digitized images of older New York City records.

Preserving abandoned stories

Someone shared with me records from a locally abandoned prison complex, Essex County Penitentiary, later used as the Annex, in North Caldwell, New Jersey.  After people ceased to use the buildings, they fell into disrepair and people took unofficial tours of the historical grounds.  Records were left behind and sometimes people find them at garage sales in the area.  Great pictures of the buildings before demolition can be found on Abandoned But Not Forgotten; about halfway down are pictures of records left behind.  These lost records tell personal stories of local history.

The records are files of two inmates who arrived at the penitentiary on the same day, March 6, 1931.  These would be wonderful for their families to see.

Elizabeth Jackson, age 22, of 42 Shipman Street in Newark, was sentenced to four months for the crime of fornication.  (Can you imagine a time when this was a crime punishable by jail time?  This woman's jail records paint a personal picture of this prosecution.)

Sarah Steward, also known by other names, including Watkins and Douglas, age 25, of 274 Prince Street in Newark, was sentenced to three months for the crime of adultery.  (Makes you want to know who the married man was and how this act was discovered.)

Sarah Steward's troubles continued after her release.
In this letter from a nurse in New York City, we are provided with a more specific birth location:  Chrisfield, Maryland.

The staple in the upper left corner of the letters caused rust to stain the other documents in the file.

In researching both women, I found only one other record for Sarah Steward.  In the 1930 federal census, she was also in this jail, as per the warden's letter, and is enumerated on that schedule.