Today's transcription project is the World War II Draft Registration Card for Knute Lawrence Johnson (1892-1968). Knute was my great-uncle, eldest brother of Alfred Marem Johnson (my paternal grandfather). Like Alfred, Knute was the son of William Christian Johnson and Maria Julson. Unfortunately, I don't recall meeting Knute, so I am trying to get to know him a little by looking at the records made during his lifetime.
For a little background about the WWII Draft Cards collection, often referred to as the "old man's registration," it was conducted on 27 April 1942 and gathered information about men who were born between and including 28 April 1877 and 16 February 1897 and those who were not already in the military. This included Uncle Knute.
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| IMAGE: World War II Draft Registration Card for Knute Lawrence Johnson, front. Provided by Ancestry.com. [1] |
-------- front transcription begins [Image 74 of 2042] --------
REGISTRATION CARD—(Men born on or after April 28, 1877 and on or before February 16, 1897
SERIAL NUMBER U1237
1. NAME (Print)
Knute Lawrence Johnson
(First) (Middle) (Last)
ORDER NUMBER [blank]
2. PLACE OF RESIDENCE (Print)
(Number and street) [blank]
(Town, township, village, or city) Elbowoods
(County) McLean
(State) N.D. [North Dakota]
(THE PLACE OF RESIDENCE GIVEN ON THE LINE ABOVE WILL DETERMINE LOCAL BOARD JURISDICTION; LINE 2 OF REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE WILL BE IDENTICAL)
3. MAILING ADDRESS
(Mailing address if other than place indicated on line 2. If same insert word same.) Same
4. TELEPHONE None
5. AGE IN YEARS 50
DATE OF BIRTH March 20, 1892
6. PLACE OF BIRTH (Town or county) Lake Preston
(State or country) South Dakota
7. NAME AND ADDRESS OF PERSON WHO WILL ALWAYS KNOW YOUR ADDRESS
Ella Johnson Elbowoods, N.D.
8. EMPLOYER'S NAME AND ADDRESS
U.S. Gov. Int. Indian; " " [Elbowoods, N.D.]
9. PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT OR BUSINESS
(number and street or R.F.D. number) [blank]
(Town) Elbowoods
(County) McLean
(State) N.D.
I AFFIRM THAT I HAVE VERIFIED ABOVE ANSWERS AND THAT THEY ARE TRUE.
Knute Lawrence Johnson
Registrant's signature
D.S.S. Form 1
(Revised 4-1-42)
16—21630—2
(over
-------- transcription of front ends --------
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IMAGE: World War II Draft Registration
Card for Knute Lawrence Johnson, reverse.
Provided by Ancestry.com. [1]
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-------- transcription of back begins [Image 75 of 2042] --------
REGISTRAR'S REPORT
DESCRIPTION OF REGISTRANT
RACE White
[Other choices listed: Negro, Oriental, Indian, Filipino]
HEIGHT (Approx.) 5' 7"
EYES Blue
[Other choices listed: Gray, Hazel, Brown, Black]
WEIGHT (Approx.) 156
HAIR Gray
[Other choices listed: Blonde, Red, Brown, Black, Bald]
COMPLEXION Light brown
[Other choices listed: Sallow, Light, Ruddy, Dark, Freckled, Dark brown, Black]
Other obvious physical characteristics that will aid in identification None
I certify that my answers are true; that the person registered has read or has had read to him his own answers; that I have witnessed his signature or mark and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows: [blank]
F. S. Slaugh
(Signature of registrar)
Registrar of Local Board
(number) [blank]
(City or county) McLean
(State) N.D.
Date of registration April 27, 1942
Local Board No. 1 77 [rubber stamped]
McLean County 055
Washburn, N.Dak. 001
(STAMP OF LOCAL BOARD)
(The stamp of the Local Board having jurisdiction of the registrant shall be placed in the above space.)
16—21630-1
--------transcription of back ends --------
Source:
1.) U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, online database and images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 08 April 2018), citing The National Archives, St. Louis, Missouri; Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 1332; Knute Lawrence Johnson (images 74 & 75 of 2042).
I noticed that this card was dated 27 April 1942, completed on the stated date the event was to occur. Filling out this card didn't mean that Knute had joined the military, as he did not. He had only registered, because of his age being over 44 he was not liable.
It is always good to learn about an ancestor's description. Through this draft card, we learn that Knute was 5'7" tall and had a slim-build at 156 pounds. He also had blue eyes and gray hair. I also learned that his complexion was light brown.
I also queried the 1940 U.S. Population Census for "F Slaugh," the person who signed as Registrar for the Local Board. I found this to be Forest Stephen Slaugh, who was working for the U.S. Government as Agriculture Extension Agent for the local Indian Agency. This would be the
Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is a U.S. Indian reservation that is located in McLean. This discovery clarifies who the employer was for Uncle Knute, the same agency as Mr. Slaugh worked for. I find in the 1940 Census that Uncle Knute was the head mechanic for the agency.
It is also interesting to learn that Elbowoods, North Dakota no longer exists. It was submerged when the Garrison Dam, closed off a portion of the Missouri River and created Lake Sakakawea. This forced the location of families in Elbowoods, portions of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and other small communities. This may have included Uncle Knute and his family. By the fall of 1954, all of the impacted residents had relocated. I know that Uncle Knute would eventually join others of his siblings who had settled in Kent, Washington, but I don't know if that matched the time of this dam relocation of if he had left North Dakota before 1954. He was living in Auburn, Washington when he passed away in 1968.
Do you see something interesting in this document I missed?
Amanuensis Monday is a weekly blog theme that was started by John Newmark, the author of TransylvanianDutch blog. John defines Amanuensis as, "A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another." I also appreciate the good work and format examples of San Diego genealogist Randy Seaver of the blog Genea-musings. Thanks, guys.
Transcribing helps me to learn what a document contains. I have learned over time that I have a tendency to "skim" over an item; a bad trait for a researcher who needs to learn even the smallest details documented records contain. Transcribing helps me to slow down and "smell the flowers," and to capture all aspects of the paper in hand.
It was fun to share this document with you. Hope your week gets off to a good start. I look forward to our next visit here.
Transcribing helps me to learn what a document contains. I have learned over time that I have a tendency to "skim" over an item; a bad trait for a researcher who needs to learn even the smallest details documented records contain. Transcribing helps me to slow down and "smell the flowers," and to capture all aspects of the paper in hand.
It was fun to share this document with you. Hope your week gets off to a good start. I look forward to our next visit here.
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Copyright (c) 2018, Darlene M. Steffens
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