{"id":41861,"date":"2018-11-09T11:29:08","date_gmt":"2018-11-09T16:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=41861"},"modified":"2023-08-03T15:16:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T19:16:17","slug":"world-war-i-honor-rolls-commemorate-our-ancestors-deeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/world-war-i-honor-rolls-commemorate-our-ancestors-deeds.html","title":{"rendered":"World War I Honor Rolls Commemorate Our Ancestors\u2019 Deeds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 to celebrate the centennial of the end of WWI this Sunday \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega gives tips for using Honor Rolls to help with your family history research. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What did your ancestors do during World War I? Military records document our military-serving ancestors, but remember that during war time everyone helped in some way \u2013 from those who served on the battlefields to those on the home front who worked in factories or volunteered for activities like food conservation and knitting.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: World War I soldier with American flag in background. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Honor rolls found in various formats, such as newspapers, books, and plaques, can help provide us with information about our ancestors and their community during the war \u2013 and may lead to some surprising discoveries.<\/p>\n

Honor Rolls<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I think of an \u201chonor roll\u201d I think of something that documents and honors those who have either served or who died serving in a war. After World War I, efforts to honor those who served their country were made. In some cases, the honoring of the soldier was done individually via a letter to the returning soldier or the deceased soldier\u2019s family. This 1918 newspaper article explains this effort:<\/p>\n

\u201cThat each local community maintain an honor roll regarding the names of all men in service with their achievements and dates of entry and discharge.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"An<\/a>
New Orleans States (New Orleans, Louisiana), 4 August 1918, page 33<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Historical newspapers have many examples of World War I honor rolls being prepared for publication. These rolls include everything from the soldier\u2019s name to a photograph of those who died in active service \u2013 as well as those who died prior to deployment. While most of these honor rolls mention \u201cmen\u201d they also include women (women served during World War I as nurses and switchboard operators). Here\u2019s an example of an honor roll being prepared for those \u201cuniversity men\u201d from the University of Kansas who had died.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri), 15 January 1919, page 7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Honor Rolls and Family History<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the family historian, finding these honor rolls may be challenging. Some honor rolls may have survived in published books, while others may be memorialized on bronze plaques.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Grand Forks Daily Herald (Grand Forks, North Dakota), 13 February 1919, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of these honor rolls may have a more ephemeral quality \u2013 like the framed parchment paper honor rolls I saw recently stored in a Canadian archive.<\/p>\n

Searching for Honor Rolls<\/strong><\/p>\n

To begin your search, seek out books that commemorate what your ancestors\u2019 community did during the war. In some cases, these honor roll books documented the efforts of an entire county (including those on the home front) and are found in published volumes available via digitized book websites and in libraries.<\/p>\n

For example, searching on the digitized book website Hathi Trust<\/a> for the phrase \u201cHonor roll of\u201d and the name of the county you\u2019re interested in will reveal publications such as the following:<\/p>\n