The Individual Service Records (Questionnaires) series is housed in 20 boxes and is arranged into two (2) subseries. Subseries have been designated for Counties and Cities. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically by locality and there under alphabetically by name of soldier (with white and non-white questionnaires further segregated). This series consists of questionnaires completed by soldiers who served from Virginia during World War I or their next-of-kin. The four page questionnaire records personal and military data. The first page records personal information including the full name of the soldier, date and place of birth, name of mother and father (and their places of birth), race, religious affiliation, names of wife and children, fraternal orders and college fraternities, education, occupation prior to entering the service, name of employer, residence before and after time in service, and present home address. The second and third pages records military information including, date of induction, rank, military branch and ID number, military company, regiment and division; where trained or stationed, port of embarkation and debarkation, experiences in action, citations for and details of distinguished services, details of any injuries (or death), and occupation after the war. The fourth page contains several questions designed to elicit information about how the war affected the serviceman and how he perceived his experiences during the war. The questions deal with the effect of disabilities upon occupation and employment, the serviceman's attitude toward military service, the mental and physical effects of United States camp experiences and of overseas experiences, how the experience affected his religious beliefs, and the effects of all of these experiences as contrasted with his state of mind before the war. Nurses submitted a two page questionnaire asking similar questions. Photographs often accompany the questionnaires.

This series is arranged into two subseries. Subseries have been designated for Counties and Cities.

The Virginians of Distinguished Service series is housed in 14 boxes and arranged into five (5) subseries. Subseries have been designated for Reference Files, Correspondence, Reference Cards, Rough Drafts and Miscellaneous Materials. This series documents the Commission's efforts to gather information for its first source volume, Virginians of Distinguished Service of the World War (Richmond: 1923), edited by Arthur Kyle Davis. This series includes Individual Service Records (Questionnaires) that are not included in Series I.

The Reference Files subseries is housed in 4 boxes and is arranged alphabetically by name of soldier. This subseries has been microfilmed. See Miscellaneous Reels 4694-4701. In preparation for its first source volume, Virginians of Distinguished Service of the World War, the Commission reviewed its own files and removed all questionnaires for soldiers receiving citations, decorations or other honors. The Commission then created an alphabetical reference file consisting largely of questionnaires but also including photographs, letters from the soldier, family member or next-of-kin, newspaper clippings and certified copies of citations. Questionnaires do not exist for every soldier in the file and in a few cases the only record is a copy of soldier's citation. In addition to soldiers who received honors, the reference file includes records for soldiers who did not receive an official citation or whose citations could not be verified. Noteworthy files include Thomas Bolling Byrd, brother of Virginia Governor and Senator Harry F. Byrd, Arthur H. Kelly, who died in Poland fighting the Bolsheviks and Richard Fuller Woodward, whose widow submitted letters about her visit to her husband's grave in France.

The Correspondence subseries is housed in 3 boxes and is arranged into three distinct groupings of correspondence. The first, spanning May 1922 to February 1923, documents attempts by the Commission to get copies of citations from soldiers. Correspondence is both incoming and outgoing and is arranged alphabetically by recipient. There is extensive correspondence from Colonel Joseph R. Anderson, author of Record of Service In the World War of V.M.I. Alumni, describing his assistance in acquiring citations from V.M.I. soldiers and from John S. Patton, Librarian at the University of Virginia, documenting his efforts to acquire citations from UVA students. Additional correspondence from Newton D. Mereness and Lewis H. Machen chronicles their efforts to obtain list of Virginians of Distinguished Service for the Commission in Washington, D.C. The second group of correspondence, covering 1923-1925, relates to the publication and promotion of Virginians of Distinguished Service. Subjects covered include: errors and omissions, ordering/selling, book reviews, requests for additional information and complimentary copies. The third group is unclaimed form letters sent to soldiers in 1922 requesting copies of their citations.

The Reference Cards subseries is housed in 2 boxes and is arranged alphabetically. Each index card contains the text of each soldier's citation as well as the source of information.

The Rough Drafts subseries is housed in 3 boxes and is arranged alphabetically by name of soldier. The information on the Reference Cards (subseries C) was used to write the rough drafts of each soldier's entry in the book.

The Miscellaneous Materials subseries is housed in 2 boxes and contains miscellaneous lists and unidentified miscellaneous materials.

The Virginia Military Organizations series is housed in 8 boxes with oversized material separated and is arranged into five (5) subseries. Subseries have been designated for 29th Division, 42nd Division, 80th Division, Miscellaneous Units and Miscellaneous and Correspondence. This series consists primarily of unit histories written by unit members. Many of these records are described in Virginia War History Commission, Supplement No. 3, Calendar of Military Histories, Narratives and Reports (July 1921 issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography) and Supplement No. 4, Lists and Calendars of Source Material (October 1921 issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. In addition many of these unit histories were published by Arthur Kyle Davis, editor, in Virginia Military Organizations in the World War (Source Volume 5) (Richmond: 1925).

The 29th Division subseries is housed in 3 boxes and one oversized folder. Records of the 29th Division include a "History of the 'Blue and Gray,' 29th Division" by Lt. Col. John A Cutchins, a description of operations of the 29th Division, East of the Meuse River, in October 1918, histories of the 116th Infantry (by company) and histories of the 111th Field Artillery (by company).

The 42nd Division subseries is housed in 1 box. The records of the 42nd Division include a brief history of the unit and a copy of the Journal of Private G.W. Reed, 117th Train Headquarters and Military Police, describing his activities between 1917 April 8 and 1919 April 5.

The 80th Division subseries is housed in 3 boxes. The records of the 80th Division includes histories of the 317th, 318th and 320th Infantry regiments, 314th Machine Gun Battalion, 315th Field Artillery, 305th Engineers and a copy of Captain Josiah C. Peck's book, History of the 319th Infantry. Notable documents include "My Service with the A.E.F. in France," by Captain Melville Oakham, 320th Infantry and copies of The Service Magazine, published by the Eightieth Division Veterans Association, from 1921-1927.

The Miscellaneous Units subseries is housed in 1 box. Miscellaneous Units include histories of the Virginia Coast Artillery, Medical Units (Base Hospital 41 and 45 and Sanitation Units 516, 517 and 534), and Engineer Units (28th Engineering Division and 510th and 511th Engineers' Service Battalions). The most significant item in this sub-series is the collection of photographs of the nursing staff of Base Hospital 45. Photographs of 104 of the 106 staff members are included.

The Miscellaneous and Correspondence subseries is housed in 1 box and one oversized folder. Noteworthy is the statement of Private John Leedy of the 116th Infantry in which Leedy describes a gas attack in the Meuse-Argonne Valley in October 1918. Also included are statements of service by Major John Izaard, 60th Artillery, Alexander W. Weddell, War Trade Board Delegate to Greece and A.B. Cooke of the American Consulate, Pantros, Greece. There are two groupings of correspondence. The first, spanning 1919 to 1922, documents attempts by Commission member Adjutant General Jo Lane Stern to obtain unit histories from soldiers. Correspondence is both incoming and outgoing and is arranged alphabetically by recipient. There is extensive correspondence from Captain Greenlee D. Letcher, 111th Field Artillery, 29th Division, describing his difficulty in obtaining records for his history of the 111th and Major Hierome L. Opie, commenting on his inability to find time to write a history of the 116th Infantry. The second group of correspondence, covering 1925, contains follow-up requests for unit information by Stern in preparation for Source Volume 5, Virginia Military Organizations in the World War.

This series is divided into five subseries: 29th Division, 42nd Division, 80th Division, Miscellaneous Units and Miscellaneous and Correspondence.

The Virginia Camp and Cantonments series is housed in 4 boxes and is arranged into six (6) subseries. Subseries have been designated for Camp A.A. Humphreys, Fort Hunt, Camp Lee, Quantico, Chesapeake Bay Area Histories and Miscellaneous Narratives and Reports. The most extensive information in this series concerns Camp Lee, located near Petersburg, Virginia. This series contains histories and information about the construction of Virginia's World War I military camps. Many of these records are described in Virginia War History Commission, Supplement No. 3, Calendar of Military Histories, Narratives and Reports (July 1921 issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography) and Supplement No. 4, Lists and Calendars of Source Material (October 1921 issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography).

The Camp A.A. Humphreys subseries is housed in 1 box and contains two histories of the construction of Camp A.A. Humphreys (now known as Fort Belvoir): "Illustrated History of Camp A.A. Humphreys" by Captain Charles T. DeRell and "History of Camp A.A. Humphreys" by Colonel Richard Park. Both histories focus on the construction of the camp and include photographs and maps.

The Fort Hunt subseries is housed in folder and includes a questionnaire that provides an historic overview of the fort as well as a map of the facility.

The Camp Lee subseries is housed in two boxes. The records include items describing the history of medical care, the Red Cross and welfare work (Knights of Columbus, Jewish Welfare Board and YMCA) at Camp Lee. Also included is a variety of ephemera such as Thanksgiving and Christmas cards and programs, a song book used in Camp Lee YMCA Meetings, and miscellaneous Camp Lee forms and broadsides. Records of note include photographs and post cards of Camp Lee and the first three issues of The Musket (vol. 1, 15 February 1919, vol. 2, 1 March 1919, and vol. 3, 15 March 1919), the official publication of Infantry Officers' School, Training Center, Camp Lee.

The Quantico subseries is housed in 6 folders. Records on the Marine Corps Base at Quantico include "A History of Quantico Camp" by H.L. Roosevelt and reports on the medical department, personnel office, post chaplain and the work of the YMCA at Quantico.

The Chesapeake Bay Area Histories subseries is housed in 10 folders and includes a "History of the Port Embarkation, Newport News, Virginia" by Lt. M.J. Mackler, "Naval Operating Base, Hampton Roads-Its Development" by Rear Admiral A.C. Dillingham that includes a map of the base, and a map of Langley Field.

The Miscellaneous Narratives and Reports subseries is housed in 4 folders and contains a "Report of Convalescent Camp, Hospital Center, Savenay, France" by R.A. Morison. This record includes photographs of the facility.

The Virginia Schools and Colleges series is housed in 2 boxes and is arranged alphabetically by the name of the school. This series contains reports of war activities during the World War including home-front contributions made by students (Red Cross work, etc.) and lists of students/graduates who served in the armed forces or were killed. Most of the material consists of brief responses to requests for information on war activities made by Dr. James S. Wilson, a University of Virginia professor and chairman of Commission's Virginia Schools and Colleges section, between 1919 and 1922. Schools that responded were: Augusta Military Academy, Blackstone College for Girls, Blackstone Military Academy, Bridgewater College, Chatham Training School, Christiansburg Industrial Institute, College of William and Mary, Eastern College, Elizabeth College, Emory and Henry College, Episcopal High School of Virginia near Alexandria, Fredericksburg Normal School (now Mary Washington College), Hartshorn Memorial College, Halifax Institute, Hampden-Sidney College, Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Harrisonburg State Normal School, Hollins College, Industrial High School (Danville, Va.), Ingleside Seminary, Marion College for Women, Miller Manual Labor School, Newport Training School, Inc., Randolph-Macon Academy, Randolph-Macon College, Rappahannock Industrial Academy, City of Richmond Schools and Colleges, Roanoke College, St. Emma Industrial and Agricultural College, Shenandoah Valley Academy, Southern College, Staunton Military Academy, Stonewall Jackson College, Stuart Hall, Sullins College, Sweet Briar College, University of Richmond, University of Virginia, Virginia College, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Virginia Union University, Washington and Lee University and Woodberry Forest School.

Notable records include: a list of graduates and current students who served in the armed forces during the war and a list of those killed-in-action from the College of William and Mary; a 1920 Episcopal High School of Virginia yearbook, Whispers, that includes a list of "Alumni in Service in the World War"; an extensive history of the University of Richmond's activities during the World War; a copy of John S. Patton's 1921 book, The University of Virginia in the World War; and a copy of Joseph Reid Anderson's 1920 book, V.M.I. in the World War.

Additional records on Virginia's Schools and Colleges may be found in the series' County Source Material and City Source Material.

The series County Source Material contains records collected by the Local Branches of the Virginia War History Commission. To assist Local Branches with their task, the Commission provided them with a detailed ten topic outline describing the types of records to be collected: Topic 1, Virginians of Distinguished Service (military and civilian); Topic 2, Pre-War Conditions and Activities (education, religion, patriotism, and economic and social conditions; Topic 3, Virginia Churches in War Time (lists of members in service, religious attitudes and church activities); Topic 4, Virginia Schools and Colleges in the War; Topic 5 (Draft Law and Virginia Organizations (draft laws); Topic 6, Economic and Social Conditions (finance, agriculture, industry, commerce, transportation, communication and labor and social conditions); Topic 7, The Red Cross in Virginia; Topic 8, War Work and Relief Organizations (activities of welfare organizations such as Y.M.C.A, Y.W.C.A., Knights of Columbus, Jewish Welfare, and Salvation Army); Topic 9, War Letters, Diaries and Incidents; and Topic 10, Post War Conditions and Activities. The complete outline is available in Virginia War History Commission, Publication No. 3, Virginia in the War: Topical Outline for a City or County War History (August 1920).

Unfortunately, the county branches only submitted information for a tiny fraction of the topics listed on the outline. Many only submitted one or two items. However, other localities submitted a substantial number of records. In addition, some records collected by the County branches were removed and filed separately such as the Individual Service Records (Questionnaires), records of Virginians of Distinguished Service (military) and college histories. The majority of records collected by the county branches are described and calendared in the following publications: Virginia War History Commission, Supplement No. 1, Source Material from Virginia Counties (January 1921 issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography) and Supplement No. 4, Lists and Calendars of Source Material (October 1921 issue of Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Letters written by Virginia soldiers and sailors are described and indexed in source volume 3, Virginia War Letters, Diaries, and Editorials, edited by Arthur Kyle Davis (Richmond: War History Commission, 1925). Within this volume, letters are arranged alphabetically by author and include date of letters, brief description of content and list the writer's county of residence. Additional letters omitted from this volume are included in this series. In this series, letters are filed by locality and alphabetical therein.

The County Source Material series is housed in 13 boxes, one oversize box and one oversize map folder and is arranged alphabetically by locality and by topic there under. Notable records include two Bath County broadsides. The first broadside, dated 14 July 1918, announces an address by N.A. Marshall, a Canadian solider. The second broadside, dated May 1918, celebrates the Third Liberty Loan drive. William White of Dickenson County submitted the life story of his son, Leonard Joseph White, who was killed in action on 1 October 1918. Also included are letters written by Henry County brothers George Edmond Pannill (1896-1918) and Jeb Stuart Pannill (1897-1918). Both enlisted in the army on 6 June 1917 and were assigned to Co. K, 9th Infantry, 2nd Division. On the morning of 18 July 1918 bother brothers were fatally wounded. George was shot through the head and died within two minutes; Jeb was shot in the chest and died on 4 August 1918 (see also the Individual Service Records (Questionnaires) for George and Jeb Pannill). A biographical sketch of Earle Davis Gregory (1897-1972), Virginia's only World War I Medal of Honor recipient is located among the records of Mecklenburg County. Included among the records of Prince Edward County is a copy of Walker H. Jordan's 1919 book With "Old Eph" in the Army. Jordan, an African-American, describes his military experiences as a member of the 351st Field Artillery in the United States and France. A photograph of the 305th Engineers is filed under Loudoun County. Finally, there are drafts of county histories published in source volumes 6 and 7, Virginia Communities in War Time, edited by Arthur Kyle Davis (Richmond: War History Commission, 1926-1927).