Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

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Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Portsmouth (Va.) Muster Roll in the War with Germany, 1917. Local government records collection, Portsmouth (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from city of Portsmouth.

Historical Information

Portsmouth was located in Norfolk County, which is now extinct. It was named by its founder, William Crawford, for the English seaport and was established in 1752. Portsmouth was incorporated as a town in 1836 and as a city in 1858.

An act passed by the Virginia General Assembly on March 16, 1918 required the recordation of the names of drafted men. The chairman of each of the Local Draft Boards of the Virginia counties and cities were to furnish their clerk of court were deeds of land were recorded, with the list of residents who through the selective draft law have become members of the military forces of the United States. In cities that were separated into divisions, the chairman of the Local Draft Board of each division was to keep the records. In Richmond City, the Clerk of the Chancery Court was to keep the records. When the clerk of the court received this information, he was to copy it in a book or books provided for the purpose and also create an index for the book. The Adjutant-General of the State was to furnish a list of names of those who joined volunteer companies from the counties or cities. These lists are also to be recorded in to the book and also indexed. Persons joining the naval or military forces of the United States or its allies were allowed to have their record listed in the book. They or someone for them made an application and provide proof of service and when this was done; their record would be recorded in the book.

Scope and Content

Portsmouth (Va.) Muster Roll in the War with Germany, 1917, is a listing of men who served in one of the several branches of the armed services during World War I. Information included in the muster roll includes name, address (name of town), age, color, selective service (date drafted), volunteers for army, navy and marine corps (date accepted and which branch), National Guard and naval militia (date and where mustered), rank, branch, and remarks which include notations about date discharged, reason and date of deaths, whether someone was a chaplain, etc.

This volume list men who mustered into the National Guard in 1917. They served in the Virginia Infantry, Field Artillery, Ambulance Corps and Cavalry units.

Arrangement

Alphabetical by surname.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Portsmouth (Va.)--Circuit Court

Subjects:

• Veterans -- Virginia -- Portsmouth
• World War, 1917-1918 -- Registers -- Virginia -- Portsmouth

Geographical Names:

• Portsmouth (Va.) -- History -- 20th century
• Virginia -- History -- World War, 1914-1918

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records -- Virginia -- Portsmouth
• Military records -- Virginia -- Portsmouth
• Muster rolls -- Virginia -- Portsmouth