AGENCY: Division of State History
SERIES: 6307
TITLE: World War I records
DATES: i 1917-1923.
ARRANGEMENT: Alphabetical by subject and document type, thereunder chronological.
DESCRIPTION: This series was created to preserve a history of the war effort in Utah. The task was begun by the State Council of Defense, part of the National Council of Defense created Aug. 29, 1916 by act of Congress. The broad nature of the Defense Council's activities are covered in their correspondence, minutes, and reports. Activities outlined include military recruiting, promoting agricultural and industrial production, fundraising, and planning patriotic activities. The Council also began canvassing to compile a complete listing of those in service and devised a biographical questionnaire on each serviceman for a war history. The war history aspect was carried on by the Historical Society upon dissolution of the Council after the war.
Correspondence of both the Defense Council and the Historical Society is included, but the bulk of the series consists of rosters. Nearly half the series is listings by county of a soldier's origin. There are also comprehensive rosters listing soldiers by branch of service. Other listings include nurses, wounded soldiers, soldiers who died in the war, discharges, desertions, those who failed to report, those who were prisoners of war, those who received foreign decorations, etc. Aside from data on individuals, there are listings of transports which would carry soldiers returning to Utah.__Brief histories of the Second Division, Fortieth Division, and Ninety-first Division are included; each involved military organizations from Utah.
The project of compiling a complete war history was abandoned when word was received that the federal government was preparing a similar report. Nevertheless, in 1924, the information was used to publish a book titled UTAH IN THE WORLD WAR by Nobel Warrum.
RETENTION
DISPOSITION
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION
These records are in Archives' permanent custody.
FORMAT MANAGEMENT
Paper: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
APPRAISAL
Historical
This disposition is based on the extensive information provided on Utah servicemen in World War I of interest to military historians and genealogists.
PRIMARY DESIGNATION
Public