William Messiah Greenfield: Military Records

In October 1940 - a little more than a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor - the first peacetime draft in U.S. history was signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

When the U.S. declared war on Japan on 8 December 1941, all men between the ages of 18 and 65 were required to register for the draft. The forth round of registrations, sometimes called 'the old man's draft' as it was for men between the ages of 45 and 64, was conducted on 27 April 1942.

This would have included William Messiah Greenfield, who was by then 57 years old:

REGISTRATION CARD (Men born on or after April 28, 1877 and on or before February 16, 1897)

	SERIAL NUMBER: U 642
	ORDER NUMBER: (blank)

	First, Middle and Family Name: William Messiah Greenfield
	Permanent Address: 107 N. Second St., Greenville, Mercer County, Pa.
	Mailing Address: Same
	Telephone; Exchange and Number: Bell 1340 - J
	Age in Years: 57
	Date of Birth: Dec 16th 1885
	Place of Birth: Jackson Center, Mercer County, Pa.
	Name and Address of Person Who Will Always Know Your Address:
		Mrs Pearl Redman, Mercer, Pa.
	Employer's Name and Address: Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad Company, Greenville, Pa.
	Place of Employment of Business: Greenville, Mercer, Pa.

	I AFFIRM THAT I HAVE VERIFIED THE ABOVE ANSWERS AND THAT THEY ARE TRUE

		(Signed) Wm Greenfield

The reverse of the card gave the further information that William was white, 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighed 140 pounds, had blue eyes and black hair, and a light complexion. He had no physical disabilities.

The card was signed by James C Brown, Registrar for Mercer County, at Greenville on 27 April 1942.

According to the 1930 Census, William was not a veteran at that time, so did not serve in the First World War. At this time, I do not know if he was ever called upon to serve in the military.

NOTES:
1:	By the date of this draft registration William was married to his second wife, Marie, but he put his sister down as a person who would always know his address.
2:	All four sons of William and Myrtle Greenfield would have been of draft age when war was declared in 1942 but these records are not yet publicly available.
3:	The above information was taken from scanned images of the original draft cards at www.ancestry.co.uk.

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