Arrangement:
Alphabetical by subject and document
type, thereunder chronological.
Description:
This series is an effort to preserve
a history of the World War I war record of Utah. The task originally was begun
by the State Council of Defense, part of the National Council of Defense
created on August 29, 1916 by act of Congress. The State Councils were to
assist the federal government in recruiting for the National Guard and armed
forces, promoting agricultural and industrial production for the war effort,
fundraising, and planning patriotic activities. The Council also responded to a
request by Governor Bamberger to compile a War History of the state. With the
end of the war, the State Council was dissolved, and the war history aspect was
assumed by the Utah State Historical Society.
The broad nature of the
State Council of Defense's activities is covered in their correspondence,
minutes, and reports. Committees were set up to deal with finance (liberty
loans, war work campaign, etc.), publicity, sanitation, food supply and
conservation, industry, labor, military affairs, transportation, etc. Each
committee's activities were duly reported in the minutes and often represented
in the correspondence. A War History committee was established as well, and
local historians were appointed under each local defense council. The local
councils were to conduct a house-by-house canvass of the community to collect
listings of those in service. The committee also created a biographical
questionnaire to send to nearest of kin, or if back in the country, to the
soldier himself.
The war ended in 1918, and
the State Council of Defense was dissolved the following year. In a letter to
the President of the Utah State Historical Society dated March 25, 1919,
Governor Bamberger suggested the Society "arrange to assume charge of the war
history work now under the direction of the State Council of Defense on April
1, 1919." The Historical Society continued the effort to obtain a complete
listing of those who served. They also collected the biographical
questionnaires. Although a couple are included here, most may be found in WORLD
WAR I SERVICE QUESTIONNAIRES. A state war historian was selected to research
and publish a full account of Utah's contribution to the war effort.
Most of the series consists
of rosters of one form or another. Many of the rosters, nearly half the series,
represent listings of soldiers by home county. There are also a number of
comprehensive rosters listing soldiers by branch of service. Other listings
include nurses who served, 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 War Department listings of transports which would be
carrying soldiers returning to Utah. Brief histories of the Second Division,
the Fortieth Division, and the Ninety-First Division are included; each
involved military organizations from Utah.
The project of compiling a
complete war history with detailed biographies on those who died and a general
biography on those who served was abandoned when word was received that the
federal government was preparing a complete record of Utah men to be filed with
the State Adjutant General ("Report of the State Historical Society," Public
Documents ,Vol. 3, 1925-1926, p. 3). Nevertheless, in 1924, the information was
used to publish a book titled Utah in the World Warby Nobel Warrum.
Finding Aids:
A series inventory
is available in the Archives Research Center.
Agency Note:
Agency history
record, is a record describing the history and functions of the agency
responsible for the creation of this series.
Related records:
Utah.Department of Administrative
Services. Division of Archives and Records Service, World War I draft board
registers, 1917-1918, series 2229,
available at this repository, are
similar lists to those in this series collected for the same purpose.
Utah.Department of
Administrative Services. Division of Archives and Records Service, World War I
service records, 1917-1919, series 2793,
available at this repository,
contains military service data on some of the same personnel.
Utah National Guard,
Adjutant General's records, 1895-1965, series 6308,
available at this repository,
provides more information on the administrative role of the National Guard in
the war and historical data on units which were activated during World War I,
the same units mentioned here.
Utah.Councils of Defense,
County war activity records, 1917-1919, series 10324,
available at this repository,
contains further information on Council of Defense activities from the county
perspective, while this series discusses the same from the state coordinating
council's perspective.
Utah.Councils of Defense,
Utah in the world war / Nobel Warrum, 1924, series 10325,
available at this repository, is the
volume published from some of the information compiled here.
Utah.Councils of Defense,
Administrative records, 1917-1919, series 10335,
available at this repository,
contains additional correspondence and reports of the Council of Defense,
including replies to some of the letters here.
Utah.Councils of Defense,
Military survey reports, 1919, series 10336,
available at this repository,
contains the final reports and maps of the reconnaissance survey, the
organization and responsibilities of which are discussed in the Council of
Defense's correspondence and reports here.
Utah National Guard, 145th
Field Artillery scrapbook, 1917-1918, series 10339,
available at this repository, is
from one of the units regularly discussed here.
Utah.Department of
Administrative Services. Division of Archives and Records Service, Military
service cards, ca. 1898-1975, series 85268,
available at this repository,
contains service data on some of the same World War I servicemen.
Utah State Historical
Society, World War I service questionnaires, 1914-1918, series 85298,
available at this repository,
contains the biographical questionnaires (including photos) discussed here.
Location of Holdings:
Utah State Archives Research Center , 300 South Rio
Grande St., Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1106. (801) 533-3535, or email.
Retention and Disposition:
Total retention is permanent.
Access Terms:
Transports--Utah.( 1 Record Series.)
Prisoners of War--Utah.( 1
Record Series.)
World War, 1914-1918--Economic
aspects--Utah.( 1 Record Series.)
World War,
1914-1918--Utah--History.( 1 Record Series.)
Patriotism--Utah.( 1 Record
Series.)
Agriculture--Utah--1917-1923.(
1 Record Series.)
Utah--Industries--1917-1923.( 1
Record Series.)
Utah--Recruiting and
enlistment.( 1 Record Series.)
United States--Armed
Forces--Civic action.( 1 Record Series.)
Utah. Councils of Defense.
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