PDF WWI Service Roll

This database holds information on the men from Rochester, N.H. who served in the military during World War I (American Involvement 1917 – 1918).  The information was collected and recorded by the Public Safety Committee in 1918 and each handwritten (occasionally typed) card contains information on not only each man’s military service but also on his family and where he lived.  The Rochester Public Library seemed a natural place to store this important information and for more than eight decades the metal box that held the alphabetized cards was available here, eventually finding its way to a basement storage room.  The box had not surfaced for years when one day a patron came in and asked our reference librarian about it, saying she had vague memories of using the box years ago.  The librarian went searching and came up with the old metal box, maybe a little dusty, but still serviceable.  We couldn’t let this amazing piece of Rochester’s history sit quietly any longer, so we have now transferred the information to this database for anyone to access and search online.  It’s now easy to search for a particular name, or you might just want to browse through – there are some really interesting people here!  Like Charles Lincoln Hussey, born and bred in Rochester, who was Captain of the U.S.S. Birmingham, a scout cruiser in the Navy.  Or Clinton Dame, who enlisted twice and was rejected both times for being “underweight” before he was accepted in the draft; he eventually served overseas in France and fought in at least two major offenses despite being wounded.  Find out more about these 442 men who served their city and their nation in World War I.

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Where available, this is the information listed for individuals:

• Residence

• Place and Date of Birth

• Names of Parents

• Volunteered

• Called, Quota of

• Serial No

• Order No

• Assigned to

• Service