The data contained in this site was taken from Record Group 36, the compiled service records of soldiers and sailors who served in the First World War from Tennessee. Information on individual servicemen and women came from the files of Major Rutledge Smith, Chairman of the National Council of Defense for Tennessee, World War I; from the office of the Adjutant General of Tennessee, 1933-1937; and from the report of the Provost Marshal General to the Secretary of War, 1917-1918.

The records were compiled pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution No. 76, Public Acts of 1919, and were received and stored by the Tennessee State Library and Archives in accordance with Chapter No. 301, Public Acts of 1937. They also include information about those who were killed in service. Further information about their deaths can be found in the Gold Star records at the State Library and Archives.

The fields show--in order from left to right--the serviceman's name, age or year of birth, birthplace, notes, and page number in the original volume. The data is arranged by county. It should be noted that additional information regarding the soldier's rank, training, dates of service, discharge, etc. can be obtained from the microfilmed records in Record Group 36.

Copies of the World War I service abstracts are now available online in the Tennessee Virtual Archive.  You can download the record as a PDF for free using the "Download" button when viewing a specific soldier's file. You can search for the name of the individual in the search box on this page (last name, first name).  The records are arranged by the county in which the individual enlisted.   If you cannot find the name, you may need to check the Online County Index to determine the county and the page number where the record is located.  While the majority of listings are alphabetical, the names are grouped into categories such as branches of service, wounded, dead, officers, fraudulent enlistments, and deserters & dishonorable discharges.  Please also take into account spelling variations and errors on the part of the original transcribers.      

Copies of an individual service record, as well as copies and searches of other World War I collections, can be ordered from the Library and Archives. Visit Order Records from the Library and Archives for ordering information.

Errors in the military records are not uncommon; it may be the case of a simple spelling error or misheard information. The information in the WWI listings is given as it appears on the original record. While we cannot change the information on the record, names which may be spelled incorrectly will be marked with a question mark (?) .

The index that follows is not a "complete" list of all Tennesseans who served in World War I. Individuals from Tennessee who enlisted in other states are not included. Only those soldiers whose names appear in the compiled service records (Record Group 36) are included on this site.