World War I Registration in Nemaha County, NE
In 1917 and 1918 all male citizens were required to register with the officials in the county in which they lived or were in at the time. Below are some of the instructions published, and arrangements made, for this provision.
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Newspaper article May 31, 1917
Nemaha County Republican
Thursday May 31, 1917, page 1
YOU MUST REGISTER TUESDAY, JUNE 5TH
Selective Conscription Registration Day Declared Holiday and all Subject Must Register
GO TO POLLING PLACE
National Guardsmen, Whether in Service or Not, Not Required to Register With Others.
Supplies and equipment for the holding of the selective conscription registration Tuesday June 5 have been received by Sheriff Rogers and he has had them placed in the hands of the men who will have charge of the registration in the several precincts as announced in these columns last week.
That every man will have a better chance to go to the polling place and register Governor Neville has designated June 5 a legal Holiday and issued a proclamation in which he asks all business houses to close and requests further that exercises of an appropriate nature be held throughout the state as well as that the people fly the colors.
For some time past there has been a mistaken idea as to whether Guardsmen will have to register. They will not. The following paragraph taken from the Registration Regulations, prescribed by the president under the authority of the act of Congress approved May 13, 1917, will cover fully the question and leave clear the minds of any who may have had doubts as to the necessity of registering; it might be added that even though a man be sick or a cripple, he MUST register if he is of proper age. Do not forget it. Neither does the fact that a man is not a citizen of this country excuse him, since the rule reads "All males who shall have attained their twenty-first birthday and who shall not have attained their thirty-first birthday on or before the day set for registration must register. The only exceptions are the persons in the military or naval service of the United States, which includes all officers and enlisted men of the Regular Army, and Navy, the Marine Corps and the National Guard and the Naval Militia WHILE IN THE SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES, and officers in the Officers' Reserve Corps and enlisted men in the Enlisted Reserve Corps while in active service. If you are a male between the designated ages and not in the military service of the United States, you are subject to registration on the day fixed by the President, (June 5, Tuesday) and if you fail to present yourself, or, presenting yourself, you give false, misleading or incorrect answers, you are a misdemeanant and subject to punishment by imprisonment in jail, to which punishment there is no alternative or fine. Persons who, for any reason, have failed to register on the day set by the president must register themselves without delay with the registration board of the subdivision in which they have their permanent home."
A careful reading of the above paragraph taken from the regulations will reveal exactly what every person between the prescribed ages must do.
That there is no escape is evident from the statement of the regulation which reads, "All persons registered will be furnished a registration certificate. Since all police officers of the Nation, States, and municipalities are required to examine the registration lists and make sure that all persons liable to registration have registered themselves, much inconvenience will be spared to those who are registered if they will keep these certificates always in their possession. All persons of the designated ages must exhibit their certificates when called upon by any police officer to do so."
Persons who, on account of sickness are unable to present themselves for registration on the day set by the President will cause some competent person to apply to the county or city clerk for a copy of the card and for authority to fill it our (including the registrar's report on the back thereof.) If satisfied that the case is bona fide, the clerk will deputize the person applying for the card to make out the card and the registrar's report, first carefully explaining the card. The card will then be mailed by the sick person's voting precinct as described for cards of absentees. The sick person will enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for a registration certificate.
In accordance with a bulletin issued by the provost marshall general of the army it is held by the president of the United States that members of all military organizations, even to those subject to the call of the president, and this includes the national guard whether mustered into the federal service or not, do not have to register at the registration for conscription purposes Tuesday, June 5.
Nemaha County Republican, May 24, 1917.
REGISTRARS SELECTED
Board Receives Many Names and the Selection of Those to do the Work is Made - Notices Sent
The work of securing the names of registrars for the taking of the names of those subject to the selective draft and which registration will be taken June 5, has been completed and more than enough names were secured to do the work. No expense will be entailed because the registrars and all whose names were in the hands of the officers in charge volunteered their services to the government without pay.
The following list comprises the names of all men who offered to help with the work: Island precinct, N.J. Hiatt; Peru precinct, R.W. Kelley, E.E. Good, E.L. Rouse, and H.L. Dressler; North Glen Rock, Robert Davis and Ed Ferguson; South Glen Rock, Guy Lash, Jas. Guilliatt and Jos. Moody; East Lafayette, E.S. Yont, G.S. Christy and Ed. Huston; West Lafayette, L.E. Irvin and S.P. Young; East Washington, Chas. Crogman and H.W. Lown; First Douglas, T.C. Daugherty, J.M. Demaree, Rob't Stewart and Henry Morgenstern; Second Douglas, S.M. Bixby, Chas. Peery, Chas. Masters and J.P. Robertson; Third Douglas, Jack Lavine, John Zacharias and J.N. Simmons; London, W.K. Blount and Rob't Moody; Brownville, J.E. Welch and E.C. Wakefield; Nemaha, Roy Handley; Aspinwall, M.J. Jones and Tony James; St. Deroin, C.W. Chandler; Bedford, E.J. Tucker, Geo. Cummings and Herbert A. Jesse; East Benton, J.W. Bennett and Geo. Frerichs; and West Benton, John Gerdes and Albert Allspach.
Out of the above list the following were selected to take the registration on the date named:
Island precinct, N.J. Hiatt, Hamburg, IA, R.F.D.; Peru precinct, R.W. Kelley, Peru, Neb. chief, H.W. Dressler, Peru, Neb. assistant; North Glen Rock, Ed. Ferguson, Julian, Neb. chief, Robert Davis, Julian, assistant; South Glen Rock, Guy Lash, Auburn, Neb. chief, James Guilliatt, Auburn, assistant; East Lafayette, E.C. Yont, Brock, Neb., chief, C.E. Huston, Brock assistant; West Lafayette, L.E. Erving, Brock, Neb., chief, S.P. Young, Brock, assistant; East Washington, M.J. Clarke, Jr., Auburn, Neb., chief, Wayne A. Stoddard, Auburn, R.F.D., assistant; West Washington, Raymond Keichel, Johnson, Neb., chief, H.W. Lown, Johnson, assistant; First Douglas, J.M. Demaree, Auburn, chief, H. Morgenstern, Auburn, assistant; Second Douglas, S.M. Bixby, Auburn, chief, Chas. Peery, Auburn, assistant; Third Douglas, John Zacharias, So. Auburn, chief, J.C. Voline, So. Auburn, assistant; London, Robt. Moody, Auburn, chief, W.K. Blount. Auburn, assistant; Brownville, B.C. Wakefield, Brownville, chief, J.E. Welch, Brownville, assistant; Nemaha, Roy Handley, Nemaha, chief, E.E. Moore, Nemaha, assistant; Aspinwall, M.L. Jones, Shubert, chief, Tony James, Shubert, assistant, St. Deroin, C.W. Chandler, Nemaha, chief; Bedford, Geo. Cummings, Howe, chief, E.J. Tucker, Howe, assistant; East Benton, Geo. Frerichs, So. Auburn, R.F.D., chief, J.W. Bennett, Humboldt, assistant; West Benton, John Gerdes, Johnson, R.F.D., chief, Albert Alspach, Table Rock, R.F.D., assistant.
Newspaper article on May 23, 1918
Nemaha County Republican
Thursday, May 23, 1918, page 8
Notice of Registration No. 2
To take place on the 5th day of June, 1918. All male persons, citizens of the United States, and all male persons residing in the United States, who have, since the 5th day of June 1917, and on or before the day set for registration.
Registration will be held at the following places with the following persons in charge:
Auburn, with the Local Board in charge, Court House.
Johnson, Raymond Kiechel as registrar, the City Hall as the place.
Brock, E.C. Yont as registrar, the Lyric as the place.
Peru, R.W. Kelly as registrar, the Bank as the place.
Nemaha, E.E. Moore as registrar, convenient building as the place.
The Governor named the head quarters of the Local Board as the place of registering, but the Board recommended that the above places be the places to register at and they have been granted for the convenience of the parties who have to register on the above day, and all those that are required to register will present themselves to the nearest place of registration as required by the rules and regulations.
A.R. ROGERS, Chairman
C.O. SNOW, Clerk
Dr. B.F. LORANCE, Physician
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