Washington County Enemy Aliens

After the United States declared war with Germany in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson ordered all "alien enemies" to register with the U.S. Marshal in their county of resident.  "Alien enemies" were considered any persons who had emigrated from a country with which the U.S. was at war, and who had, for whatever reason, not been naturalized.   Registration was conducted from November 1917 to April 1918.  Today, those records constitute a valuable resource for the genealogist.

Some of the information which the forms asked for included ship and arrival date; children's names and birth dates (and in the case of females, which husband); parents name and address; siblings name and address; who was sympathetic to the enemy; full set of fingerprints; a photo and signature; a physical description (as determined by the person filling out the form); relatives serving in the enemy forces; occupation and employer.  The files also contained any request for change of residence -- where they came from and where they wanted to move to.

Proceed to the National Archives Information Locator (NAIL) to request more information.  Or proceed directly to NARA's Central Plains Region.   Or you can write to the Central Plains Region office at 2312 East Bannister Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64131-3011.  Further information may also be obtained at the Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies.