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WWI
Draft Board
McLean County, Illinois
(Transcribed by: Teri Moncelle Colglazier)

The war had been in theoretical progress only for a few months, when the congress of the United States saw that some kind of a general military service law would become a necessity to summon the man power of the country to the call of duty. Not that the men of military age in the United States were lax in their sense of duty, but that it would be needful to supplant the volunteer service with a system of which would be uniform from one end of the country to another, and which make no discriminations among the men who were liable to this neces sary duty. Accordingly the so-called draft law was passed by the con gress in May, 1917, and the date of June 5, 1917, was set for the time when all the men of the nation between the ages of 21 and 31 should register in their respective homes as subject to military call. On the date mentioned, there were 5,800 young men registered in the various precincts of McLean county. The registration went off without a hitch. Men were stationed in the polling booth of each voting precinct of the county on that day, and the young men of the respective precincts came to the place and entered their names, ages, and various other facts sought by in the question blanks sent out by the war department. It is inter esting to note the number of men registered at this time, and the facts which they made known to the board, all of which are revealed in the table of the registration compiled two days after the registration closed. Exemption No Claimed Exemption Total Bloomington No. 1 51 23 74 Bloomington No. 2 19 36 55 Bloomington No. 3 55 44 99 Bloomington No. 4 61 33 94 Bloomington No. 5 72 36 108 Bloomington No. 6 62 43 107 Bloomington No. 7 65 28 93 Bloomington No. 8 53 32 87 Bloomington No. 9 37 25 62 Bloomington No. 10 15 24 39 Bloomington No. 11 30 41 71 Bloomington No. 12 44 53 97 Bloomington No. 13 43 32 75 Bloomington No. 14 63 19 82 Bloomington No. 15 43 21 64 Bloomington No. 16 57 22 79 Bloomington No. 17 25 40 65 Bloomington No. 18 34 36 70 Bloomington No. 19 33 18 51 Bloomington No. 20 35 36 71 Bloomington No. 21 38 37 75 Bloomington No. 22 47 34 80 Bloomington No. 23 26 44 70 Bloomington No. 24 52 47 99 Bloomington No. 25 24 25 49 Bloomington No. 26 42 23 65 Bloomington No. 27 49 27 76 Bloomington No. 28 51 33 84 Bloomington No. 29 53 24 77 Bloomington No. 30 31 26 57 Total city 1312 964 2276 Mt. Hope No. 1 71 33 104 Mt. Hope No. 2 8 5 13 Allin 20 77 97 Danvers 49 56 105 Funk 's Grove 50 37 87 Dale 46 35 81 Dry Grove 36 33 69 White Oak 37 20 57 Randolph No. 1 47 47 94 Randolph No. 2 12 28 40 Bloomington township No. 1 48 35 83 Bloomington township No. 2 24 26 50 Hudson 53 32 85 Normal No. 1 23 83 106 Normal No. 2 56 31 87 Normal No. 3 46 33 79 Normal No. 4 34 11 45 Downs No. 1 41 18 59 Downs No. 2 9 29 38 Old Town 52 25 77 Towanda No. 1 39 14 53 Towanda No. 2 24 8 32 Money Creek . . 60 Gridley 58 107 165 Empire No. 1 28 22 50 Empire No. 2 36 39 75 Empire No. 3 27 30 56 Dawson No. 1 42 20 63 Dawson No. 2 24 20 44 Blue Mound No. 1 38 19 57 Blue Mound No. 2 26 5 31 Lexington No. 1 16 30 46 Lexington No. 2 26 45 71 Lexington No. 3 21 25 46 Chenoa No. 1 24 24 48 Chenoa No. 2 35 44 79 Chenoa No. 3 47 19 81 West 58 41 88 Arrowsmith 51 37 95 Martin No. 1 36 22 73 Martin No. 2 35 20 56 Lawndale 48 36 71 Yates 47 34 82 Bellflower No. 1 9 55 102 Bellflower No. 2 51 8 17 Cheney's Grove No. 1 37 31 82 Cheney 's Grove No. 2 49 18 55 Anchor 12 33 82 Cropsey 11 26 37 Total townships 1717 1506 3303 Grand total 3029 2470 5579 The above table is only for white men. In the lists of colored men there was for the whole county one card of officer, 50 with dependent relatives, 2 occupational exemptions, a total of 53 claiming exemptions. There were 69 claiming no exemptions, a grand total of 122 colored men registered. Of the total of 3,029 who claimed exemption in the county, there were 6 who were public officers, 99 totally disabled, 2750 who had dependent relatives, and 175 occupational exemptions. There were 89 alien listed, and 25 alien enemies. The next step in the process of securing men for the army under the operation of the draft law was to appoint a board in each county or district whose duty it should be to call all the registered young men before them for physical examination as to their fitness, and learn if there were any reasons why they should be exempted from military ser vice when called. This board of exemption, so-called, was named by the adjutant general's office of the state of Illinois. McLean county was divided into two districts, one including the city of Bloomington to gether with Allin and Dale townships; the other district to include all of the county court; chairman of city board No. 2, Judge aSin Welty, including most of the country precincts was known as No. 1 and the city district No. 2. The personnel of the two boards appointed for these respective districts was as follows: Exemption Board No. 1 -- Chairman, C. E. Ewins, of Danvers; clerk, Dr. B. F. Elf rink, of Chenoa; Isaac Murphy, of Leroy; chief clerk, Eeube B. Prothero; assistant clerk, Mrs. Edward A. Mott; soldier member; John Farley; stenographer, Miss Dorothy Mason. Exemption Board No. 2 -- Chairman, Judge Colostin D. Myers, Bloom ington; secretary, H. M. Murray, Bloomington; medical examiner, Dr. E. Mammen; chief clerk, Ralph Freese; assistant clerk, Miss Loretta Grady; soldier member, Thomas J. Shanahan. Local Advisory Board -- Chairman of board No. 1, Judge J. C. Eiley, of the country court; chairman of city board No. 2, Judge Sain Welty, of the circuit court. Medical Advisory Board -- Medical advisory board: Dr. B. F. Elfrink, of Chenoa; Dr. E. Mammen, of Bloomington; clerk, Walter P. Prenzler. Instruction Board -- Board of instruction: Capt. C. B. Hamilton, chair man. These exemption boards were assigned rooms in the court house, and with their assistants were busy every week day during the war, and many times at night. It was their duty to keep on their waiting list a number of young men who had been examined and passed as subject to call, so that every time a call was issued from the adjutant general for a certain quota of men from either of these districts, the men would be ready and called at the designated date. Scenes around the rooms occupied by the exemption boards during the war were among the most touching connected with the military his tory of the county. Every day lines of young men would be standing or sitting while waiting for the time of examination. Many of these were accompanied to the court house by their parents, and in some cases by their sweethearts or sisters. Parents would naturally be affected by the meaning of the process through which their sons were passing, and tears were shed by hundreds of the mothers and sometimes by the fathers as they watched their sons go through the examination. By the time the boards were discharged, they had examined literally thousands of young men and passed upon their liability to military ser vice. At the close of the work of the boards, after the end of the war, the following summary of their work was issued: The local boards inducted and sent to camp a total of 1949 men. Of this number 1000 were from the country board of exemption board No. 1. Nine hundred and forty-nine men were inducted and sent to camp from city board No. 2. Board No. 1 The following are the figures from board No. 1: Total registration, June 5, 1917 -- 3076 Total registration, June 5, 1918 -- 259 Total registration, Aug. 24, 1918 -- 57 Total registration, Sept. 12, 1918 -- 4311 Total registration -- 7703 Of which 7675 were white and 28 colored. Class 2 in all registrations 148 Class 1 in all registrations 2141 Class 3 in all registrations 104 Class 4 in all registrations 2598 Class 5 in all registrations 91 Non-combatants 91 2347 claims were sent to the district board, most of which were agricultural claims. 1598 were physically examined, 291 of which were disqualified for general service on account of their physical conditions. 133 were held for limited service only. 1000 were inducted into the service 938 of which were sent to camps in various places over the entire United States. 62 were sent to various colleges in the students army training corps division. About 100 registrants voluntarily enlisted. Of course, there was a large number who voluntarily enlisted before they registered. The local board has no record of them. City Board No. 2 The following figures give some idea of the vast amount of work accomplished by city board No. 1, which had juris diction of all of the city of Bloomington, and Normal and Allin and Dale townships: The total number inducted and sent to camp was 949, and the total "number of registrations was 7,876. Sent to Camp Class of June, 1917: White, 704; colored, 28; total, 832. Class of June, 1918: White, 34; colored, 4; total, 38. 19 to 36 registrants: White, 53. 18-year-old registrants: White, 26. Total inducted and sent to camp, 940. The local boards were composed of men who were prominent in the business and professional life of the city and county. C. E. Ewins, of Danvers, chairman of board No. 1, was a member of the board of super visors and is a prominent farmer and stockman, who has had much ex perience in business affairs. Dr. Elfrink, of Chenoa, clerk and medical examiner of this board and member of the medical advisory board, is one of the leading physicians of the county. Isaac Murphy, of West township, another member, is a farmer and stockman. He was one of the efficient workers of the board. Mr. Prothero, the chief clerk, was employed at the McLean county bank, and is most competent. Mrs. Edward A. Mott, Miss Dorothy Mason and Mr. Farley, employed with board No. 1 were all efficient in this line of work and all rendered val ued, service. Board No. 2 C. D. Myers, chairman of board No. 2, was for many years judge of the circuit court. He was one of the most eminent jurists in central Illinois. Secretary H. M. Murray is a local attorney. He was a tireless worker and was on' the job incessantly since the organiza tion of the board. Dr. Mammen, one of Bloomington 's leading physicians, was examiner of this board and also a member of the legal advisory board. Mr. Freese, the chief clerk is a young Bloomington business man. He has had much experience in clerical work of varied character and he rendered valued service. Miss Grady, assistant clerk of the board, is to be classed among the valued attaches of the board. She has been a capable and tireless worker. Mr. Shanahan, the soldier member, was another efficient worker. The personnel of both boards was all that could be desired and McLean county was to be complimented for their efficiency, their painstaking efforts, their courteous treatment and their patience. [McLean County, Illinois, in the World War, 1917-1918; by Edward E. Pierson & Jacob Louis Hasbrouck c 1921]

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