Death of Last Surviving WW1 Navy Veteran

Lloyd Brown, 105, the last known surviving World War I Navy veteran passed away last Thursday. Brown was born Oct. 7, 1901, in Lutie, Mo., a small farming town in the Ozarks. His family later moved to Chadwick, Mo. In 1918, 16-year-old Brown lied about his age to join the Navy and was soon on the gun crew on the battleship USS New Hampshire. Brown finished his tour of duty in 1919, took a break for a couple of years, then re-enlisted, and ended his military career in 1925.

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Speaking of WW1, have you searched the WW1 draft registration cards for any of your male ancestors? In 1917 and 1918, approximately 24 million men living in the United States completed a World War I draft registration card. An easy way to do this online via Ancestry.com (subscription required). The cards give some great details such as: hey contain significant genealogical information such as birthplace, citizenship status, and information on the individual’s nearest relative. Here’s an image of my great uncle Sam’s WW1 draft registration card, a key document that helped me find out more about him.