Veterans' Day: "Old Man's Draft" and Ezra J. Riley

From Fold3.com: 

Out of seven draft registrations tied to World War II, only the Fourth Registration is available online. Known as the “Old Man’s Draft” because it targeted men 45-64 years of age, the registration officially took place on April 27, 1942, at local draft boards around the country. It was intended to provide the  government with a register of manpower, men who might be eligible for national service.

Long lines greeted these men on registration day. According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, several regretted being “too old to fight.” The newspaper also reported that the process was sometimes complicated by a man’s inability to read and write, understand English well, or his “forgetfulness about addresses, dates, and telephone numbers.”

The “Old Man’s Draft” was a snapshot of American males 45-64 years of age on April 27, 1942. Registrants were asked for a residential address, but also the name and address of an employer. Perhaps most interesting are the physical attributes, providing the government with a pool of citizens who could help out on the home front. Unfortunately records from several southern states were inadvertenty destroyed before they could be microfilmed.


Sidney Riley must have been slightly too young as he didn't turn 45 until October of 1942. His brother, Ezra, did register:

Family Picture Friday: Robert T. Riley

Bob was the youngest child of Ezra Riley. Bertha Rhomer was his mother, Ezra's second wife.  He was born in Akron on 26 Jun 1937.  I love this picture of Bob and his grandparents, Tom and Lizzie Riley.  There aren't many pictures of them with any of their grandchildren.  This is such a great picture, well composed.  Love the tie and the pipe in Tom's mouth.  Love the angle of the baby's hat.

Bob died 18 Jan 2003 in Nashville, TN. He and his wife, Nancy Lorenzi, had no children.

Family Picture Friday: The Comptons

I recently have made contact with Ezra Riley's grand daughter, Kathleen Compton.  She is the daughter of Jean Riley Emerson Heimlich.  She shared the following pictures with me:

Ezra Riley, Jean Heimlich, Kathleen Compton, Ethan Compton
1977

The children of Kathleen Compton
Ethan, Caroline, Alex and Lindsay
1983

Ethan, Caroline, Alex and Lindsay Compton
April 2008

Anniversary of Ezra James Riley's Birth

Ezra James Riley, the son of Tom and Lizzie, was born on this day in 1896.  He was born in Leachburg, Pennsylvania.  The family must have left for England shortly after his birth as his brother Sid, was born in England around 18 months later. 

Bertha and Ez Riley
1976 at their 50th Anniversary

 

World War I Registration

In 1917 and 1918, approximately 24 million men registered for the draft in the United States.  These included me born from September 11, 1872 (they would have been 45 years of age) to September 12, 1900. Not everyone who registered, served.  These draft registrations are a wonderful resource as it lists a lot of information:

As you can see, we get to see their birthplace, name and place of employment, home address, name of nearby relative, their physical build size and hair and eye color.  It is a great snapshot of the family members at that point in time.


Here is the Draft Registration of Ezra James Riley (son of Thomas and Lizzie):

We can see that he was married and had one child.  He worked as an Hot Mill Worker at American Sheet and Tin in Dover Ohio.  Was listed as tall and slender with Blue eyes and brown hair.  He was 21 at this time and was natural born in Pennsylvania.    As you can see, this is a great help in genealogical research.


I'll be sharing many more of these in the future.

Family Picture Friday: Sue, Sid, Ezra, and Tom Riley

I have reached out to some of the Riley Second Cousins (my second cousins, the kids of Ray's cousins) and some are now reading the blog.  I thought they would like this picture of the Riley siblings (missing from the picture is their sister, Grace).  I think this was taken around the time of Lizzie's Funeral in Akron, Ohio.