The Individual Service Records for people from Madison and elsewhere were compiled from unofficial and disjoint sources. They are:
The Madison Eagle
“Unofficial” Service Records from the New Jersey State Archives
The information from the Madison Eagle came from draft lists, news articles, and the “Honor Roll”, a list of individuals and their deployment. The draft lists are the most accurate. The others depend on the individual, a friend, or a relative passing information to the newspaper.
The format of a service record is:
Name: The name of the individual from the Madison WWI Memorial or the most reliable source. If additional naming information is found, it is included. Full names are most likely from obituaries.
Picture (if available): Most pictures are from the newspaper. Their quality is not good. A picture of the individual taken during the 1917-18 period is shown if available. Many pictures are of the individual later in life.
Born: Birthplace as best as can be determined.
Lived: The place where the individual lived at the time they became engaged in national war service.
Profession: The profession or employer of the individual at the time they became engaged in national war service.
Service:
o Date: The approximate date of a period of service
o Branch/Unit: The branch of the military and regiment, etc. if military service. Non-military service, such as the Red Cross or the YMCA, are also designated here.
o Location: Where this period of service took place.
o Rank/Notes: Military rank or civilian function. Notes may designate battles, wounds, etc.
After the service table, anything that is known about the individual’s life is described. Usually this information comes from an obituary.
Died: The date of death if known.
Additional information such as newspaper articles or letters home may be attached as “clippings” from the Madison Eagle.
None of the information used to compile this list comes from “primary” sources, except possibly the letters written home by the individuals. If anyone has documentation that would allow us to correct or add to our records, please contact the Madison Historical Society. Pictures are especially desirable.