I hear all the time that new documents are being uploaded to genealogy websites like Family Search and Ancestry all the time.  And since I’m always looking for information about my grandfather, Booker Mays, I often enter his information into different sites every three or four months hoping to discover something new.  This has been my routine for about two years now.  In the back of my mind I often wonder why do I keep going through the motions because I never find any new information.  But the genealogist in me keeps on researching.

So last week when I entered in my grandfather’s information into Family Search, I was pleasantly surprised when a new record appeared.  It was a draft card.  The exact title is Arkansas First Draft Registration Card; 1940-1945.  The Arkansas First Draft Registration was a special classification of men born between 1897 and 1928.  These records contain information such as; full name, date and place of birth, and emergency contact name.  This record didn’t give me any new information, but I was able to see Grandpa’s signature at the bottom of the card.  There is just something about seeing someone’s handwriting that seems so personal.  I know this is a record that Grandpa held in his hands, and that means something to me.

The connection I have with Grandpa has grown deeper over the past two years since I started researching his life.  I feel like I’m getting to know more and more about him as a man and not just a name.  I will continue to look for new research techniques that will allow me a better look into his life in the up coming months.  And this is how my journey continues….

Click HERE to read Part 1

Click HERE to read Part 2

Click HERE to read Part 4

Click HERE to read Part 5