Called to the Colors tells WWI stories of Ozark Countians at war and at home

A new book, Called to the Colors: Ozark County in World War I, has been published by the Ozark County Genealogical and Historical Society to tell the stories of Ozark County men who served in the military during the Great War – as well as the work of the families they left behind.
The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. By June 5, a nationwide plan was in place, and all men ages 21-30 had to register. One hundred years ago this month, in June 1917, Ozark County men were required to register for the draft. The men had to register at their voting precincts. Twenty such precincts operated in the county. Sheriff Charles F. Grisham had the job of getting the registration forms to the precincts, where registrars had been appointed to be in charge of the registration.
Eight hundred and nine young men registered in the county that day, according to a summary prepared by Grisham and County Clerk Baxter Gaulding that was published in the Ozark County Times. The summary said 25 of the men were totally disabled, nine indicated occupational exemptions and 551 said they had dependents. That left only 224 men eligible to serve.
In Gainesville, 84 men registered. The writer of the Nottinghill items reported that 33 men registered there. The Times added, “The day passed off very quietly, everybody seemed to have just begun to realize that we are preparing for a great war.”
Called to the Colors: Ozark County in WWI is a collection of letters and stories compiled by Times Past columnist Mary Ruth Luna Sparks from Ozark County Times archives and other sources. Hundreds of Ozark Countians are mentioned in the 106-page book, which has been professionally indexed and also includes several photographs
It is for sale at the Ozark County Historium on the square in Gainesville for $15. Copies can also be mailed for $20; make checks payable to OCGHS and mail to P.O. Box 4, Gainesville, MO 65655. The Historium is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.

<p>Called to the Colors: Ozark County in World War I, a new book published by the Ozark County Genealogical and Historical Society, shares firsthand accounts of Ozark County men who served in the Great War, told in their own words in letters sent to their families back home and to the Ozark County Times. The 106-page book is available for purchase at the Ozark County Historium on the square in Gainesville.</p><p></p>