Seeking records of MTC Mech Rep Unit 305, Co D

Dear Mr. Kerr,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

MTC is an acronym for Motor Transport Corps and Mech Rep Unit equals Mechanical Repair Unit. Therefore, we searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Card File of Military Engagements of American Organizations, 1918 - 1918 in the Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs (Record Group 165) that includes cards for Mechanical Repair Shop Units. There may be one for the Mechanical Repair Unit 305, Company D. We also located the series Plant Files, 1917 - 1919 in Record Group 165 that includes a file for the Mechanical Repair Unit #305, Camp Jessup, GA. For more information about these non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Plus, we located the Muster Rolls and Rosters, 11/1/1912 - 12/31/1943 that includes the World War I Rosters of enlisted men - MTC REPAIR UNIT, 305-310 (1 of 2). There is an entry for Kenneth B. Kerr on image 14, line 463. These records have been digitized and are available using the Catalog.

Next, we located the series Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 in the Records of the Selective Service System (World War I) (Record Group 163) that includes a card for a Kenneth Berton Kerr born 1899. For more information about and/or copies of these records, please contact the National Archives at Atlanta (RE-AT) via email at atlanta.archives@nara.gov.

In addition, we located the series Draft Registration Cards for New Jersey, 10/16/1940 - 3/31/1947 in the Records of the Selective Service System (Record Group 147) that contains a registration card for Kenneth Burton Kerr, Sr., born 1899, in box 343. For more information about these cards, please contact the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL) via email at stl.archives@nara.gov.

You may wish to search Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org for the WWI and WWII Draft Registration Cards. There may be a fee for using Ancestry. Instead, please check for access at your local library as many library systems subscribe to these sites, making them free for their patrons.

Further, we located the American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917 - 1918 in Record Group 165 that includes the file Motor Vehicles - Motor Trucks - Parts - Repair Shops (Inc. Repair Trucks), 1917 - 1918 and contains 3 photos of the Mechanical Repair Unit No. 305. These photographs have been digitized and are available using the Catalog.

You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2, RL-SL, and RE-AT. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic.  Please check NARA’s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information.

Lastly, we suggest you review the U.S. Army Center of Military History publications regarding the American Expeditionary Forces and the Zone of the Interior during World War I for more information regarding the Motor Transport Corps and its components.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!