In the past, Mr. Ross conducted a similar study of the Book Four series, and hopes to significantly advance his research of the Book One series by accessing the extensive Genealogy Today collection of ration books.Illya D'Addezio, founder of Genealogy Today, began collecting World War Two ration books in September 2006, in an effort to develop a unique genealogy resource for the 1940's time period. The online collection currently includes over 6,300 images of ration books.
"With all the attention given to the soldiers' efforts during the war, history books often glance over the sacrifices made on the home front," commented Illya. "While these ration books offer some wonderful genealogical data, they also highlight the difficult times Americans faced in the 1940's."
Preliminary results from Mr. Ross' printer study of Ration Book Four were published in the December 2006 issue of The Ration Board (vol. 39, no. 4), the official publication of the Society of Ration Token Collectors. Genealogy Today utilizes information from these types of printer studies to assist genealogists in predicting where their ancestors may have resided (when the information on a given ration book is incomplete).
Visitors to the Genealogy Today web site are encouraged to donate and/or share any ration books they may have to assist other genealogists.
For additional information, visit http://www.ration-books.com/ or http://www.genealogytoday.com/guide/war-ration-books.html
