WWII War Ration Books
Background | Search
Genealogists are always in search of new record sources when confronted with a brick wall. Well, can you
think of a resource that not only gives you name, address, age and occupation, but also height and weight of a person? Interestingly,
the ration books issued during World War Two attempted to capture* these items.
In the United States, nationwide food rationing was instituted in the spring of 1942, and
each member of the family was issued ration books by the Office of Price Administration (OPA).
These books contained stamps
and gave precise details of the amounts of certain types of food that you were allowed.
Rationing insured that each person could get their fair share of the items that were in short supply due to the war effort and import reductions.
By the end of the war, over a hundred million of each ration
book were printed.
The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was in charge of rationing consumer goods such as sugar, coffee, shoes, household appliances, and other goods during World War II. The OPA accepted ration book applications and issued ration books, from which consumers tore out stamps in order to purchase food and other supplies at grocery stores.
Four different series of war ration books were issued. In 1942, five months after (December 8, 1941) the United States entered the Second World War, "Book
One" series were issued. In January 1943, "Book Two" series were issued. "Book Three" series were issued in October of 1943.
And "Book Four" series were issued towards the end of 1943. Most ration restrictions didn't end until August 1945, with sugar rationing lasting in some parts of the country until 1947.
*Each book asked for different identification, with book one and three asking the most detailed information. In all the ration books that
we've seen, however, the completion of the form was not as strictly enforced as with the book one series.
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We established this ration book search to assist researchers in tracking down records of possible relatives and ancestors. While we
have been collecting ration books for several years, these records also include links to imaged books online at other
web sites. The database index now includes over 8,300 listings.
Keep in mind that the book covers were handwritten by the individual, many in pencil, so also search
for surname variations just in case the records were misinterpreted during the transcription process.
If you have some war ration books that you would like to share with other researchers, send us a note and
we'll be glad to include your records in the search.
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