Immigration and Ships Passenger
Lists Research Guide
Section 8.0 - Last updated September 2011
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Section 8.0 - NATURALIZATION RECORDS
8.1 Naturalization - Before
1906
8.1.1 Naturalization
Requirements and Records - Before 1906
8.1.2 Locating
Naturalization Records - Before 1906
8.2 Naturalization - After 1906
8.2.1 Naturalization
Requirements and Records - After 1906
8.2.2 Locating
Naturalization Records - After 1906
8.3 Naturalization
Records on the Internet
8.3.1 General
Information & Databases on the Internet
8.3.2
Local
NY/NJ Naturalization Databases on the Internet
Introduction - Naturalization records provide a way to
find arrival information for immigrant ancestors. Recent
naturalization records (those issued after 1906) also contain other
significant genealogical information. Generally, citizenship
was required to own land, serve in public office, or to vote.
Therefore, many immigrants did become naturalized..
To become a citizen, the alien immigrant had to first apply at a
court for a Declaration of Intention (first
papers). Later he would apply for the Petition for
Naturalization (second or final papers). Then, the
Naturalization Certificates themselves, were issued to the
naturalized citizens upon completion of all citizenship
requirements. This process took several years to
complete as discussed below. The records that are
filed in the courts (and those that you may search for) are the
Declaration of Intentions and the Petition for
Naturalization. The Naturalization Certificate was given to
the naturalized citizen and you may only find it in your
ancestor's personal effects.
8.1 Naturalization
- Before 1906
8.1.1 Naturalization Requirements and Records - Before 1906
Following the Revolutionary War (1776), all white residents of
European descent that were born in the colonies or loyal to the
Revolutionary cause became citizens. It was not until 1790
that the first statute regulating naturalization of aliens was
enacted. But, the first definitive statute that became the
basis for naturalization for the next century was enacted by
Congress on 29 January 1795. These naturalization provisions
included:
- Alien must be a free white male or single female - 21 years
or older
- Alien must have been resident in the United States for 5
years to file for the Petition for Naturalization
- Alien must have been resident in the state where naturalized
for 1 year (Changed to 6 months in 1940)
- Alien must first have filed his Declaration of Intentions at
least three years (changed to 2 years in 1824) before filing for
the Petition for Naturalization.
- Wives and minor children automatically became citizens when
the husband/father was naturalized. The names of wives and
minor children were not always listed on the Declaration of
Intentin or Petition for Naturalization.
Revisions were made to the 1795
statute from time to time. However, the general
provisions of this statute existed until 1906. The most
significant revisions made during this time were:
- From 1824 a child, who was under 18 years when he arrived,
could be naturalized without filing a Declaration of Intention
(One paper naturalization) when he reached age 21, was a
resident of the U.S. for 5 years, and was resident of the state
for 1 year.
- Alien Wives became citizens upon marriage to a US citizen
husband, or upon their husband’s naturalization since February
10, 1855 until 1922 (when a women’s citizenship was separated
from their husband’s.)
- Women who were citizens and married an alien lost their
citizenship.
- After 1862, honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. Army who
served during wartime, and was resident in the US for at least
one year, could be naturalized without filing Declaration of
Intention (Extended to Navy and Marine Corps in 1894). The
Act of May 9, 1918 provided for the immediate naturalization of
an alien in Service during WWI. They were naturalized in
military camps or nearby courts without declaration of
intention, certificates of arrival, nor proof of residency.
- In 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution provided for
blacks to automatically become citizens.
Under the provisions of these first naturalization acts, an
individual could file his papers at any common law court of
record. These courts could be at the local, state or federal
level. Each court had its own procedures and in the absence of
standardized naturalization forms, federal, state, county, and other
minor courts created their own naturalization documents that varied
greatly in format.
Note that an alien
did not have to file the Petition for Naturalization in the same
court that he filed his Declaration of Intentions. (For example,
my grandfather filed his Declaration of Intentions in the Hamilton
County, Ohio court. His Naturalization Petition was filed in
the Court of Common Pleas in the City of New York).
Generally, most pre-1906 Petitions for Naturalization
papers contain little information of biographical or genealogical
value. In the majority of these early papers, only the name
of the individual, his or her native country, and the date of the
naturalization are given. However, the Declaration of
Intentions in a number of these pre-1906 papers may contain
useful information including;
- The country of origin,
- The port of arrival,
- The port of embarkation, and
- The date of arrival in the United States.
Note that the content of the Declaration of Intention forms
varied from one county to another and from one court to
another, resulting in a significant percentage of the first papers
created before 1906 containing only some of this information.
Also, remember that the information on these documents may not be
exact, but this information can be valuable in locating your
ancestor on the passenger lists. Probably the stated port of
arrival is correct, but if you fail to find your ancestor on
the passenger list for the exact date of arrival as stated on the
Declaration of Intentions, search the lists for a few months before
and after that date.
8.1.2 Locating Naturalization
Records - Before 1906
To begin the search for an immigrant's origins, learn as much as you
can about that person, including full name, approximate birth date,
native country, approximately when that person came to the United
States, and where that person lived after his or her arrival in the
United States.
Naturalization records were kept at the court which issued
those records. You may find Declarations of Intention
and Petitions for Naturalization that were filed in state or local
courts in the County Clerk's office closest to the immigrant's
place of residence. However, these records may now be
located at the county or state archives. Some, such as
for the New England States are at the National Archives.
Naturalization records that were filed in United States
District or Circuit Courts are in the custody of the Courts
or the National Archives, and are stored at one of the Regional
Archives or Federal Records Centers. For example, the
National Archives Regional Office in New York has naturalization
records filed in local, state and federal courts located in New
York City (1792-1906) and in District Courts including those in
New Jersey.
Naturalization Records by
Repository - New York and New Jersey
Table
1 lists the present location of the naturalization
records for most of the courts for New York and New Jersey.
You can contact these courts to locate the naturalization records.
These records have been indexed by the WPA. Note
that the information on the Index Cards are arranged using the
Soundex system and includes the following:
Name of the Individual
Name and Location of the Court,
Volume (or Bundle) and the Page (or Record)
(This information is needed to locate the copy of the actual
record)
1. ) You may want to start your search for the
Declaration of Intentions in the area where the alien lived
shortly after arriving in the U.S. If you fail to find
that, you should search for the Petition for Naturalization
in the cities or counties where he subsequently lived.
(Sometimes, the Declaration of Intentions will be "attached" to
the Petition on the microfilm records). To search for
these records, you should know your ancestor's year of
naturalization, so you may therefore know where he lived and thus
the locality of the court where he filed his papers. The
year of naturalization may be found in the 1920 census
records as discussed in Section 2.0 of this Guide.
2.) The LDS Family History Library has microfilms of
many of the indexes to the naturalization records and
naturalization records themselves. Unless you are
near the court where the records may be stored, it may be the best
place to start your research. To locate these records in the
LDS catalog, use the Place search and look
under [County][State] - Naturalization and
Citizenship
Note: There are
separate indexes to the declaration of intentions and to the
naturalization petitions. You may want to initially
search for the declaration of intentions. If you fail to
find that document, search for the naturalization
petition. You may find a copy of the declaration of
intentions attached to the Naturalization petition if the
declaration of intentions had been filed in a different court.
3.) You may call or send a letter to the local county
courthouse, State Archives, or NARA. Provide as much known
information as possible to help in locating the documents.
Beware! Some clerks at
the local courthouses either do not know about the existence of
the naturalization records in their buildings, or are
uncooperative. They may indicate that the records were
moved, etc. Persevere in your search!
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8.2
Naturalization
- After 1906
8.2.1 Naturalization Requirements and Records - After 1906
An act of Congress of 29 June 1906 created the Bureau of Immigration
and Naturalization, which later became the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS).
Note that the INS is now the US Citizenship
and Information Services -USCIS.
This provided for the first uniform rule for naturalization
throughout the U.S. All courts had to use standardized Declaration
of Intentions, Petition for Naturalization, and Certificate
of Naturalization forms which contain much information of
genealogical value.
The requirements for naturalization as stated earlier remained
generally unchanged until 1918. An act in that year provided
that any alien serving in the military and naval service during
World War I could file his Petition of Naturalization without making
the Declaration of Intentions and without proof of the
required five years residency in the U.S. (These servicemen were
naturalized at military posts or nearby courts rather than at their
legal residences.) Laws enacted in
1919, 1926, 1940, and 1952 continued various preferential
treatment provisions for veterans.
Then, in 1922, women could not become a citizen by virtue of her
marriage to a citizen, but had to apply for citizenship.
Again, there were a number of changes to the naturalization laws as
listed below
The Naturalization Process - 3 steps to become a citizen
STEP 1 - Alien filed Declaration of Intention
STEP 2 - Alien filed for his Petition for
Naturalization no more than 7 years after filing the
Declaration of Intention
• Petitioner
was
allowed to change his name at this time
• Both names would be
included on the Petition
STEP 3 - Certificate of Naturalization given to
new citizen when all citizenship requirements were met
The Declarations of Intention produced after 1906 may
have the following information:
- Alien's Name, Marital Status, Address, and Occupation
- Alien's Birthplace, Nationality, Country from which
emigrated, and Last Foreign Residence
- Alien's Birth Date or Age and a Personal Description (sex,
complexion, eye color, hair color, height, weight, visible
distinctive marks)
- Port and Date of Entry and Name of Ship
The Petition for Naturalization produced after 1906 may have
the same information as listed above for the Declaration of
Intentions. Other information may include:
- Length of time in the United States and the date of the
Declaration of Intention
- Photograph (after 1929)
Additionally, if the applicant was married, the following
information may be on the form:
- Name of Spouse, Marriage Date, Marriage Place, Birthplace of
Spouse, Birth Date of Spouse, Date and Place of Spouse's
entrance to the United States, and the Current Residence of
Spouse
- If the spouse is a naturalized citizen, Where and When
the Naturalization took place
- Number of Children born to him or her, and the Date and Place
of Birth of each. If not born in the U.S., where and when
their lawful admission for permanent residence in the United
States took place.
The signature of the applicant completes the first section of the
Petition. The second part of the Petition consists of Affidavit of
Witnesses, including names of witnesses, their addresses, and sworn
and signed statements of their knowledge of the applicant. These
Petitions of Naturalization were completed with a signed Oath of
Allegiance.
The Certificate of Naturalization were issued to
naturalized citizens upon completion of all citizenship
requirements Most Certificates of Naturalization
contain only the name of the individual, the name of the court,
and the date of issue. However, the amount of information on these
certificates varied from year to year and much additional
information may be found on them.
The 1906 law required that all applicants for naturalization be
legally admitted to the US and applied to all immigrants arriving
after June 29, 1906. Documentation was required to be
submitted by the immigrant at the time he/she filed a Petition,
showing the name under which they arrived, the date of arrival,
port of entry and the name of the vessel. This information
was verified and a Certificate of
Arrival for Naturalization Purpose was issued by the
Department of Labor, Immigration Service and is attached to
Petitions filed after 1911.
Chronology of events: After
1906
1906 -Naturalization Act provided for Uniform Rules &
established the Bureau of Immigration & Naturalization
• Mandated standardized forms
- 3 copies made
One Copy
forwarded to the INS
One copy
given to applicant
One copy
stayed at Court
• Passenger Lists were checked
to confirm date of entry (after 1911)
1907 - Marriage determined women’s nationality
• U.S.
born citizen women lost citizenship if she married alien
1918 - Military Naturalizations
Immediate
naturalization of an alien in Service during WWI
1922 - Cable Act (Married Women’s Act)
• Women ‘s nationality is no
longer dependent upon husband
1924 - Immigration Quota Act
• Aliens need Visas to
immigrate (issued at U.S. embassy)
• Visas usually have birth
records attached
1929 - Registry Act
• Arrival records may be
created for an alien arriving before 1921 and not having proper
records (To prove residency)
1929 - Photograph now required on naturalization documents
1940 - Alien Registration Act (Smith Act)
• All aliens (over age of 14)
must register at post office (including fingerprinting) – The alien
received a “Green Card”
• The requirement became annual
in 1952.
• Files archived as the A-Files
(after 1944)
• All alien files consolidated
under one Alien Registration Number
The following records may be available at the US Citizenship and Information Services
-USCIS
• C File - 1906 to 1956 - Naturalization
Records including:
•
Declaration of Intention
• Petition
for Naturalization
•
Certificate of Arrival
•
Naturalization Certificate:
• OL
Certificate (Issued if person was naturalized before 1906,
lost their Certificate and applied for a replacement after
1906)
• Immigrant Visa - 1924 to 1944
• Registry Files - 1929 to 1944
• Alien Registration (AR) Forms - 1940 to
1944
• A-File - 1944 to present - Combined
immigrant records including:
• Registry Record or Visa
• AR Forms
• Naturalization Records (since
1956)
• Others
8.2.2 Locating Naturalization
Records - After 1906
Three copies of Post-1906 Naturalization Records were made: one
was kept at the court of record, one was forwarded to the
Immigration and Naturalization Service (Now the BCIS) , and one
was given to the applicant..
You can obtain these records by either:
- Contacting the court of record to request a copy.
- See Section 8.1.2 for suggestions on location these
records. Also, see Table
1 which lists the present location of the
naturalization records for most of the courts for New York and
New Jersey. You can contact these courts to locate the
naturalization records.
- Researching records of the US District Courts (and some other
courts such as the New York City courts) at the National
Archives. Table
1 lists the records available at National Archives
for the New York and New Jersey District and Circuit Courts.
- Request copies of the records from the the US Citizenship and
Information Services -USCIS (Formally the Immigration and
Naturalization Service) You can request copies of
these records from the USCIS under the USCIS Genealogy
Program, a fee-for-service program. The
program's brochure
is located id PDF. Questions and comments on the
USCIS Genealogy Program can be made by:
The request should adequately describe the specific records
sought as discribed above: (e.g., C-Files, Visa,
Registry, Alien Registration (AR), and A-Files) to enable to
INS to conduct a search. The minimum information required is:
- The alien's full name (with other alternate names or
spellings)
- The date and place (country) of birth.
- If the immigrants date of birth is less than 100 years prior
to the date of the request, proof of death is required.
Other useful information includes:
- Name at time of entry into the U.S.
- Alien Registration Number
- Petition Number
- Etc.
Mail the request to:
USCIS Genealogy Program
PO Box 805925
Chicago, IL 60680-4120
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8.3 Naturalization Records on the Internet
8.3.1 General
Information & Databases on the Internet
The Olive Tree Genealogy - Naturalization
Records in the USA
Most comprehensive collection of links to online (and
offline) naturalization records in each state and county. A
good place to start looking for records in any county in any
state. Search this large (and somewhat confusing) site by
skipping down to the absolute bottom of the page (past all of the
advertising) to the list of links entitles “state choices” and
selecting the state that you are interested in.
Online US Naturalization
Indexes & Records
Comprehensive collection of links to online naturalization
records
LDS Family History
Library Catalog - Use Place Search for the
County and State of interest: Then look under Naturalization and
Citizenship.
Fold3
(Formerly Footnote), a fee-based service, has digital copies of
naturalizations for the following areas: CA (Los Angeles,
San Diego, Southern), LA (Eastern), MA, MD, NY (Eastern,
Southern), OH (Northern), & PA (Eastern, Middle, Western)
8.3.2
Local NY/NJ Naturalization Databases on the Internet
Ancestry.com
Citizenship & Naturalization database (fee based
service) — Includes:
New York County Supreme Court Naturalization Petition Index
1907-24 - and other databases.
Go to: for
complete list of all included databases.
Southern
District Court of NY Naturalizations 1906 - 1959
US Circuit Court of
the Southern District 1846-1876
and 1906-1911
Eastern District
Court of NY Naturalizations
1865 - 1956
Brooklyn
Naturalization Records 1907-1924
Bronx County
Naturalization Records 1914 - 1952
Queens County
Naturalization Records 1906
- 1957
Richmond
County Naturalizations 1883 - 1959
Military Naturalizations
for following military facilities
World War I
Aviation Field #2**
Camp Mills **
Camp Dix
Camp Upton
Fort Slocum |
World War II
NY Eastern District
NY Southern District * |
Korean War
NY Eastern District
NY Southern District* |
** Also under Nassau County |
Also at Ancesrty.com |
*Also at Ancesrty.com |
Nassau County
, NY Naturalizations 1899 - 1986 (includes Camp
Mills & Aviation Fields #2)
Suffolk
County, NY Naturalizations 1853-1990
NOTE: Steve Morse provides a One
Step tool for searching the Naturalization indexes listed
above.
Rockland
County, NY Naturalization Records 1836 - 1991
Westchester
County, NY Naturalization Records, 1808-1955
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Copyright © Arnold H. Lang 2002