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Genealogy Resources

Naturalization Records

Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. It is a voluntary act; naturalization is not required. Of the foreign-born persons listed on the 1890 through 1930 censuses, 25 percent had not become naturalized or filed their "first papers."

Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. These records can provide a researcher with information such as a person's birth date and location, occupation, immigration year, marital status and spouse information, witnesses' names and addresses, and more.

Naturalization records are documents generated from a court procedure granting U.S. citizenship. The records typically include four documents: 1. Declaration of Intention to become a citizen; 2. Petition for Naturalization; 3. Naturalization Certificate; and, 4.Oath of Allegiance.

If an ancestor immigrated to the United States from another country and desired to become a citizen, he would have to go through the naturalization process. An individual applied for naturalization in two steps. First, he filed a declaration of intention to become a U.S. citizen. After fulfilling a residence requirement, usually five years, he filed a petition for naturalization. The declaration is sometimes called "first papers" and the petition "final papers."

Before 27 September 1906, the naturalization process was carried out largely in state and local courts, and there were no standardized forms. These naturalization records are not easy to find. The individual may have filed his declaration of intention in one court and his petition for citizenship in another court in a different locality. Pre-1907 records may be in the custody of a state or local court or in the state archives. For pre-1906 naturalizations:

• Contact the State Archives for the state where the naturalization occurred to request a search of state, county, and local courts records.
   
• Contact the NARA regional facility that serves the state where naturalization occurred to request a search of Federal court records

Since 27 September 1906, most naturalizations have been processed in federal courts using standard declaration and petition forms.

Until 1922, a woman married to an American citizen acquired citizenship without going through the naturalization process.

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• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Denizations and Naturalizations in the British Colonies in America, 1607-1775. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub, 2005.
  
  
• Citizenship Documents issued by INS since 1906
   
• Cyndi's List - Immigration & Naturalization
   
• deWit, Lloyd. Denizations and Naturalizations in the British Colonies in America, 1607-1775. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2005. Lists more than 13,000 persons.
   
• Federal Naturalization Records at NARA's Central Plains Region (Kansas City, MO), includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Dakota Territory, and South Dakota.
   
• Finding US Naturalization Records: A Genealogical Guide. By Joe Beine.
   
• Immigration and Naturalization Legislation, 1790-1996. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
   
• Name Index to St. Paul, Minnesota, Naturalization Records (1859-1916), U.S. District and U.S. Circuit Courts, District of Minnesota
   
• Name Index to North Dakota Naturalization Records , U.S. District and U.S. Circuit Courts, District of North Dakota
   
• Name index to naturalization records, including declarations and petitions, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, McCook Division
   
• Name index to naturalization records, including declarations and petitions, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, Chadron Division
   
• Name index to naturalizations, 1846 - 1890, U.S. Circuit and U.S. District Courts, Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division (St. Louis)
  
  
• Naturalization of World War I Soldiers.
  
  
• Naturalization Records. NARA.
  
• Naturalization Records: Introduction and Links to Resources. NARA.  On this web site you can find more details on naturalization records and the process. Also, you can do a search to see what naturalization microfilm is available from NARA and at which facility nationwide.
   
• Naturalization Records. Created by James St. John.
   
• Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Courts (RG 21) at NARA's Great Lakes Region (Chicago), includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin
   
• Naturalization Records available at NARA's Pacific Region (Laguna Niguel, CA), includes Arizona, California, and Nevada
   
• NaturalizationRecords.com Search for your ancestors in free Naturalization Records in U.S.A. and Canada. Find Declarations of Intent, First Papers, Alien Registrations, Passport Applications, Naturalization Petitions and Citizenship Certificates. Search substitute naturalization records - ships passenger lists, census records, oaths of allegiance, voters registration lists and more! Olive Tree Genealogy.
   
• Ohio Historical Society. About Naturalization Records in Ohioo. Descriptions of information found in naturalization records and a list of county naturalization records held by the Ohio Historical Society.
   
• Online Searchable Naturalization Indexes & Records. By Joe Beine.
  
• Prechtel-Kluskens, Claire. "The Location of Naturalization Records," The Record, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Nov. 1996): pp. 21-22.
   
• Requesting Your Ancestor's Naturalization Records from INS. A guide by Dennis Piccirillo.
   
• Sampubco. Includes indexes to naturalization records.
  
• Schaefer, Christine. Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1997.
  
  
• Smith, Marian L. Smith, "Women and Naturalization, ca. 1802-1940," Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer 1998): 146-153.
   
• Standardization of the Language of the Oath of Allegiance.
  
• Szucs, Loretto Dennis. They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1998.
   
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. History, Genealogy and Education. Contains information about the Immigration and Naturalization (I&N) Historical Reference Library collection and services, documents concerning the history of the Service as well as of immigration law, procedure, immigration stations, and instructions for historical and genealogical research using records of the former INS.
   
• U. S. National Archives. Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog. Online version of the National Archives microfilm catalog which lists, under Records of the District Courts of the United States, RG 21, naturalization records and indexes.
   
• U. S. National Archives. Naturalization Records. Description of the naturalization process and records with a list of county court naturalization records that have been donated to the National Archives and are available on microfilm.
   
• Women and Naturalization, ca. 1802-1940, an article in Prologue 30, 2 (Summer 1998)
   

Print Resources

• Bockstruck, Lloyd deWitt. Denizations and Naturalizations in the British Colonies in America, 1607-1775. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2005.
   
• Neagles, James C. and Lila Lee Neagles. Locating Your Immigrant Ancestor: A Guide to Naturalization Records. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishing Co., 1975.
   
• Newman, John J. American Naturalization Processes and Procedures, 1790-1985. Indianapolis: Family History Section, Indiana Historical Society, 1985.
   
• Schaefer, Christine. Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997. List of naturalization record repositories by state and county and microfilmed records available from the National Archives and LDS Family History Library. Not complete.
   
• Szucs, Loretto Dennis. They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1998.  Discussion of the naturalization process and strategies for locating naturalization records, with a detailed listing of naturalization records held by each National Archives regional archive.
   
• United States Works Projects Administration. Index to records of aliens' declarations of intention and/or oaths of allegiance, 1789-1880, in US circuit courts etc. 11 Volumes compiled by WPA.