The following essay was written by Bryan Mulcahy, Reference Librarian for the Fort Myers-Lee County Library:
Naturalization records pertain to foreign born aliens who went through the process of becoming American citizens. The process grew out of an Act of Congress in 1790 and has undergone numerous revisions over time. Prior to January 1906, the process was not standardized. While the federal government mandate took over control of the naturalization process in 1820, enforcement was often in the hands of state authorities. This resulted in cases where researchers find multiple types of paper trails and procedures in different jurisdictions.
Researchers may find documents in different courts within a jurisdiction, local or regional archives and libraries, private collections, or private record repositories. Lack of standardization and consistent oversight also provided local officials and political machines with opportunities to manipulate elections using immigrants who magically became “instant citizens” in exchange for their votes. In January 1906, standardization of record keeping procedures came under the full jurisdiction of the federal government and federal court system.
The first step in the process was the “Declaration of Intention” also known as “First Papers”. These were often completed shortly after arrival in the country. While the usual residency requirement was five years after the filing of these papers, numerous exceptions occurred depending on the time period and jurisdiction. Once the immigrant met the applicable residency requirement, he or she could proceed to the second step and apply for a “Petition for Naturalization”. These petitions are also known as “Second or Final Papers”. The petition was filed in the court of record based on the jurisdiction and time period. All of the supporting documentation is found in the “Naturalization Packet” which was compiled by the court of record. The final document of the process which was generated at the time of petition was the “Oath of Allegiance”. This oath is also included in the “Naturalization Packet”. After the “Oath of Allegiance” was sworn and accepted, the immigrant was issued the final “Certificate of Naturalization”.
Migration can complicate the search for naturalization records. It is not uncommon to discover that the immigrant ancestor and family moved soon after arrival, after filling out the “Declaration of Intention/First Papers”. Beware that the “Petition for Naturalization” may have been filed in another jurisdiction in a different state.
Two of the best ways to track these movements are census and church records. Census enumerations were conducted every ten years. By the 1880s, the census questionnaire included a growing number of questions related to immigration and naturalization. Since religion was often a critical component of most immigrants’ lives, church parish or congregational records may be the only record type where individuals are fully documented. Church records are often the best option to fill in gaps found in public records and census enumerations.
