How to Collect Genealogical Clues from a Declaration of Intention Record
Locating the birth place of an immigrant ancestor is a major accomplishment for a genealogist. For some, it's an easy process because the ancestor has the birth place noted on a Social Security application, death certificate or other legal document. For others, the ancestor hasn't left any clues about his birth place. If the ancestor applied for citizenship, her Declaration of Intention will often contain the birth place by city and country. Declarations of Intentions contain other clues for genealogists, which help them prove familial relationships.
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Instructions
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Locate and obtain a copy of your immigrant ancestor's Declaration of Intention. The location of these records vary by state. Common locations include the National Archives, County Court Offices, State Archives and university research libraries.
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Examine the Declaration of Intention for clues. Note the spelling of the name. Is it the same as the spelling you have or does it differ? Look at the birth location, birth date, immigration date, place and ship name. Those clues can help you locate a ship log if you haven't already discovered one. Note the last place of foreign residence. Keep in mind that country borders shifted often after wars. For example, if an ancestor was Lithuanian, it's possible at one time his country of allegiance was Russia.
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Examine the physical description of the immigrant. These facts help paint a picture of what the immigrant looked like, a nice set of facts when a photograph doesn't exist.
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Note the date of the Declaration of Intention. Usually when an immigrant filed a Declaration of Intention, he was often naturalized a few years later, usually in the same court of law as his initial papers.
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Tips & Warnings
Search for the immigrant's Declaration of Intention by various surname spellings if the first search fails to produce results. Verify all facts on the Declaration of Intention. Some immigrants filed several years after they arrived in the United States and the exact date of entry and ship name may be incorrect. Compare against a ship log or other documentation to verify those facts.
