How to Find Naturalization Papers for Ancestors
Solving the mysteries surrounding the lives of your ancestors takes time and effort, but it is time well spent when you stumble upon a document pertaining to a family member. When immigrants settled in the United States in the twentieth century, they may have undergone a legal procedure known as naturalization, a process by which they became United States citizens. By finding naturalization papers, you can discover facts about your ancestor, including his or her nationality, birthplace, birth date, personal description, marital status, port of entry and date of entry into the United States.
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Instructions
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Determine the year in which your ancestor first arrived in the United States. Immigration records, such as those located on the Ellis Island website, can help you find the year of your ancestor's immigration. If you know when your ancestor immigrated to the United States, you can begin searching for naturalization records in the years following your ancestor's immigration.
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Look in the U.S. Federal Census records for your ancestor's year of immigration. You can access census records for free on the Family Search website or with a paid membership on the Ancestry website. You can also go to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website to locate a Regional Archives near you to find census records.
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Search census records for your ancestor's naturalization status. The 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 census records list each person's year of immigration, along with whether he was naturalized or not. A person's naturalization status is recorded on a census in abbreviations: "Na" means naturalized, "Al" means alien, or not yet a U.S. citizen, and "Pa" refers to the first papers that your ancestor filed in the steps toward becoming naturalized.
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Contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) through their website for a copy of your ancestor's naturalization papers if you believe that your ancestor was naturalized after 1906. The USCIS can locate your ancestor's papers for a fee. In 1906, naturalization forms were standardized and began to record detailed information, including a person's town of birth and port and date of arrival.
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Identify the courts closest to the place where your ancestor lived if he or she was naturalized prior to 1906. Prior to 1906, a person could be naturalized in any court of record, so you may need to visit or contact courts near the place where your ancestor lived around the time that he or she was naturalized.
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Contact the State Archives in the state where your ancestor was naturalized if your ancestor went through the process of naturalization prior to 1906. State Archives can search state, county and local records for your ancestor. You can find a list of State Archives and their contact information on the NARA website.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep in mind that your ancestor may have filed naturalization papers in one court and then completed the naturalization process in another court. There were three steps to the naturalization process: Declaration of Intention (first papers), Petition (second or final papers) and Certificate of Naturalization.
Remember that not all immigrants completed the naturalization process, so you may find your ancestor's Declaration of Intention but not his or her Certificate of Naturalization.
If you are searching for female ancestors, keep in mind that from 1790 to 1922, women did not have to apply for naturalization. They became U.S. citizens when their husbands were naturalized.
References
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