Citizenship records can frustrate researchers

By DONNA MURRAY ALLEN

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 24, 2001

First of three parts.

"I find the naturalization records in many cases in a chaotic condition, many lost and destroyed, and some sold for old paper -- I find aliens naturalized under initials instead of Christian names, surnames misspelled or changed entirely, and the names of witnesses inserted in place of the alien's."

This quote, attributed to a Justice Department investigator in 1903, appears on the National Archives' Web site and accurately describes the mayhem you'll encounter when delving into naturalization records (see http://www.nara.gov).

You won't be the only one confused. Go to the naturalization section of the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Web site, and you'll be told to go to the National Archives for records prior to 1906 (http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/), but, on its site, NARA says it generally does not have county and state records from before 1906.

If citizenship records weren't such an important source for discovering things such as an immigrant's homeland, original name and date of arrival, their pursuit wouldn't be worth enduring the aggravation.

Naturalization is a complicated topic and each person's search so individualized that this column will focus only on the information necessary to begin your odyssey.

Learn the buzzwords. Naturalization is the procedure by which a foreign-born person becomes a U.S. citizen. Generally the process goes like this: A person files a Declaration of Intention; after a period of time -- the number of years varies -- a Petition for Naturalization is filed; once the petition is granted, a Certificate of Naturalization is issued. The declaration and petition contain the genealogical data.

There are exceptions, mostly notably derivative citizenship. From 1790 to 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens and from 1790 to 1940, children under age 21 automatically became citizens when their fathers were naturalized. Names of wives and children were seldom included in the paperwork. Exceptions also were made for veterans. Through the years, various laws were passed to speed up the naturalization process for those who served in the Armed Forces.

The key factor in determining where you need to look for records is the year 1906. That's when the Immigration and Naturalization Service was established. From the time Congress passed the first law regulating naturalization in 1790 until Sept. 26, 1906, when the INS came into existence, no uniform standards existed. Each state did its own thing. Naturalization could take place in any court with common law jurisdiction, so the original paperwork might be filed in local, state or federal court. People tended to pick the one most convenient.

The names of these courts vary by state. Circuit, district, chancery, superior and common pleas are some examples. Today, you might find these records from before 1906 in a county or state court, a state archive or even a regional archive. (In Pennsylvania, the Prothonotary Office, located in county courthouses, is the repository for any local naturalization records that still exist.)

The establishment of the INS brought standardization. All courts began using the same forms and guidelines. Even more important for researchers, the federal government began keeping copies of naturalization records. INS naturalization certificate files, known as C-Files, include a duplicate copy of all naturalization records dated after Sept. 26, 1906. Microfilmed C-Files from 1906 to 1956 can be obtained from INS Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Call (202) 514-1722 for details. For records after 1956, write to the appropriate district INS office. (In Florida, write to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 7880 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33138.) Look for more information about citizenship records in next week's column.

Note: Mormon Family History Centers are great places to conduct research. Find the one nearest you by logging onto http://www.familysearch.org/. Click on library systems, then click on Family History Centers.

-- Information from the INS and NARA Web sites was used in this report.

Donna Murray Allen welcomes your questions about genealogy and will respond to those of general interest in future columns. Sorry, she can't take phone calls, but you can write to her c/o Home & Garden, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@aol.com.

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