Lesson 12 - Naturalization

							“Give me
  your

tired, your
   poor...

 I lift my
  lamp

beside the
 golden
  door.”
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  Emma Lazarus
NATURALIZATION




    DeAnne Shelley
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NATURALIZATION IS THE LEGAL PROCESS
     THAT GIVES AN IMMIGRANT
      THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP
 NATURALIZATION BRINGS GREAT ADVANTAGES

         The privilege of voting
         The right to own property
         Civil rights
         Protection of the law
         New responsibilities        4
    RECORDS CREATED BY THE
  NATURALIZATION PROCESS MAY
PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION
  IMMIGRANT’S NATION OF ORIGIN
  BIRTH DATE
  DATE AND PORT OF ARRIVAL
  PLACE OF RESIDENCE
  NAMES & AGES OF FAMILY
  OCCUPATION
  FOREIGN AND AMERICAN NAMES
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REQUIREMENTS FOR NATURALIZATION
    HAVE CHANGED MANY TIMES

     THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ARE:

    RESIDENCY IN THE COUNTRY FOR FIVE
                  YEARS

     GOOD MORAL CHARACTER

AN OATH OF LOYALTY OR ALLEGIANCE


     KNOWLEDGE OF GOVERNMENT AND
              LANGUAGE                   8
CITIZENSHIP CLASS 1923
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HISTORICAL CHANGES IN THE
    REQUIREMENTS FOR
     NATURALIZATION
        Pre-1790
          1795
       1802 to 1906
       1906 to 1933
          1952
           2001         10
75,000

BECAME

CITIZENS




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  COLLECTIVE NATURALIZATIONS
   GROUPS GRANTED CITIZENSHIP BY
      LEGISLATION OR TREATY
           1803 LOUISIANA PURCHASE

           1819 FLORIDA /1867 ALASKA
                  1845 TEXAS
           1870 AFRICAN AMERICANS

1900 HAWAII/1917 PUERTO RICO /1927 VIRGIN ISLANDS

             1924 NATIVE AMERICANS

           2001 CHILD CITIZENSHIP ACT        12
DERIVATIVE CITIZENSHIP

BASED UPON CITIZENSHIP OF
ANOTHER OR UPON SERVICE
       PERFORMED

     WIVES OF CITIZENS


ALIENS OVER 21 WHO PERFORMED
       MILITARY SERVICE
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ALIENS SERVING IN MILITARY TAKING
OATH CAMP UPTON, NEW YORK 1918
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NATURALIZATION PROCESS

  DECLARATION OF INTENTION

 PETITION FOR NATURALIZATION

     OATH OF ALLEGIANCE

CERTIFICATE OF NATURALIZATION
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FINAL OATH




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       TIPS FOR LOCATING RECORDS

DEVELOP A TIME & PLACE SEQUENCE FOR THE
             IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR


  1900 through 1930 census schedules have identified
citizenship status: a - alien; pa - had applied but did not
           complete process; na – naturalized



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  TIPS FOR LOCATING RECORDS
DETERMINE WHICH NATURALIZATION
      LAWS WERE IN EFFECT

  Before 1906 an alien could be naturalized in any
    court. It is best to begin your search in the
          county where the alien resided.

  Some courts store records off site. A telephone
  call, letter, e-mail, or check of the World Wide
 Web site of a court or an archives before a visit is
                          wise.
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HOME AND FAMILY SOURCES

       FAMILY PAPERS
        SCRAPBOOKS
       PHOTO ALBUMS
       FAMILY BIBLES

  BOXES IN ATTIC/BASEMENT
        RELATIVES           26
   EVIDENCE OF COMPLETED
CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS CAN
         BE FOUND IN:
         CENSUSES
      COURT RECORDS
     MILITARY RECORDS
         PASSPORTS
     VOTING REGISTERS
    HOMESTEAD RECORDS
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    THE FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY
 Naturalization records are listed in locality search
of the Family History Library Catalog under one of
the following:
   STATE - NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP
     STATE, COUNTY - NATURALIZATION AND
                CITIZENSHIP
  STATE, COUNTY, TOWN - NATURALIZATION AND
                 CITIZENSHIP
 The library has records from the National Archives
    Branches in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles,
               New York and Seattle.
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LOCATING RECORDS ON THE INTERNET
 1. National Archives and Records Administration
                (www.nara.gov)
 2. State Archives and Records Adminstration
    Each state has a web site to connect you to the
    State archives, library or historical society.
    New York’s State Archives has an excellent
    “Guide to Naturalization Records” and Indiana
    State Archives maintains a direct link to all state
    archival agencies.
3. Ancestry.com has a wonderful collection of
Immigration records. www.ancestry.com
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         GOOD REFERENCE BOOKS
Guide to Naturalization Records in the United States
  Christina K. Schaefer, Baltimore: Genealogical
   Publishing, 1997 (FHL Ref. Book 973 P4s)
    American Naturalization Records 1790-1990
      What They Are and How to Use Them
      John J. Newman, Heritage Quest, 1998
  They Became Americans, Loretto Dennis Szucs
             Ancestry Incorporated, 1998
   Locating Your Immigrant Ancestor, 2nd edition,
  James & Lila Lee Neagles, Everton Publishers, 1986
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The End




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