New York, Naturalization Indexes - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
These indexes are for records that cover the years from 1824 to about 1957.

Record Description
These collections are card indexes to naturalization records in the circuit and district courts of New York. The cards are arranged alphabetically by surname.

The actual naturalization volumes vary in size and format. Prior to the late 1800s each document was usually handwritten on one page. From the late 1800s and on, printed forms were used. After 1906 many entries were typewritten.

While there were various types of naturalization records, the Declaration of Intent and Naturalization Petition usually had the most complete genealogical information.

Record Content
The index cards include the following:


 * Petition number
 * Date of petition
 * Volume and page number of the petition

Some of the index cards also show:


 * Declaration number
 * Date of declaration
 * Volume and page number of the declaration
 * Certification number
 * Date of issuance

Declaration of Intent and Naturalization Petitions usually included the following:


 * Name of the immigrant
 * Country of birth
 * Arrival date
 * Date of Declaration of Intent or Naturalization
 * Names of witnesses
 * Signature of judge or court official

In post-1906 records, you may also find:


 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Age
 * Race
 * Last foreign residence
 * Current residence
 * Arrival place
 * Marital status
 * Name of spouse
 * Maiden name of wife
 * Birth date of spouse
 * Residence of spouse

How to Use the Record
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the card index. Name indexes make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Check the index for the surname and then the given name. You may need to look at many cards to find the one you are seeking. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:


 * The full name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate immigration and naturalization dates.
 * The ancestor’s residence.

If you do not know this information, check the 1900 census and then calculate the possible year of naturalization based on the date of immigration. The 1920 census may tell you the exact year of immigration or naturalization.

The Eastern District had jurisdiction over Kings (Brooklyn), Nassau, Queens, and Richmond (Staten Island), Suffolk counties. The Southern District covered Bronx, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, New York (Manhattan), Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Westchester, and Ulster counties. The Western District covered Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as name of court, page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:

Use naturalization records to:


 * Learn an immigrant’s place of origin
 * Confirm their date of arrival
 * Learn foreign and “Americanized” names
 * Find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests.

You may also find these tips helpful:


 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived, and then look for the Naturalization Petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts and then in state, county, or city courts.
 * An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process.
 * If your ancestor had a common name, be sure to look at all the entries for a name before you decide which is correct.
 * Continue to search the naturalization records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who may have naturalized in the same area or nearby.
 * The witnesses named on naturalization records may have been older relatives of the person in the naturalization process. Search for their naturalizations.
 * You may want to obtain the naturalization records of every person who shares your ancestor’s surname if they lived in the same county or nearby. You may not know how or if they are related, but the information could lead you to more information about your own ancestors.

If you do not find the name you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings. Realize that the indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings and misinterpretations.
 * Try a different index if there is one for the years needed. You may also need to search the naturalization records year by year.
 * Search the indexes of nearby counties.

Record History
The first naturalization act was passed in 1802. Immigrants to the United States were not required to apply for citizenship. Of those who did apply, many did not complete the requirements for citizenship.

Naturalization to become a U.S. citizen was a two-part process: the Declaration of Intent to Naturalize, or First Papers, and the Naturalization Record (including the Naturalization Petition), or Final Papers. The First Papers were normally filed five years before the Final Papers because of the five-year residency requirement to become a citizen.

No centralized files existed before 1906. In 1906 federal forms replaced the various formats that had been used by the various courts. Copies were sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), creating a central file for naturalization papers. The INS is now known as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Naturalization records are generally well preserved, but some records may have been lost to fire or other disasters.

Why the Record Was Created
Naturalization is the process of granting citizenship privileges and responsibilities to foreign-born residents. New York’s counties recorded naturalization procedures in the court records as legal proof of citizenship. The courts handling naturalizations changed several times so the card index was created as a way to quickly access specific records.

Record Reliability
The index is very accurate and the information that was current at the time of naturalization was usually reliable. However, there was always a chance for misinformation. Errors may have occurred because of the informant’s lack of knowledge or because of transcription errors or other circumstances.

Related Web Sites
National Archives at New York City

Eastern District

 * Petitions for Naturalization of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1865-1937 at Fold3.com ($).


 * Eastern District of New York Index to Naturalization Petitions 1865-1906 at Fold3.com ($).


 * Eastern District of New York Index to Naturalization Petitions 1906-1925 at Fold3.com ($).


 * Eastern District of New York Index to Naturalization Petitions 1925-1957 at Fold3.com ($).


 * The Eastern District Court of New York Naturalization Project, 1865-1956 at Italian Genealogical Group - free.

Southern District

 * Petitions for Naturalization of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1897-1944 at Fold3.com ($).


 * Southern District Court of New York Naturalization Records Index 1907-1959 at Italian Genealogical Group - free.


 * Index to Declarations of Intention of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1915-1950 at Fold3.com ($).


 * Index to Petitions of Naturalization of the US District Court, Southern District of New York, 1824-1941 at Fold3.com ($).

Western District

 * Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalizations of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, 1907-1966 at Fold3.com ($).


 * Western District Federal Court Naturalization, 1903-1991 at Italian Genealogical Group - free.

Related Wiki Articles
New York Naturalization and Citizenship

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Digital images of originals housed at various municipal archives throughout New York.

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Examples of Source Citations for a Record Found in This Collection
"New York, Southern District Naturalization Index, 1917-1950." database and digital images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org]): accessed 18 April 2012; Henry Dalton,1945,citing Naturalization index, NARA publication M1675 roll number 44; United States Archives and Records Center.

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