California Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Resources

 * 1824-1997 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1831-1985 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1843-1999 California, Federal Naturalization Records, 1843-1999 at Ancestry ($) Index and images
 * 1850-1986 California, State Court Naturalization Records, 1850-1986 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1851-1928 U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, 1851-1928 at Ancestry; Index and images ($)
 * 1852-1932 Shasta county, California, Naturalization Records: 1852 - 1932 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1852-1989 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1868-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1868-1958 Naturalization Index Cards from the Superior Court of San Diego, CA, 1868-1958 at Fold3 ($)
 * 1876-1915 Naturalizations - Naturalization Records of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, CA, 1876-1915 at Fold3 ($)
 * 1876-1940 U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for California, 1876-1940 at Ancestry; Index and images ($)
 * 1876-1940 U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project) for California, 1876-1940 - District and Superior Courts] at Ancestry - index and images,($)
 * 1883-1958 Naturalization Records in the Superior Court of San Diego, CA, 1883-1958 at Fold3 ($)
 * 1887-1940 Naturalization Petitions for the Southern District Of California, 1887-1940 at Fold3 ($)
 * 1906-1946 San Francisco, California, Surrendered Alien Certificates, 1906-1946 ($).
 * 1915-1976
 * 1944-2003 U.S., Index to Alien Case Files, 1944-2003 at Ancestry — index ($)

History
Naturalization proceedings were under the jurisdiction of the district court (a state court not a federal court) from 1850 until 1880. The county court was also given this responsibility from 1862 to 1880. The county clerk was the clerk of both these courts and kept the records. An 1872 state statute required the clerk to keep two alphabetical sets of records, one for declarations and one for admission to citizenship.

In 1880 the district and county courts were discontinued and the superior court took over all their functions, including naturalization. The county clerk was also the clerk of this court.

Post-1906 Records
In 1906 the Immigration and Naturalization Service was created, forms were standardized and court records were duplicated and sent to the INS. These records can be accessed by downloading a FOIA (Freedome of Information Act) form from www.uscis.gov. Post-1906 records are also available at the National Archives at San Francisco for northern and central California, and the National Archives at Riverside for southern California.

Availability
Northern US District Court Naturalization Index (1852-1989) is now online. More information at [California, Northern U.S. District Court Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)]

Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index(1915-1976) is also online. More information at [California, Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)]

California, San Diego Naturalization Index, 1868-1958. More info at California, San Diego Naturalization Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of naturalization records for many California counties. Search individual counties in the FamilySearch Catalog to determine the library holdings. Declarations of intention (1870-1931) for Alameda County, for example, are available at the FamilySearch Library.

Naturalization records could also be filed in U.S. district courts after 1850. In counties where a federal district court sits, the federal court, not the superior court, has jurisdiction over naturalization. The FamilySearch Library has:


 * Declarations of intention from the U.S. Northern District Court for the years 1846 to 1903(FS Library films 977767-70). The originals are located at the National Archives—Pacific Region (San Bruno).
 * Declarations of intentions from the U.S. Southern District Court for the years 1927 to 1948 (FS Library films 1249797-840). The originals and more recent records are at the National Archives—Pacific Region (Riverside County).
 * Records of the U.S. Eastern District Court are at theNational Archives—Pacific Region (San Bruno).U.S. Central District Court records and San Diego Superior Court records are at the National Archives—Pacific Region (Riverside County).

Voting Records with Naturalization Information
The FamilySearch Library also has an extensive collection of voting records that name the court where an individual applied for naturalization and the date (see California "Voting Registers" section).

Websites
http://www.germanroots.com/naturalization.html

http://rootsweb.com/~cascgs/nat2.htm

Wiki articles describing these collections are found at:


 * California, Northern U.S. District Court Naturalization Index - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * California, San Diego Naturalization Index - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * California,San Francisco County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * California, Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

References

California Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2003.


 * NOTE: All of the information from the original research outline has been imported into this Wiki site and is being updated as time permits.