Hawaii Naturalization Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains records from the Department of the Interior of naturalizations and Oaths of allegiance, from 1838 to 1894; records of the Hawaii Supreme Court from 1894-1897, 1900, 1904 located at the the State Archives of Hawaii (Iolani Palace Grounds) in Honolulu. It also includes overseas military petitions index from the U.S. District Court of Hawaii located at the National Archives Pacific in San Bruno, California and 日本人家族登録カード, 1897-1955.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the individual
 * The approximate date of naturalization
 * The age of the person

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
Use naturalization records to: 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
 * Add any new information to your records
 * Learn an immigrant’s place of origin
 * Confirm their date of arrival
 * Find records in his or her country of origin
 * 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
 * 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 naturalization records
 * 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

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Hawaii.
 * Beginning Research in United States Naturalization Records
 * Hawaii Guided Research
 * Hawaii Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Newman, John J. American Naturalization Records;1790-1990: what they are and how to use them. Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest, 1998. FS Library 973 P47na
 * Szucs, Loretto Dennis They became Americans: finding naturalization records and ethnic origins Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, c1998 FS Library 973 P47t
 * Hawaii. Supreme Court. Naturalization records, 1894-1897, 1900, 1904.
 * Hawaii. Department of the interior. Naturalization records, 1838-1894 ; indexes, 1840-1892.
 * Hawaii. Department of the Interior. Letters of denization [palapala noho, 1846-1899, 1904]
 * Hawaii. Department of the Interior. List of British subjects who have received special rights of citizenship [ca. 1892-1899
 * Hawaii. Department of the Interior. Certificates of identification, 1895-1899
 * United States. District Court. Overseas military naturalization petitions index (Hawaii)
 * Index to naturalizations petitions in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, 1900-1976: M2074
 * 日本人家族登録カード, 1897-1955

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.