Utah, Uintah County Naturalization and Citizenship Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images to naturalization records located in the county courthouse in Vernal for the years 1888 to 1929. The records include declarations of intent, certificates of naturalization, orders of admission and petitions. Naturalization is the process of granting citizenship privileges and responsibilities to foreign-born residents. Counties recorded naturalization procedures in the court records as legal proof of citizenship. 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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records may include any of the following information:
 * Name and age of petitioner
 * Current residence
 * Date and number of petition
 * Date and place of birth
 * Race, and last foreign residence
 * Date of arrival and port of entry
 * Marital status and name of spouse if married
 * Maiden name of wife
 * Date and place of birth of spouse
 * Date of Declaration of Intent or Naturalization
 * Volume and page number of petition
 * Names of two witnesses
 * Signature of judge or court official

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:


 * Name of the person
 * The name of a parent or date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
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How Do I Analyze the Results?
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I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

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 * Use a probate record to approximate a death date, then find a death certificate
 * For earlier years, use the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records
 * Use the information found in the record to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism and marriage records
 * Use the information found in the record to find immigration and land records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

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

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
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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.


 * Collection Citation:

"Utah, Uintah County Naturalization and Citizenship Records, 1888-1929", Images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org : 31 October 2015.

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