Minnesota Naturalization Card Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of two naturalization card indexes from the United States District Court of Minnesota 3rd division and 4th division captured at the NARA facility in Chicago. This collection includes records from 1930 to 1988.


 * U.S.District Court Third Division(St. Paul) of the District of Minnesota, 1930-1988 NAID 6923862
 * U.S.District Court Fourth Division (Minneapolis) of the District of Minnesota, 1930-1988 NAID 6923863

General Tips about Naturalization Records

 * Immigrants could naturalize in any court that performed naturalizations. That included city, county, state and federal courts. Begin by looking for naturalization records in the courts of the county or city where the immigrant lived
 * Look first for the petition (second papers), because they are usually easier to find in courts near where the immigant eventually settled
 * After 1906, the declaration can be filed with the petition as the immigrant was required to submit a copy when he submitted the petition
 * Because immigrants were allowed to naturalize in any court, they often selected the most convenient court. If they worked somewhere other than their residence, they may have gone to a court closer to work to naturalize
 * 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

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

Naturalization
 * Name
 * Certificate number
 * Residence
 * Birth date
 * Admission date
 * Certificate date
 * Name of court
 * Place of court
 * Petition number
 * Alien registration number
 * Signature of immigrant

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of naturalization
 * The place where the naturalization occurred

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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s naturalization record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
Use those 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

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the names and for nicknames
 * 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 localities
 * Consult the Minnesota Record Finder to find other records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Minnesota.
 * Beginning Research in United States Naturalization Records
 * Minnesota Guided Research
 * Minnesota Record Finder
 * Minnesota Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Minnesota Research, 1880-Present

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
 * U.S. District Court. 3rd Division & 4th Division. Naturalization card index, 1930-1988.
 * Third Division. Naturalizations, 1875-1911; declarations of intention, 1875-1911
 * Fourth Division. Repatriation cases, v. 1, 1919-1927
 * Fourth Division. Naturalizations, 1897-1936
 * Fourth Division. Naturalizations, 1890-1911; declarations of intention, 1890-1911
 * Fourth Division. Declarations of intention, 1906-1962

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Minnesota Naturalization Records and Indexes, 1872-1962

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Directory of courts having jurisdiction in naturalization proceedings.U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1963
 * Inventory of federal archives in the states, series 02, Federal Courts, no. 22, Minnesota. The Survey, 1937-1941

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.