Ohio Naturalization and Citizenship

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Availability of Records
Naturalization records have been filed in the U.S. District and Circuit Courts and in the local courts in Ohio counties, especially in the courts of common pleas and the probate courts (after 1851). No centralized files exist before 1906.

Various types of records were created by the courts, including declarations, petitions, alien dockets, and military petitions for naturalization. Each record in the naturalization process may give different details about the person's travels, such as the date and port of arrival or the name of the ship. Not all counties recorded the same information.

Statewide List
For a statewide list of Ohio naturalization records, see:


 * Guide to Naturalization Records in the United States.

For each county, this book describes the court; the years the records exist; where the originals are housed; and the Family History Library film numbers, if they have been microfilmed. This book was published in 1997, so the Family History Library has acquired additional records since then. Always search the Family History Library Catalog for naturalization information in the county. The introduction discusses the naturalization process, the types of records created, and the usual genealogical content of each record.

An index to the records for the court at Cincinnati is:


 * Naturalization Index, 1852-1991 There are three indexes in this set: 1852 to 1892; 1906 to 1986; and 1917 to 1991. The original records are at the U.S. District Court, Cincinnati.

U.S. District Court Records
The Family History Library also has the U.S. District Court records which have been microfilmed for the Ohio Southern District Courts held at Dayton and Columbus. Mostly for the period 1916 to 1931, the records include petitions, declarations of intention, and military petitions for naturalization. They are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under OHIO - NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP.

The National Archives—Great Lakes Region has many naturalization records that have not been microfilmed. These include:


 * U.S. District Court, Ohio Northern District, Eastern Division, Cleveland. Naturalizations, 1855-1943.
 * U.S. District Court, Ohio Southern District, Eastern Division, Columbus. Naturalizations, 1916-51.
 * U.S. District Court, Ohio Southern District, Western Division, Dayton. Naturalizations, 1906-30.

Available on microfilm, but not at the Family History Library, is:


 * U.S. Circuit Court, Ohio Southern District, Western Division. Naturalization Records, 1852-1905.

Post 1906 Records

 * Post 1906 - For naturalization records after September 1906, contact the National Archives—Great Lakes Region.
 * After 1917, records may also be found at the U.S. District Courts in Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland or use the Genealogy Program at www.uscis.gov.

The Ohio Historical Society in Columbus includes a listing of their holdings of naturalization records on their Internet site, which is mentioned in Ohio Archives and Libraries.

Family History Library
The Family History Library has microfilms of naturalization applications from most counties, generally covering the years 1850 to about 1906 or later. These are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under OHIO, [COUNTY] - NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP. Records of larger cities may also be found under OHIO, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP.

Websites

 * From Naturalization Card File in Mansfield Probate Court
 * Immigration at Ancestry
 * Naturalization Records at Footnote
 * Indexes to Seamen's Protection Certificate Applications and Proofs of Citizenship at Ancestry
 * Naturalization Index - WWI Soldiers at Footnote
 * Ohio Naturalization
 * Ohio Naturalization Record Helps
 * Passport Applications, 1795-1905 at Footnote
 * U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 At Ancestry