Virginia Naturalization Petitions - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
Images of declarations and petitions filed in U.S. District and Circuit Courts in Virginia and corresponding to four record series at the National Archives. U.S. Circuit Court:
 * Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Abingdon), 1914-1929 (NARA M1645) NAID 2279475
 * Applications for Admission to Citizenship, 1923-1927
 * Petitions, 1-148, 1913-1929
 * Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Charlottesville), 1910-1929 (NARA M1646) NAID 4672277
 * Declarations of Intentions, no. 1-109, 1908-1927.
 * Petitions, 1-89
 * Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District and Circuit Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia (Richmond), 1906-1929 (NARA M1647) NAID 1168978
 * U.S. District Court:
 * Declarations, no. 1- 2400, 1911-1918
 * Military Petitions, 1M-1361M
 * Petitions, 1-1404
 * Declarations,1867-1911
 * Petitions, 1-97
 * Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria), 1909-1920 (NARA M1648) NAID 874102
 * Military Petitions, 1-1592 NAID 874103
 * Petitions, 1-354

While there were various types of naturalization records, the Declaration of Intent and Naturalization Petition usually had the most complete genealogical information.

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.

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.

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

Petition
 * Name of the petitioner
 * Residence
 * Country of birth
 * Place and date of arrival
 * Names of two witnesses
 * Petition number
 * Date of petition
 * Volume and page number of the petition

Declaration of Intent and Naturalization Petitions
 * Date of Declaration of Intent of Naturalization
 * Name and age of immigrant
 * Occupation
 * Marital status
 * Name of spouse, including maiden name of wife
 * Physical description
 * Date and place of birth
 * Spouse's date and place of birth
 * Current residence
 * Last foreign residence
 * Name of place and country from which emigrated
 * Date of embarkation and port of departure
 * Date of arrival and port of entry
 * Names of witnesses
 * Signature of judge or court official

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following: If you do not know this information, check the 1900 or 1910 census and then calculate the possible year of naturalization based on the date of immigration. The 1920 census may tell you the exact year of immigration or naturalization.
 * The full name of your ancestor
 * The approximate immigration and naturalization dates
 * The ancestor’s residence

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?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use 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
 * 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

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated 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 localities

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

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

FamilySearch Catalog
Western District
 * 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
 * Magazine of Virginia genealogy Richmond, Virginia : Virginia Genealogical Society, 1983- FS Library 975.5 B2vs
 * Declarations of intention, 1908-1927. Western District of Virginia
 * Naturalization petitions of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Abingdon), 1914-1929:M1645
 * Naturalization petitions of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Charlottesville), 1910-1929: M1646

Eastern District
 * Naturalization petitions and declarations, 1867-1912. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
 * Naturalization petitions of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Richmond), 1906-1929: M1647
 * Naturalization petitions of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria), 1909-1920: M1648

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.