California County Naturalizations - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of naturalization records for the years 1831 to 1985 from the following counties (coverage dates vary by county). This collection is being published as images and records from more counties become available.


 * Alameda
 * Amador
 * Alpine
 * Butte
 * Calaveras
 * Clousa
 * El Dorado
 * Fresno
 * Glenn
 * Lake


 * Lassen
 * Los Angeles
 * Mendocino
 * Napa
 * Nevada
 * Orange
 * Placer
 * Sacramento
 * San Francisco
 * Sonoma


 * Santa Clara
 * Stanislaus
 * Santa Barbara
 * San Benito
 * San Diego
 * Solano
 * Sutter
 * Yolo
 * Yuba

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

Naturalization petitions
 * 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

The Declaration of Intent
 * Name of the immigrant
 * Country of birth
 * Arrival date
 * Date of Declaration of Intent or Naturalization
 * Names of witnesses
 * Signature of judge or court official
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Age
 * Race
 * Last foreign residence
 * Current residence
 * Arrival place
 * Marital status
 * Name of spouse
 * Maiden name of wife
 * Birth date of spouse
 * Residence of spouse

Coverage Table
The following records were in the indexed portion of this collection as of 8 August 2018.

Coverage Map
For a map showing FamilySearch's holdings of California county naturalization records see County naturalization holdings, California.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The full name of your ancestor
 * The approximate immigration and naturalization dates

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.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the County
 * 2) Select the Record Type, Year Range and Volume Number or Letter to view the images.

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?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information that was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly.

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

 * Use the information found in the record to find the ship manifest
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records
 * If applicable, search for military records as well
 * Search for other vital records, such as marriage and death
 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived. Then look for the naturalization petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts, 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

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
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of California.
 * California Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1905 | 1905-Present

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:"California County Naturalizations, 1831-1985." Database with images. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : 12 February 2019. Alameda County Superior Court of California, Oakland.