Kentucky Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Resources

 * Kentucky, Naturalization Records, 1906-1991 at Ancestry ($)

History
Naturalization is the process of granting citizenship privileges and responsibilities to foreign-born residents. Naturalization papers are an important source of information about an immigrant’s place of origin and his or her foreign and Americanized names, residence, and date of arrival.

Immigrants to the United States have never been required to apply for citizenship. Of those who did apply, many did not complete the requirements for citizenship. Evidence that an immigrant completed citizenship requirements can be found in censuses, court minutes, homestead records, passports, voting registers, and military papers.

Various types of records were created during the naturalization process, including declarations of intention, petitions, and oaths of allegiance. Each record can give different details about the person, such as age, country of birth, ethnic background, date and port of arrival, ship name, previous residences, or current address. Even if an immigrant ancestor did not complete the process and become a citizen, he or she may have filed an application. These application records still exist and can be very helpful.

Availability
Nineteenth-century Kentucky naturalizations are usually found in circuit or county court order books. If an ancestor lived in or near large cities or near a city where the United States courts convened, naturalization records may be found in the United States District Court.

For the rural areas of Kentucky, naturalizations are more likely recorded by the circuit court clerk in each county. They may be found in the circuit court order books, where they may be mixed in with other court proceedings. A few counties kept separate records for naturalizations.

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of the records of some Kentucky counties including Jefferson, Laurel, Pendleton, Union, and Whitley counties. Naturalization records can be found using the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP

National Archives, Regional Branches
Copies of Federal District Court naturalization records have been transferred to National Archives (NARA) regional branches. The NARA branch that covers Kentucky is the Regional Branch in Atlanta, Georgia. The regional branch often charges less money for naturalization records than the USCIS.

Records available at the NARA regional branch in Atlanta are:


 * 1790-1958 Naturalization Records of U.S. District Courts in the Southeast, NARA M1547

Post-1906 Records
Records for earlier years usually contain less information than those after 1906, when the forms were standardized and the Immigration and Naturalization Service was created. This agency kept a duplicate copy of the records created by the court. Details such as birth date and place, physical description, and marital status may be given in these post-1906 records.

If your ancestor naturalized after 1906, a copy of the naturalization records was sent to the USCIS (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service). The USCIS has instituted the Genealogy Program for public access to all records from 1906 to 1956 created by this agency. Review the Genealogy Frequently Asked Questions website to expedite your order and ensure success for your request.

When ordering by mail, use forms G-1041 (for an index search) and G-1041A (for obtaining the record). You must submit an index search to obtain a record unless you have a valid file number. Once the form is filled out, include a money order or cashier's check. Cash or a personal check will not be accepted. There are no refunds for incorrect file numbers submitted or for negative results. The mailing address is:


 * USCIS Genealogy Program P.O. Box 805925 Chicago, Illinois 60680-4120

The fee schedule is:


 * Index Search--$20 (form G-1041) Microfilm copies--$20 (form G-1041A) Paper copies--$35 (form G-1041A)

Form G-639, the FOIA form is used to obtain naturalization records created after 1956.

Colonial Era
In the colonial era, residents of Kentucky declared their allegiance to the Commonwealth of Virginia by appearing before any court of record. A 1790 federal law allowed immigrants to follow a similar procedure at any United States circuit or district court, state supreme court, or other local court of record.

Guidebook
For a comprehensive list of Kentucky naturalization records, see:


 * Schaefer, Christina K. Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1997. Pages 143 to 146 cover Kentucky. The introduction discusses the naturalization process, the types of records created, and the usual genealogical content of each record. For each county this book lists the courts where naturalizations took place, the years the records cover, where the original records are housed, and the Family History Library’s first film numbers, where applicable. Note that this book was published in 1997, and the Family History Library has acquired additional county records. Always check the FamilySearch Catalog to determine if records are available at the Family History Library.