Wisconsin, Milwaukee Naturalization Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection consists of an index of naturalizations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1848-1990 and corresponds with NARA publication ARC #6948573.

For a list of records currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
The index cards include the following information:


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

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the name and some other identifying information such as the approximate date of naturalization or probable place of naturalization.

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

To search the collection image by image: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page. ⇒Select the appropriate "Name Range" which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Using the Information
Remember this collection is an index. Be aware that its may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings and misinterpretations.

Use the information in this index to located your ancestor's actual naturalization records. You can then 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

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * 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.

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.

Related Websites

 * National Archives and Records Administration - Naturalization Records
 * Wisconsin Historical Society
 * Wisconsin Immigration

Related Wiki Articles
Wisconsin Naturalization and Citizenship

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Wisconsin, Milwaukee Naturalization Index, 1848-1990

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org. It may include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.