New York, County Naturalization Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images of naturalization records from county courthouses in New York for the years 1791 to 1980. The records may include declarations of intent, petitions, indexes, and final papers. The content and time period varies by county.

Naturalization is the process of granting citizenship privileges and responsibilities to foreign-born residents. 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.

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


 * Full name of petitioner
 * Date and place of declaration
 * Age, occupation and residence of petitioner
 * Date and place of emigration
 * Date of arrival and port of entry


 * Physical description
 * Date and Place of Birth
 * Date of marriage
 * Maiden name of spouse
 * Spouse's date and place of birth
 * Names of children and their birth place


 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of judge

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
 * The ancestor’s residence

If you do not know this information, check the 1900 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. If your ancestor naturalized before 1900, check the census records to see when he or she first appeared in the census. This will give you a 10 year window in which they may have immigrated.

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
 * 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, 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?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * Look for an index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the records of nearby counties

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

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * New York State Council of Genealogical Organizations. Naturalization records of New York State : a New York State Council of Genealogical Organizations publication. Hilton, New York : The Leaded Pane, 1996
 * Manhattan Borough, Record of naturalized voters registered, 1872-1878
 * Orleans County, Card file of aliens admitted as citizens, ca. 1920-1959

Related FamiySearch Historical Record Collections

 * New York Naturalization Index (Soundex), 1792-1906
 * New York, Eastern District Naturalization Petitions, Index, 1865-1957
 * New York, Southern District Index to Petitions for Naturalization, 1824-1941
 * New York, Southern District Naturalization Index, 1917-1950
 * New York, Southern District, U.S District Court Naturalization Records, 1824-1946
 * New York, Western District, Naturalization Index, 1907-1966

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.