New Hampshire, County Naturalization Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains naturalization records for the years 1771 to 2001 from the following counties:


 * Belknap
 * Carroll
 * Cheshire
 * Coos
 * Grafton


 * Hillsborough
 * Merrimack
 * Rockingham
 * Strafford
 * Sullivan

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


 * Name of petitioner
 * Name of court
 * Date of emigration
 * Occupation and place of residence
 * Date and place of birth


 * Date of Declaration of Intent
 * Date of marriage
 * Spouse's full name (sometimes, wife's maiden name)
 * Spouse's date and place of birth
 * Children's names and birth places


 * Name of Judge
 * Names of witnesses

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

If you do not know this information, check the 1900 or 1910 census, 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.

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?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

Keep in mind:
 * 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 immigrant 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 Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
You can 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

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * Consult the New Hampshire Record Finder to find other records*Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of New Hampshire.
 * Beginning Research in United States Naturalization Records
 * New Hampshire Guided Research
 * New Hampshire Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

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.