New Hampshire Naturalization and Citizenship

United States U.S. Naturalizations  New Hampshire  Naturalizations

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, 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 applied, 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.

Availability
Even if an immigrant ancestor did not become a citizen, he or she may have filed a declaration, or first papers. These declaration records still exist and contain some genealogical information. An index to New England naturalization records is:


 * United States. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791–1906. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1299. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1983. (Family History Library films 1429671–787.) Those pertaining to New Hampshire begin with film 1429717. These index cards are organized by state and then by petitioner, arranged according to the Soundex system. The index gives the name and location of the court that granted the naturalization, date of naturalization, and volume and page number of the naturalization record.

Some early New Hampshire naturalization records as well as civil court cases can be found in the Colonial Court Records, 1638–1772. This includes an alphabetical card index.

Other New Hampshire naturalization records can be found in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

NEW HAMPSHIRE- NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP

NEW HAMPSHIRE, [COUNTY]- NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Post 1906 Records
For naturalization records after September 1906, use the Genealogy Program at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS), or the National Archives Northeast Region (Boston).