New York Naturalization and Citizenship

United States U.S. Naturalizations  New York  Naturalizations

One of the premiere guides to originalNew York naturalizations records is New York State Archives Information Leaflet #6, which is available online.

Colonial
Between 1664 and 1708 aliens occasionally sought British citizenship through the King of England or by a special act of Parliament. The Governor of New York or a deputy could also grant a letter of denization (similar to naturalization). Because the process was quite costly, most immigrants did not apply.

Oaths of allegiance were also taken in 1664, 1673, 1687, and 1776. Most colonial naturalizations kept during the colonial period followed a 1740 Act of Parliament. Colonial naturalization records rarely give such information as age or town of origin.

How to find the Records
Most existing colonial naturalization records are found in the session laws and in:


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd de Witt, Denizations and Naturalizations in the British Colonies in America, 1607-1775 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, c2005). At various libraries; . Indexes sessions laws and five other sources with colonial naturalizations and denizations. Some information is difficult to reference back to the original record.
 * Giuseppi, M. S. Naturalizations of Foreign Protestants in the American and West Indian Colonies (Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1979). Abstracted on Ancestry.com; At various libraries; . Contains 10 pages for New York and includes details on residence, occupation, religion and date of naturalization.
 * Scott, Kenneth and Kenn Stryker-Rodda,Denizations, Naturalizations, and Oaths of Allegiance in Colonial New York (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1975). On Ancestry.com ($); At various libraries;

1790 - 1906
After 1790, aliens could declare their intention to become citizens and later be naturalized in any court of record. Most naturalizations took place in the county courts of common pleas, but they were also recorded in city, mayors', district, and other courts. After 1906, naturalizations were usually handled by the county supreme courts and district courts.

The counties have naturalization records from 1790 to the present. They also have separate volumes of military petitions of soldiers naturalized following the Civil War and the first World War. You can obtain copies of the papers from the clerk of the appropriate court.

Naturalization documents include declarations of intention, petitions for naturalization, certificates of arrival, and certificates of naturalization (after 1906).

Alien Landowners In New York, aliens could not own land and pass it on to their heirs unless they declared their intention to be a citizen of the United States. This restriction also created other naturalization records.

Alien depositions of intent to become citizens from 1825 through 1913 Record Group A1870) are at the New York State Archives (Record Group A1869; Abstracted version: Record Group A1870). These were statements made by aliens who wanted to buy land. They showed the alien's intention to stay in the United States and become a citizen as soon as legally possible. Because the desire to buy land was impacted by this law, the alien was often motivated to formally declare his intention to become a citizen at the same time. Thus, an alien deposition can often be a clue as to where the declaration was filed.

Prior to 1825, aliens could be enabled to hold land by an act of the state legislature. The acts seldom gave details on the alien – just the name and the date of the act. These books and articles contain a description of the records and names of the aliens:


 * Scott, Kenneth, "Resident Aliens Enabled to Hold Land in New York State 1790-1825," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 67(March 1979): 42-57.
 * Scott, Kenneth and Roseanne Conway, New York Alien Residents, 1825-1848 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978). At various libraries; - Gives details from the depositions, including counties of residence, and can be used as an index to finding declarations in this time period.

Registration of Aliens From 1798 to 1828 an "Alien Report and Registry" was required of all aliens. Each alien was to gave details on when and where they arrived, and sometimes names of family members. The Alien report was a Federal requirement and the records do not always survive. In New York State some counties (notably St. Lawrence) maintained separate registers of Alien Reports, but in most cases if the report survived, it is included as a loose paper with the Declaration of Intention or in the court minutes.


 * Scott, Kenneth British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1979), pp. 58-241. On Ancestry.com; – New York residents make up 50% of this book. While the individuals who registered under a Federal law of 6 July 1812 were not yet citizens, the registration told where they lived, how long they had been in the United States, and other details. It can be used to tell an ancestor’s citizenship status and where he might have been naturalized. 

Post 1906
Alien Statements Alien statements were made by aliens subject to Selective Service in World War II. The four page questionnaire for New York and New York City is indexed on the Naturalization Records page of Italiangen.org.

Military Naturalizations Beginning in 1862, alien immigrants who enlisted in the armed forces of the United States could petition for naturalization without filing a declaration of intention. These military naturalizations are sometimes found as a separate record group at the county clerk’s office. The Italian Genealogical Group, German Genealogy Group, the Jewish Genealogical Society of Long Island and the Irish History Forum have created The NY Military Naturalization Project, which is an index to Naturalization Records processed in military camps in the greater New York area. These military naturalizations refer to soldiers from World Wars I and II and the Korean War.

The New York Southern District Court, Korean War Military Naturalization Index, 1950-1955 and New York Southern District, World War II Military Naturalization Index, 1941-1946 are also available on Ancestry.com

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has instituted the Genealogy Program for public access to all records from 1906 to 1956 created by this agency, formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Review the Genealogy Frequently Asked Questions website to expedite your order and ensure success for your request.

The following records can be requested online or by mail:


 * Certificate Files (C-files) from September 27, 1906 to April 1, 1956
 * Alien Registration Forms from August 1, 1940 to March 31, 1944
 * Visa files from July 1, 1924 to March 31, 1944
 * Registry Files from March 2, 1929 to March 31, 1944
 * Alien Files (A-files) numbered below 8 million (A8000000) and documents therein dated prior to May 1, 1951

When ordering by mail, use forms G-1041 (for an index search) and G-1041A (for obtaining the record). Do not submit a request for records (G-1041A) until you have completed an index search (G-1041) 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.

The Family History Library has microfilmed naturalizations for nearly all New York counties from the 1790s to 1906. The records for some counties were filmed to the 1930s. These are usually listed in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under:

NEW YORK, [COUNTY] - NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Two important indexes to New York City naturalizations (mostly petitions) are:

Soundex Index

 * Works Projects Administration (W.P.A.) Index(Soundex) to Naturalization Records, 1792–1906:


 * U.S. District Court, Southern District (1824–1906)
 * U.S. Circuit Court, Southern District (1846–76)
 * U.S. District Court, Eastern District (1865–1906)
 * New York County Court of Common Pleas (1792–1895)
 * New York County Superior Court (1828–95)
 * New York County Supreme Court (1868–1906)
 * New York City Marine Court (1806–49)
 * Kings County Court (1856–1906)
 * Brooklyn City Court (1836–94)
 * Queens County Court (1799–1906)
 * Queens County Surrogate's Court (1888–1898)
 * Richmond County Court (1869–1906) (on 294 FHL films)

County Index

 * New York County Index to Naturalization Records, 1792–1906:


 * Court of Common Pleas (1792–1895)
 * Supreme Court (1795–1844, 1868–1906)
 * Superior Court (1828–95) (FHL 82 films).

Note: the W.P.A. Soundex above has the same records as this one except this collection has additional records of the Supreme Court, 1795–1844.


 * Kenneth Scott, Early New York Naturalizations: Abstracts of Naturalization Records from Federal, State and Local Courts, 1792–1840. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1981. (FHL book 974.7 P4s; fiche 6088272.) The record includes abstracts of naturalizations from the:


 * New York City Court of Common Pleas (1792–1840)
 * District Court for the Southern district (1824–1840)
 * New York County Superior Court (1828–1840)
 * Marine Court of New York City (1807–40)
 * Some Queens, Richmond, and Brooklyn county court records.

May show foreign birthplace, age, or residence in New York.

Naturalizations:
Eastern District: 1865-1957 (Consisting of Kings, Richmond, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties) Southern District: 1824-1959 (Consisting of Manhattan, Bronx, and Westchester Counties) Nassau County Supreme Court: 1899-1989 Suffolk County Supreme Court: 1865-1981 Bronx Borough Supreme Court:1914-1952 Queens Borough Supreme Court: 1906-1957 Clinton County:1865-1906 Essex County:1836-1906 Northern County Richmond Naturalization Trenton Naturalization Index NY United States Circuit Court for the Southern District Court Alien Statements Western District Military Naturalizations

National Archives Northeast Region (Boston)
In addition to the previously described W.P.A. index, the National Archives Northeast Region (Boston) has:


 * U.S. Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York petitions, 1906–1911 (not at FHL)
 * Petition index, 1846–1876, 1906–1911 (FHL film 1522858 items 2–3)
 * Declarations, 1845–1911 (FHL films 1468586–643 and 1477173–77). This court is now defunct.
 * U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York petitions - New York, Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan Counties:


 * 1824–1940 (to 1897 on FHL films)
 * Petition indexes, 1824–1941 (on 102 FHL films)
 * Declarations, 1924–1925
 * Declarations, 1842–1940 (not at FHL except 1924–1925)
 * Declaration indexes, 1917–1950 (on 113 FHL films).


 * U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York - Kings, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties:


 * Petitions, 1865–1957 (not at FHL)
 * Petition indexes, 1865–1957 (FHL 142 films)
 * Declarations, 1865–1929; and declaration indexes.

Copies of naturalization records from New York City state and local courts, 1792–1906 (microfilms of the originals records of some of these courts are at the Family History Library).

The National Archives Federal Records Center at the same address as the Northeast Region archives has:


 * U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York petitions, 1958–1985 and declarations, 1960–1979.

The National Archives—Northeast Region has:


 * U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York petitions, 1929–1940 and declarations, 1967–1976. (The declarations from 1941–1966 are missing.)

If you do not know if your ancestor was naturalized, search for important clues in federal censuses (1870–1920) and state censuses (1825–1925). The 1925 state census specifically asks for the date and place of naturalization. Voting registers often give similar information.


 * The National Archives—Northeast Region 201 Varick Street 12th Floor New York, NY 10014 (Entrance on Houston Street, between Varick and Hudson.) Telephone Toll-free: 1-866-840-1752 Telephone: 212-401-1620 Fax: 212-401-1638 E-mail: [mailto:newyork.archives@nara.gov newyork.archives@nara.gov] Internet: http://www.archives.gov/northeast/

Jurisdictions
The Eastern District had jurisdiction over Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, and Richmond (Staten Island) counties.

The Southern District had jurisdiction over Bronx, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, New York (Manhattan), Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties.

The Western District had jurisdiction over Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties.

Websites
The Italian Genealogical Group has created some great indexes to Naturalization Records. Their site includes the New York Military Naturalization Project for veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. They are always in looking for volunteers to aid them with this great work!

This site includes some New York State Naturalization Records and some Records by county. http://www.naturalizationrecords.com/usa/ny_onlinedb.shtml - Part of Olive Tree Genealogy.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:


 * New York, Naturalization Indexes (FamilySearch Historical Records)