Pennsylvania, Wayne County, Court of Common Pleas, Naturalization Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains naturalization records from the Court of Common Pleas in Wayne County, Pennsylvania for years 1799-1906. This collection contains an index to naturalizations, naturalizations, declarations, naturalizations-minors, and naturalizations-adults. Microfilm of original records at the Wayne County Court House, Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Some petitions include declarations. Some documents are missing.

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


 * Name
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Spouse's name
 * Children's names
 * Birth date and place of spouse
 * Birth dates and places of children


 * Port of arrival
 * Date of arrival
 * Vessel of arrival
 * Occupation
 * Physical Description
 * Marriage date


 * Age
 * Residence
 * Last foreign address
 * Marital status

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * At least one other piece of information

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.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members. Witnesses were usually family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Pennsylvania, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.
 * Search in the FamilySearch Library Catalog

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Pennsylvania.
 * Pennsylvania Guided Research
 * Pennsylvania Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Pennsylvania Research, 1880-Present

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Newman, John J. American Naturalization Records;1790-1990: what they are and how to use them. Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest, 1998. FS Library 973 P47na
 * Szucs, Loretto Dennis They became Americans: finding naturalization records and ethnic origins Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, c1998 FS Library 973 P47t
 * Walter B. Barbe and Kurt A. Reed editors, Ann O'Hara assistant editor, History of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, 1798-1998Honesdale, Pennsylvania : Wayne County Historical Society, c1998. FS Library 974.823 H2bw
 * Wayne County, Court of Common Pleas. Naturalizations, 1799-1906
 * Wayne County, Deeds, 1796-1866; index, 1795-1941
 * Wayne County, Mortgages, 1798-1834; Index, 1798-1941
 * Wayne County, Will books, 1798-1906; index, 1801-1925
 * Wayne County, Birth register, 1893-1906; delayed birth records, 1870-1906
 * Wayne County, Death register, 1893-1906
 * Wayne County, Marriage license dockets, 1885-1906

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Pennsylvania, Eastern District Naturalization Indexes, 1795-1952
 * Pennsylvania, Eastern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1795-1931

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Centennial and illustrated Wayne County : historical, biographical, industrial, picturesque, commercial, financial, agricultural. Honesdale, Pa. : B.F. Haines, 1900
 * Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania : including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and many of the early settled families. Chicago, Illinois : J.H. Beers & Co., 1900

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.