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Archiver > HUNGARY > 1997-12 > 0881151663


From: <>
Subject: Re: Re[2]: Where to look
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 07:21:03 -0500 (EST)


Naturalization Records

My potential clients often inquire about Naturalization records. The
following information presented here is taken from several National Archives
sources and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Old Records:

The first naturalization law was passed March 26, 1790.

Naturalization was an option, not a requirement. Prior to 1906 naturalization
records were seldom uniform from one court to another and from one era to
another. Furthermore these records were created by many different courts and
now may be housed in many different repositories.

While the rules for naturalization have changed, the basic format has
generally been a two step process of "intent" followed by a final "petition",
except for veterans of certain wars, who were allowed to do both at once.
Minors residing here for five years prior to their 23rd birthday could also
complete both steps at once between 1824 and 1906.

Naturalization records were not collected by one single entity. A person
could "declare intent" in one court and file "petition for citizenship" in a
different court. To add to the complexity various courts kept records of
differing detail. Some declarations of intent my contain some genealogical
data such as original country or place of birth. These records may not
contain details about family members.

The courts holding naturalization records could be at the county, state or
federal level. Children became citizens when their fathers did. Wives, until
1922, likewise became citizens when their husbands did. Further the names of
wife and children may not be listed on either application. In general if you
are not reasonably sure if, when and where a declaration might have been
made, a search is likely to be time consuming and difficult.

Modern Records:

Starting in 1906, copies of naturalization papers were collected by the
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). These records include both
immigration and naturalization records. They are more standardized than
records of previous eras and include the names of spouses and children,
whether they were citizens or not. INS immigration records date from 1897
onward.

You can request these files directly. The form needed is G639 and can be
requested from your local or regional Immigration and Naturalization Service
office or by calling 1-800-870-3676. Verbal information can be sought at
202-514-2607. The more information you have the more likely your ancestor
will be identified even if they were not naturalized. There is no cost for
the INS record search.

You will need to provide full name and address (or addresses) as a minimum.
Further, critical dates, social security number, birthday and place of birth
will help insure a creditable search. The address of the Washington, D.C. INS
office is:
Immigration and Naturalization Service..
425 I (eye) Street NW
Washington, DC 20536

Summary:

Records after 1906 for naturalization and 1897 for immigration are held by
the INS. You may request copies of these files via mail with form G639.

Early naturalization records (pre 1906) were maintained at various courts in
all states. The type of information in these early records is not standard.
These files are more difficult to locate because they may be part of records
held by numerous judicial entities. In some cases these records have been
moved to other repositories. Please visit the National Archives web page on
naturalization records for more detail about their holdings.
http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/natural.html

I wish you success in your search, take it one step at a time.

Ralph Komives

http://members.aol.com/RalphK/DocumentSearch.html
Document Searches in Washington, D.C. Area and Annapolis, MD.
Problem searches and Common Names a specialty.
Research at: DAR Library, National Archives, Library of Congress, MD State
Archives

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