WARBRIDES-L Archives

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Subject: [WarBrides] Immigration/citizenship
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 21:42:50 EDT

Hello All,

The death of the Queen Mother has had me thinking about my late grandmother's
love for her home (I'm not sure she ever really viewed the U.S. has her
"home". I know that she married my grandfather in 1944 and that she finally
came to the US early in 1946 aboard the USAT President Tyler. She did not,
however, become a US citizen until 1962 (I have the postmarked envelope in
which the congratulatory letter came from then Gov. Rockefeller ).

My question is this -- did the US require a renunciation of British
citizenship at the time? Or do warbrides actually have dual citizenship? I
was also wondering about the children (like my own father) who was born in
England, to an American GI and a British citizen. My father claims that by
voting in his first election in the early 1970's he voided his British
citizenship - but I've read nothing that can substantiate that. The eventual
question is then what does that mean to the grand-children of these women?

I was also wondering if the brides had to pass through Ellis Island prior to
going on to their final destinations. This was way passed Ellis Island's
heyday, but I remember reading that some of the brides did, in fact, stay
there. My father was too young to remember, and my Uncle who was 12 at them
time, only remember the Statue of Liberty.

Any help that you all could offer would be wonderful.

Thanks!
Leslie

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