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Date:         Fri, 16 Oct 1992 18:05:49 CDT
Reply-To:     Bill Green <green@plains.nodak.edu>
From:         Brad Green <green@PLAINS.NODAK.EDU>
Subject:      Naturalization records
Comments: To: Genealogy Discussion List <ROOTS-L@VM1.NoDak.Edu>

From a fact sheet put out by the State Historical Society of North Dakota:

"     Historically, laws governing immigration and naturalization were
sensitive to political and economic shifts.  Almost yearly, the naturalization
laws were amended.  The purpose of the changes was to control who was allowed
to enter the country and live here long enought to become citizens of the
United States.  Many of the changges were short-lived, but their effects are
reflected in the records.

     The first U.S. Naturalization Law was enacted by Congress in 1790.
Prior to 1906, decisions regarding citizenship applications and recording
requirements were left up to local judges.  There was no uniform outline
for keeping naturalization records.  Federal and state courts and a series
of Federal agencies shared jurisdiction over naturalization.

     Rules, methods and documents varied, and with increasing numbers of
immigrants entering the United States, it was imperative to have a standard
system of records.  As the naturalization laws were changed, the office
carrying the ultimate responsibility for the process also changed.  In 1882,
Congress passed the first Federal law regulating immigration; between
1882 and 1891, the Secretary of the Treasury had general supervision over
immigration.  In 1891, an office of "Superintendent of Immigration" was
created in the Treasury Department.  The title was changed to "Commissioner-
General of Immigration" in 1895.  Laws enacted in 1903 and 1904 transferred
control of naturalization to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, an
exchange which lasted nine years.  In 1913, the Bureau of Immigration and
Naturalization was transferred to the Department of Labor and split into the
Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Naturalization.  These agencies were
again consolidated by Executive Order in 1933 and the office renamed the
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).  In 1940, it was transferred to
the Department of Justice where it remains.  The documents generated in the
process were passed on with each change of authority.  Records after 1952 were
sent to INS district offices and are available there.

     The North Dakota naturalization records span nearly a century of
immigration history, so it is inevitable that earlier records are different
in appearance and content.  This difference along with the change in county
boundaries causes some difficulty in access.  Before 1906, naturalization forms
required only the name of the individual requesting citizenship, his country
of birth, and the date of the request.  After September 1906, the naturalization
forms were standardized, printed and distributed to all Clerks of Court.  From
that time naturalization records are uniform and contain birth dates of
family members and other information.

     The basic process of naturalization is recorded in two sets of
documents:  the Declaration of Intention and the Naturalization Record.
The Declaration of Intention records are often called the "First Papers" and
in these the person declared his/her intention to become a US citizen.  They
usually contain little more than the name of the person and location and date
of the declaration.  September 1906 saw a basic change and declaration
records began to require more detailed information including some family
history.

     The Naturalization Records are often called "Second Papers".  These
records grant citizenship.  THe early records contain very little family or
personal history of the applicant; often the name of the applicant,
country of origin and date of records were the only data supplied.
In 1906 the form was changed and became known as the "Petition and
Record" which required a greater amount of detailed family and personal
history.  Despite the change, a few counties used the older forms for a
few years.

     Knowing the approximate dates of naturalization of the person being
researched will determine what information a researcher might expect to
find.ffBefore 1906, only the head-of-household was required to become
naturalized, with the remainer of the family automatically naturalized
when he/she received the final papers.  This means that wives and
children are not listed separately nor were separate records required until
the late 1920's when both spouses needed to register.  Later the children
required separate records."

--
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*  Bill Green, Minot, North Dakota   *    Forget the "Brad", it's really    *
*  Internet green@plains.NoDak.Edu   *                Bill                  *
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