Finding Naturalization Papers Finding Naturalization Papers By Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG Most genealogists spend too much time looking for ship passenger lists, assuming that once they find their ancestor landing in America that those records will tell them where in the old country they were born. Few of them do. Unless your families came through Hamburg, Germany, the ship passengers lists seldom tell much more than the fact they arrived on a certain date, in a specific port and on a particular ship. This is information you will want to have, but the best source to obtain it is from naturalization papers. In addition, naturalization papers will usually provide you with the birth place of your immigrant ancestor.
Dates are critical for naturalization research.
If your ancestor applied for citizenship prior to this 1906 date, the records may be obtained from the clerk of the court in which the person was naturalized. Since many naturalization records found in local courts throughout the United States have been microfilmed by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, check its records first. This will tell you what, if any, naturalization records for that state and county have been filmed, along with the dates. If the records you need have not been filmed, write to the county clerk in the area where your ancestor first settled to see if they are there. If they are not, you may have to check in several jurisdictions where your ancestors resided.