1 “Give me your tired, your poor... I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Emma Lazarus

2 NATURALIZATION DeAnne Shelley

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4 NATURALIZATION IS THE LEGAL PROCESS THAT GIVES AN IMMIGRANT THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP  The privilege of voting  The right to own property  Civil rights  Protection of the law  New responsibilities NATURALIZATION BRINGS GREAT ADVANTAGES

5 RECORDS CREATED BY THE NATURALIZATION PROCESS MAY PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION  DATE AND PORT OF ARRIVAL  PLACE OF RESIDENCE  NAMES & AGES OF FAMILY  OCCUPATION  IMMIGRANT’S NATION OF ORIGIN  BIRTH DATE  FOREIGN AND AMERICAN NAMES

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8 REQUIREMENTS FOR NATURALIZATION HAVE CHANGED MANY TIMES THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ARE:  RESIDENCY IN THE COUNTRY FOR FIVE YEARS  GOOD MORAL CHARACTER  AN OATH OF LOYALTY OR ALLEGIANCE  KNOWLEDGE OF GOVERNMENT AND LANGUAGE

9 CITIZENSHIP CLASS 1923

10 HISTORICAL CHANGES IN THE REQUIREMENTS FOR NATURALIZATION Pre to to

11 75,000 BECAME CITIZENS

12 COLLECTIVE NATURALIZATIONS GROUPS GRANTED CITIZENSHIP BY LEGISLATION OR TREATY  1803 LOUISIANA PURCHASE  1845 TEXAS  1900 HAWAII/1917 PUERTO RICO /1927 VIRGIN ISLANDS  1924 NATIVE AMERICANS  2001 CHILD CITIZENSHIP ACT  1819 FLORIDA /1867 ALASKA  1870 AFRICAN AMERICANS

13 DERIVATIVE CITIZENSHIP BASED UPON CITIZENSHIP OF ANOTHER OR UPON SERVICE PERFORMED  WIVES OF CITIZENS  ALIENS OVER 21 WHO PERFORMED MILITARY SERVICE

14 ALIENS SERVING IN MILITARY TAKING OATH CAMP UPTON, NEW YORK 1918

15 NATURALIZATION PROCESS  DECLARATION OF INTENTION  PETITION FOR NATURALIZATION  OATH OF ALLEGIANCE  CERTIFICATE OF NATURALIZATION

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20 FINAL OATH

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24 TIPS FOR LOCATING RECORDS  DEVELOP A TIME & PLACE SEQUENCE FOR THE  IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR 1900 through 1930 census schedules have identified citizenship status: a - alien; pa - had applied but did not complete process; na – naturalized  DEVELOP A TIME & PLACE SEQUENCE FOR THE  IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR 1900 through 1930 census schedules have identified citizenship status: a - alien; pa - had applied but did not complete process; na – naturalized

25  DETERMINE WHICH NATURALIZATION LAWS WERE IN EFFECT Before 1906 an alien could be naturalized in any court. It is best to begin your search in the county where the alien resided. Some courts store records off site. A telephone call, letter, , or check of the World Wide Web site of a court or an archives before a visit is wise. TIPS FOR LOCATING RECORDS

26 HOME AND FAMILY SOURCES FAMILY PAPERS SCRAPBOOKS PHOTO ALBUMS FAMILY BIBLES BOXES IN ATTIC/BASEMENT RELATIVES

27 EVIDENCE OF COMPLETED CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS CAN BE FOUND IN:  CENSUSES  COURT RECORDS  HOMESTEAD RECORDS  PASSPORTS  VOTING REGISTERS  MILITARY RECORDS

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29 THE FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY Naturalization records are listed in locality search of the Family History Library Catalog under one of the following: STATE - NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP STATE, COUNTY - NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP STATE, COUNTY, TOWN - NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP The library has records from the National Archives Branches in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle.

30 LOCATING RECORDS ON THE INTERNET 1. National Archives and Records Administration ( 2. State Archives and Records Adminstration Each state has a web site to connect you to the State archives, library or historical society. New York’s State Archives has an excellent “Guide to Naturalization Records” and Indiana State Archives maintains a direct link to all state archival agencies. 3. Ancestry.com has a wonderful collection of Immigration records.

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32 GOOD REFERENCE BOOKS  Guide to Naturalization Records in the United States Christina K. Schaefer, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1997 (FHL Ref. Book 973 P4s)  American Naturalization Records What They Are and How to Use Them John J. Newman, Heritage Quest, 1998  They Became Americans, Loretto Dennis Szucs Ancestry Incorporated, 1998  Locating Your Immigrant Ancestor, 2nd edition, James & Lila Lee Neagles, Everton Publishers, 1986

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34  The End