How do I find my ancestors naturalization papers?

Question

I am looking for my Great Uncle&#8217;s naturalization papers. He was naturalized either before, during or after his service in WWI. He came with his mother (his father was already here) from Sicily, to Rochester, NY.&#160; Thank you!

Lori Norris · Answer

Dear Cachelle Guadagnino, Thank you for posting your request to History Hub! The National Archives has custody of any Naturalization records from Federal courts dated prior to October 1991.&#160; If your Great Uncle was naturalized prior to September 1906, the naturalization could have taken place through a municipal, county, state, or federal court; any naturalizations after September 1906 was through Federal courts only.&#160; Please consult our Online Naturalization Records, 1790-1995 guide in order to find where to search online for the Federal court records. The guide is organized alphabetically by state. The online databases found on the guide consist of Ancestry, Fold3, and Family Search. There may be a fee for using the Ancestry and Fold3 service, but Family Search is available for free with the creation of an account.&#160; Ancestry and Fold3 may be accessed for free through a NARA facility or through any participating universities or public libraries. As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, all National Archives research rooms nationwide, including those at Presidential Libraries, are closed to the public until further notice. Please check NARA&#8217;s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience. We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! ****Edit: Naturalizations after September 1906 were not only through Federal courts.&#160; Beginning on September 27, 1906, naturalization was encouraged to transfer to the Federal courts when US naturalization law imposed a fee structure.&#160; It is possible that naturalization took place in a lower court from the early to mid 20th century, as it took time for lower courts to let go of the practice.&#160; Over half of all naturalizations were done in state or local courts prior to 1926 and even some areas, such as Kansas, have naturalization petitions in local courts as recent as the 1980s.&#160; I apologize for any confusion and would like to thank our Subject Matter Expert for immigrant records in Kansas City for pointing out my error.***

Alicia Gabriel · Answer

Cachelle Guadagnino,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. It is a voluntary act; naturalization is not required.

In general, naturalization was a two-step process* that took a minimum of five years. After residing in the United States for two years, an alien could file a "declaration of intention" ("first papers") to become a citizen. After three additional years, the alien could "petition for naturalization" (”second papers”). After the petition was granted, a certificate of citizenship was issued to the alien. These two steps did not have to take place in the same court. [*Exceptions can include cases of derivative citizenship, processes for minor aliens 1824-1906, and special consideration for veterans.]

If a naturalization took place in a Federal court, naturalization indexes, declarations of intention (with any accompanying certificates of arrival), and petitions for naturalization will usually be in the National Archives facility serving the state in which the Federal court is located. No central index exists. To ensure a successful request with the National Archives, researchers should include: the name of petitioner (including known variants); date of birth; approximate date of entry to the US; approximate date of naturalization; where the individual was residing at the time of naturalization (city/county/state); and country of origin.

In most cases, the National Archives will not have a copy of the certificate of citizenship. Two copies of the certificate were created – one given to the petitioner as proof of citizenship, and one forwarded to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

All INS records are now overseen by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS maintains duplicate copies of court records (including the certificate of citizenship) created from September 27, 1906 through March 31, 1956 within Certificate Files (C-Files). Beginning on April 1, 1956, INS began filing all naturalization records in a subject’s Alien File (A-File). C-Files and certain A-Files may be requested through the USCIS Genealogy Program.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

Alicia Gabriel

Susannah Brooks · Answer

At least with this name I was finding the family in censuses, and Antonio's burial in 1939 along with some info from the military.&#160; I did not find on-line a naturalization record for either Antonio or his father, although I did find in an index of declarations of intentions a listing for an Antonio Lombardo 16 Dec 1915, vol 10 p. 392.&#160; I do not know if this is either your Antonio or his father, or the other Antonio Lombardo born in 1885, who also lived in Rochester. The best places to look for place of birth for an immigrant are naturalization records and then possibly passenger arrival lists and the earliest US religious records for the immigrants (in this case the baptisms of the first couple of children born in the US, might list the baptismal place of the parents). Of course place of birth might appear in any record for an individual. Italian civil and church records are kept at the town level and there are at least 134 towns in the Province of Palermo. Catalog Search Results for Italy, Palermo - FamilySearch.org &#160; I thought I would look at a few towns since US records listed Antonio's birth date as 7 Aug 1891 and for some reason I started at the end of an alphabetical list of the towns in Palermo.&#160; My usually luck in research is to find a record in the last record I look at, not the first; but a lot about the following records match the family you are looking for, but there is NO guarantee this is the same family.&#160; You would have to either match the information to other US records or work your way through all the other towns in Palermo, looking for another Antonio Lombardo born on that date (registration is usually a day or two later). #449 birth of Antonio Lombardo 7 Aug 1891 in Villaurea to Antonio Lombardo and Gi_achina Scialabba (I cannot figure out the missing letter). Italy, Palermo, Termini Imerese, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1862-1910; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9MZ-Y15Q?cc=1947613&wc=MDBD-KMS%3A245876501%2C246853701 All Italian civil birth registrations follow basically the same wording and a translation of the form is found at Italian Birth Document Translation &#8226; FamilySearch This is the marriage record for Antonio Lombardo, age 27, and Gi_achina Scialabba, age 19 in Villaurea on 16 Apr 1890. Italy, Palermo, Termini Imerese, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1862-1910; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M8-3GVQ?cc=1947613&wc=MDB8-QWL%3A245876501%2C246013501 Translation of marriage record Italian Marriage Document Translations &#8226; FamilySearch

Susannah Brooks · Answer

If this is the marriage record for Antonio Lombardo, I actually think that the above Italian records might be his family. New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YSG7-QXH?cc=1618491&wc=38MY-3TL%3A1583169002%2C1583192802

Susannah Brooks · Answer

Which great-grandmother are you looking for?&#160; Jacqueline was born in Termini (which may be the town or region) as was her husband, according to the marriage record.&#160; She was the daughter of Bernardi Scialabba.&#160; If you are looking for the birthplace of another great-grandmother, start a new query with her name (maiden & married), approximate birth year, and any other pertinent information, and we will try to find the information for you or tell you where you might find the info.

Susannah Brooks · Answer

This is the civil registration birth record for Giachina Scialabba in Villaurea, Termini Imerese, Palermo in 1870.&#160; It starts at the bottom of one page and continues on the top of the next page.&#160; Even though it is all handwritten (not a printed form) it contains the same wording as the printed form for births.&#160; Italy, Palermo, Termini Imerese, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1862-1910; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MZ-YJB?cc=1947613&wc=MDBD-HM9%3A245876501%2C246715601 You will find the digital version of the microfilm of civil registration records for Villaurea&#160; (1862-1910) on www.familysearch.org (search the catalog by place).&#160; Record Type and Year (familysearch.org) Once you pick a type of record and the year you want, always check the beginning and end of each book (usually annual) for an index.&#160; Some towns have separate books of 10-year indexes.&#160; The number in the index after the name is not a page number, but the entry number for the individual. This is a link to the death record of Antonio Lombardo Italy, Palermo, Termini Imerese, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1862-1910; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9M8-9GTY?cc=1947613&wc=MDB8-P3D%3A245876501%2C246396502

A1 Reference Branch · Answer

kevinraff23 
 Thank you for posting on History Hub! 
 
 Naturalization records dated prior to October 1991 from the federal courts are at the National Archives. However, you will need to contact the NARA field site that maintains the federal court records for the state where the naturalization may have occurred. To determine which facility you need, please visit our webpage at https://www.archives.gov/research/court-records . Please note that no central index to naturalizations exists. 
 
 Based on the information you provided, namely that your grandfather lived in Queens, New York, his entire life, we recommend that you contact the National Archives at New York City. Please check out the following links:

Facility Page: https://www.archives.gov/nyc 
 Email: newyork.archives@nara.gov 
 
Sincerely, 
 Archives 1 Reference Branch 
 [RR1R-24- 53520 -TJA]

A1 Reference Branch · Answer

Cole768 
 Thank you for posting on History Hub!

Naturalization records dated prior to October 1991 from the federal courts are at the National Archives. If your grandfather was naturalized in a federal court before October 1991, you will need to contact the NARA field site that maintains federal court records for the state where he was naturalized. To determine which facility you need, please visit our webpage at https://www.archives.gov/research/court-records . Please note that no central index to naturalizations exists . 
 
 With regards to records of federal courts in Pennsylvania, you will need to contact the National Archives at Philadelphia. Please note the following links to contact that field site:

Facility Page: https://www.archives.gov/philadelphia 
 Email: philadelphia.archives@nara.gov 
 
Sincerely, 
 Archives 1 Reference Branch 
 [RR1R-24-55094-TJA]

How do I find my ancestors naturalization papers?

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