Looking for census or naturalization information for my grandfather who entered USA in 1911

Question

Hello, 
 I have found in Ellis Island records that my grandfather Costas Antonopoulos, arrived in USA on May 12th in 1911 at the age of 25. I tried to find information about him in the census records or naturalisation records but I didn't have any luck. However my father told me that he returned to Greece during WW2 but I can't find any information in the departed records from 1920 and onwards. 
 
 I would like to ask if someone can help me to find information about his life in USA and if he returned to Greece permanently or he became a US citizen. 
 
 Thank you in advance 
 Andrew Antonopoulos

A1 Reference Branch · Answer

andregrjp 
 
 Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! 
 Ancestry has the index: U.S., Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1914-1966 . This index is arranged by the state in which the passenger departed from. Not all of these records have been digitized. For more information about the non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives in Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RR1R) via email at archives1reference@nara.gov . 
 We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Subject and Policy Files, 1893-1957 in the Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Record Group 85) that could possibly include a file unit for your grandfather. You can submit an Index Search with the USCIS to confirm if your grandfather has a file. Some of these records have been digitized and are available using the Catalog. For more information about the non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives in Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RR1R) via email at archives1reference@nara.gov . 
 It is possible that your grandfather could have a record in the series Alien Case Files, 1944 - 2003 in the Records of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Record Group 566). For more information about this non-digitized case file, please contact the National Archives at Kansas City (RRFK) at Afileskansascity@nara.gov . 
 Regarding a naturalization record. Generally, 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" (&rdquo;second papers&rdquo;). 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, your email 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. 
 To determine which NARA field site maintains federal court records for the state where you or your relative was naturalized, please visit: https://www.archives.gov/research/court-records . You will need to work directly with staff in that office in order to obtain a copy. 
 If the naturalization occurred September 27, 1906 - March 31, 1956, the certificate should appear within a Certificate File (C-File) that can be obtained through the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Genealogy Program ( www.uscis.gov/genealogy ). You may wish to contact the USCIS if you can find evidence that your grandfather naturalized.

We hope this is helpful! Best of luck with your family research! 
 
 Sincerely, Archives 1 Reference Branch 
 RR1R-24-36339-KC

andregrjp · Answer

Hello Joel, 
 Thank you for the information. The record from family search matched the information I got. Actually I found the address of my cousin, their contact number and a facebook account. I sent them a message and asked them if they want to get in touch. 
 
 Thank you for your assist and information. 
 Andrew Antonopoulos