I found an index card on Ancestry that may have useful information on an ancestor.
It is from 1929 ad is typed. There are 9 fields:
DEC: DATE:
VOL PAGE
PETITION: DATE
VOL PAGE
ADMITTED:
In the DEC field it has Philadelphia, PA and a date 9/25/22
What does this mean? Did he arrive in Philadelphia?
The final papers were filed in California.
I am looking for family names because this ancestor changed his name when he arrived.
Thanks for your input!
DEC on the index card refers to the Declaration of Intention, also referred to as “first papers.” As a general rule at that time, an alien could file a declaration of intention to become a citizen after living here for two year. After an additional three years the person can file a petition for naturalization. There is a more detailed description of this process here.