Seeking immigration information for Cosimo Cerasa

Dear Ms. Chiavetta,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

Beginning in 1906, when an individual submitted a Declaration of Intention they were required to have a Certificate of Arrival issued by the Department of Justice to confirm their legal admission to the US.  Based on the 1911 date of Petition, he may be in the gray area of time for whether this documentation would have been issued.

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.  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, you 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

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

[Information provided by Elizabeth Burnes, Subject Matter Expert]

Angela,

On familysearch.org you can search New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924

click on the link below.

https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1368704

Best Wishes and good luck in your search.

Alice