Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906

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by Timothy Dougherty

Naturalization records have long remained a challenging or often overlooked source for many genealogists. However, these records are a great asset in research. One example amongst several of this variety to be encountered in the Genealogy Department is an index to New England naturalization petitions, occurring between 1791 and September 26, 1906.

This collection, in actuality, is an index to photocopies, or “dexigraphs,” of documents filed in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont for the time period mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Connecticut and Rhode Island are each indexed separately. The other four states are grouped together. Within each state or state cluster, the soundex system is employed as a means of indexing. These records are made up of naturalization proceedings in local, county, state and federal courts.

A typical index card includes the following categories: name, address, certificate or volume and page number, title and location of court, country of birth or allegiance, birth date or age, date and port of arrival in U.S., date of naturalization, and names of witnesses. Not every category is filled out on every index card.

The copies of the records themselves are maintained in the National Archives Northeast Region Branch (Boston). These are usually one to two pages long and include more detailed information. The collection concerns the petitions only, and is not necessarily an indication that the person was ever naturalized. Petitions may have never been followed up on, or denied for any number of reasons. Once established, citizenship could also have been renounced or revoked. In most cases, the declarations of intention were not filmed with the petitions, but the original declaration papers may still exist in the original court.

The Historical Genealogy Department also houses two similar National Archives naturalization index collections originally compiled by the WPA at the same time. These are: M1674, Index (Soundex) to Naturalization Petitions Filed in Federal, State and Local Courts in New York, New York, Including New York, Kings, Queens and Richmond Counties, 1792-1906, and M1285, Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois, and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950. The latter includes the Chicago-land area and various counties from northern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, eastern Wisconsin, and eastern Iowa.

Additionally, the department carries various other naturalization records.

Article taken from the Genealogy Gems[1]: News from the Fort Wayne Library
No. 24, February 28, 2006