United States Naturalization Records: Difference between revisions

''[[Portal:United States of America|United States of America]] &gt; United States Naturalization Records'' <br>  

== Why Use This Record?<br>  ==

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== Before Searching For Naturalization Records You Must Know...<br>  ==

<br>Before you search for your ancestor’s naturalization records, you should have an idea of when they immigrated to the United States.  

<br>If you immigrant lived until after 1900, you should locate them on as many censuses as you can:  

<br>The 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 Censuses each ask the year an immigrant arrived to the United States. It also asks if the individual was naturalized or not. The codes for naturalization are as follows:<br>PA: this abbreviation means the individual began the naturalized process and has submitted a declaration of intention.<br>NA: this abbreviation means that the individual has completed the naturalization process and is a US Citizen. Both a declaration of intention and a petition should be located for the individual.<br>AL: this abbreviation means the immigrant had not yet naturalized or even begun the process. Not every immigrant naturalized.<br>NR: this abbreviation means the census taker did not report the citizenship information.  

<br>The 1920 Census also asks the year the individual naturalized.  

<br>It is also helpful to know if your ancestor naturalized. Documents found in your family’s possession may indicate if your ancestor naturalized.  

<br>Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship indicates that your ancestor completed the process and was a naturalized citizen of the United States.  

<br>If you ancestor had a United States passport, your ancestor completed the naturalization process and was a US Citizen.  

== TIPS for Success<br>  ==

Do not use naturalization records to locate the immigrant’s parent’s names. You will not find them. <br>  

=== Exceptions<br>  ===

Immigrant children - even today - receive their citizenship from their parents.&nbsp; Starting in 1790, children recieved derivative citizenship from their father (or mother in some cases).&nbsp; Derivative citizenship is defined as getting one's citizenship from another person.<ref name="Schaefer">Schaefer, Christina K. ''Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States'' (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1997).</ref>&nbsp; When the child's father became naturalized, his children under 16 (or 18, depending on the year) automatically became citizenship.&nbsp; There was no paperwork that was created.&nbsp; To prove his or her citizenship, the child would need his or her father's certificate of citizenship (or certificate of naturalization). &nbsp;  

In 1855, derivative citizenship was also available for immigrant women marrying US citizens or if their husbands gaiedn their citizenship during their marriage.&nbsp; The wife's proof that she was a US citizen was her husband's certificate of citizenship (or certificate of naturalization) and her marriage certificate.&nbsp;  

==== Military <br>  ====

==== <br>Collective Naturalization <ref name="Schaefer" /><ref name="Greenwood">Greenwood, Val D. ''The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy'', 3rd ed. (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2000)</ref><br><br>  ====

In 1868, African-Americans made citizens by the Fourteenth Amendment of the Unites States Constitution.&nbsp; In 1924, Native Americans made finally made citizens - although some chiefs of tribes became citizens before this date.&nbsp; The Native Americans were not included in the Fouteeneth Amendment because they were considered a seperate nation.