Tennessee Naturalization and Citizenship: Difference between revisions

Naturalization is the process of a by which a native or citizen of one country becomes a citizen of a different country, thus receiving privileges and responsibilities to the foreign-born residents.  

The naturalization process consists of two records the immigrant must submit: declaration of intention and the petition  

'''Declaration of intention:''' The immigrant must first declare their intention to be a citizen. This form is unique for each court that grants naturalization until 1906. Thereafter, there are standardized forms. The declaration can be submitted anytime after the immigrant arrives into the country, although often immigrants waited 2 years before applying.  

'''Petition:''' The petition is the final paper filed with a court and it can be filed in a different court than then the declaration of intention. Starting in 1802, the immigrant had to be a resident for 5 years before he could be a citizen. There was a 3 year wait requirement between the declaration of intention and the petition. In 1824, the wait requirement changed to 2 years.  

Information on the declaration of intention and the petition varied greatly before 1906 because each court required different information. Information may include: port of arrival, date of immigration, country of origin and age of the applicant.  

After 1906, these forms were standardized and more information required from the immigrant. Information may include: age, birth date and place, residence, date of application, last foreign address, country of birth/allegiance, occupation, personal description, port and date of arrival, vessel of arrival, marital status, wife and children with birth dates and places, and when and where the declaration was filed. <br>

Early records contain less information than those created after 1906, when the forms were standardized and the Immigration and Naturalization Service was created. Post-1906 records can be accessed through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS). This agency kept a duplicate of the records created in the court. Details such as birth date and place, physical description, and marital status may be given in the post-1906 records.&nbsp;For records at the USCIS,&nbsp;use their [http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=d21f3711ca5ca110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=d21f3711ca5ca110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD Genealogy Program] ($) at [http://www.uscis.gov www.uscis.gov]. (This is a fee service.)<!--{12082677621560} --><br>For more information regarding how to obtain naturalization records, click [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/United_States_Naturalization_and_Citizenship#Locating Naturalization Records here].

= Naturalization in Tennessee =

For a list of all the archives in Tennessee, click [http://www.tn.gov/tsla/aps/directory/directoryintro.htm here].

 

 

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Copies of Federal District Court naturalization records&nbsp;have been transferred to National Archives (NARA)&nbsp;regional branches. The NARA branch that covers Tennessee is the Regional Branch in Atlanta, Georgia.&nbsp; The regional branch often charges less money for naturalization records than the [http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextchannel=d21f3711ca5ca110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextoid=d21f3711ca5ca110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD USCIS].

Records available at the NARA regional branch in Atlanta are:&nbsp;

The FHL has&nbsp;the Tennessee&nbsp;District Court naturalization&nbsp;records for the Eastern&nbsp;District from 1855-1960.&nbsp;(FHL&nbsp;first microfilm 1452262).&nbsp; &nbsp;

To order a microfilm at your local Family History Center, click [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Ordering_Microfilm_or_Microfiche_from_a_Family_History_Center here].