California Naturalization and Citizenship

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Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Resources

• California, Federal Naturalization Records, 1843-1999 ($) Index and images
• California County Naturalizations, 1849-1949 Browse only images
• California, State Court Naturalization Records, 1850-1986 ($)
• U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, various dates - U.S. District and Circuit Court Records ($) Indexes and images
• California, Northern U.S. District Court Naturalization Index, 1852-1989 Free!
  
• Shasta county, California, Naturalization Records: 1852 - 1932 ($)
• U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes for California, Northern District, various dates - U.S. District and Circuit Court Records ($) Indexes and images
• California, San Diego Naturalization Index, 1868-1958
• Naturalization Index Cards from the Superior Court of San Diego, CA, 1868-1958 ($)
• Naturalizations - Naturalization Records of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, CA, 1876-1915 ($)
• U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, (World Archives Project) for California, 1876-1940 - U.S. District and Superior Courts ($)
• U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project) for California, 1876-1940 - District and Superior Courts] index and images,($)
• Naturalization Records in the Superior Court of San Diego, CA, 1883-1958 ($)
• Naturalization Petitions for the Southern District Of California, 1887-1940 ($)
• San Francisco, California, Surrendered Alien Certificates, 1906-1946, ($).
• California, Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index, 1915-1976
  
  

History

Naturalization proceedings were under the jurisdiction of the district court (a state court not a federal court) from 1850 until 1880. The county court was also given this responsibility from 1862 to 1880. The county clerk was the clerk of both these courts and kept the records. An 1872 state statute required the clerk to keep two alphabetical sets of records, one for declarations and one for admission to citizenship.

In 1880 the district and county courts were discontinued and the superior court took over all their functions, including naturalization. The county clerk was also the clerk of this court.

Post-1906 Records

In 1906 the Immigration and Naturalization Service was created, forms were standardized and court records were duplicated and sent to the INS. These records can be accessed by downloading a FOIA (Freedome of Information Act) form from www.uscis.gov. Post-1906 records are also available at the National Archives at San Francisco for northern and central California, and the National Archives at Riverside for southern California.

Availability

Northern US District Court Naturalization Index (1852-1989) is now online. More information at [California, Northern U.S. District Court Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)]

Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index (1915-1976) is also online. More information at [California, Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)]

California, San Diego Naturalization Index, 1868-1958. More info at California, San Diego Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of naturalization records for many California counties. Search individual counties in the FamilySearch Catalog to determine the library holdings. Declarations of intention (1870-1931) for Alameda County, for example, are available at the Family History Library.

Naturalization records could also be filed in U.S. district courts after 1850. In counties where a federal district court sits, the federal court, not the superior court, has jurisdiction over naturalization. The Family History Library has:

• Declarations of intention from the U.S. Northern District Court for the years 1846 to 1903(Family History Library films 977767-70). The originals are located at the National Archives—Pacific Region (San Bruno).
• Declarations of intentions from the U.S. Southern District Court for the years 1927 to 1948 (FHL films 1249797-840). The originals and more recent records are at the National Archives—Pacific Region (Riverside County).
• Records of the U.S. Eastern District Court are at theNational Archives—Pacific Region (San Bruno).U.S. Central District Court records and San Diego Superior Court records are at the National Archives—Pacific Region (Riverside County).

To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of California county naturalization records, click here.

Voting Records with Naturalization Information

The Family History Library also has an extensive collection of voting records that name the court where an individual applied for naturalization and the date (see "Voting Registers" section).

Websites

http://www.germanroots.com/naturalization.html

http://rootsweb.com/~cascgs/nat2.htm

Wiki articles describing these collections are found at:

• California, Northern U.S. District Court Naturalization Index  (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• California, San Diego Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• California,San Francisco County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• California, Southern District Court (Central) Naturalization Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)

References

California Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2003.

NOTE: All of the information from the original research outline has been imported into this Wiki site and is being updated as time permits.

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Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)