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Genealogy Searches

GENEALOGY SEARCHES

General - The National Archives and Records Administration in Chicago has records for persons naturalized in certain Federal courts, not local or county courts, in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin during certain years that vary from court to court. Records of citizens naturalized as an adult in our court prior to 1925 may be found there. However, the vast majority of 18th and 19th century naturalizations and many 20th century naturalizations were conducted by the local or county court nearest the home of the person naturalized, not in often distant federal courts. Records of non-Federal court naturalizations are not in the National Archives. For possible assistance with non-Federal court records, contact the Clerk of the Court for the county in which the naturalized individual resided or the appropriate state archives to which counties in the state transfer their old records.

Pre-September 27, 1906 Naturalizations - Little information of biographical or genealogical value appears on most naturalization records before September 27, 1906. On that date, new regulations first required standardized, more detailed Federal naturalization forms to be used by all Federal and non-Federal Courts.

Women and Children - Before September 27, 1906, wives and children were usually not named on the naturalization records of their husbands/fathers, although they received derivative U.S. citizenship through them. Unmarried adult women were seldom individually naturalized until the law of September 22, 1922 that first required all women to file separately for naturalization. It is therefore uncommon to locate records for women before that date.

For Further Information - Refer to printed materials, such as Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives (Washington, DC National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1985) - available in many libraries. You may wish to contact the USCIS which has duplicate records of naturalizations that occurred after September 26, 1906.

To Request Records from the National Archives and Records Administration in Chicago - Click here for additional information.