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Appendix A: Ordering By Mail
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Federal Courts | Civil Courts | Criminal Courts

A Few Hints About Naturalizations Not all immigrants sought naturalization as U.S. citizens. Many chose to live out their lives without formally seeking citizenship. Until 1922, women were not naturalized through court action; instead, they acquired citizenship “by right of” their husbands’ or fathers’ naturalizations. Until 1940, children became naturalized upon the naturalization of their fathers. The 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 federal census schedules show whether or not an individual was naturalized. Information provided in naturalization records varies, depending on the court and the time period in which the naturalization occurred. Pre-1906 naturalization records (whether they are certificates of naturalizations, declarations of intention, petitions, or oaths and whether the naturalization was granted in state or federal court) provide far less information about the applicant than do the post-1906 records. The Louisiana Division also has voter registration records for New Orleans, 1891-1978. Several records series in this group contain data about the naturalization of foreign-born voters. In some jurisdictions, the court's record of the naturalization was simply an entry in the minute books of the court.

Throughout the 19th century, U.S. law provided that individuals could be naturalized by any federal court or any state “court of record.” The law changed in 1906, when the naturalization process came under the control of the newly established Immigration and Naturalization Service. Although in some states naturalizations continued to be granted in state courts, in New Orleans, naturalizations after 1906 took place only in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans.

The Louisiana Division holds naturalization records (and/or indexing) for Orleans Parish civil and criminal courts for the period 1828-1906 and from the federal court in New Orleans for the period 1811-1985. Pre- 1906 indexing includes references to naturalizations granted in parishes other than Orleans and to counties in Mississippi, but copies of those records must be obtained from the courthouse of individual parishes/counties.

Naturalization records generally take several forms, representing the successive steps an applicant took to become a citizen:

• Declarations of Intention
  The first step in the naturalization process, by which an applicant declared his intention to become a citizen and renounced his allegiance to a foreign government. Those who entered the country as minors were not required to make a declaration of intention, nor were applicants who were married to U.S. citizens.

  Information found in pre-1906 declarations of intention (sometimes called “first papers”) varies, but generally includes only the name of the applicant, date of declaration, port of arrival, and country (but not town) of origin or allegiance. The applicant’s age and year of arrival in the U.S. are sometimes also given. After 1906, declarations include some or all of the following: name, age, occupation, race, complexion, height, weight, color of hair and eyes, place and date of birth, address, port of embarkation for the U.S., name of ship, former place of residence, port and date of arrival in U.S.

• Petitions
  The formal petition to the court asking to be made a citizen was made several years (the length of the waiting period varied over time) after the declaration of intention was filed. The petition was generally made on the day the naturalization was granted. Some petitions make reference to the date of the declaration of intention and the court in which it was filed.

  Petitions give much the same information as the post-1906 declarations: name, address, occupation, date of birth, place of birth, port of embarkation to U.S., date of embarkation, port of arrival, date of arrival, name of ship, date and location of court in which declaration was filed. The petition (for males) also gives marital status, name of wife, her date and place of birth and current residence, and the name, birth date, place of birth, and address of minor children. The petition also provides the opportunity for the petitioner to “Americanize” his name.

• Oaths of Applicants and Witnesses
  Statement of the applicant renouncing allegiance to foreign government and swearing allegiance to the U.S. government. Accompanied by statements of several witnesses who attest that they know the applicant to be of good character and to have met the designated residency requirements for naturalization. (The witnesses may be relatives of the applicant.)

• Certificates of Naturalization
  Formal document granting citizenship. Pre-1906 certificates give very little information beyond the name of applicant, date of naturalization, and country of origin or former allegiance. Certificates are not included in the post-1906 federal records; after 1906, a copy of the certificate was given to the new citizen and a copy was sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, where it was kept on file. In the federal court records, the oath is followed simply by an order of the court admitting the applicant to citizenship.

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