Immigration & Naturalization Records

Posted on November 30, 2010 by bob in Discover Your Past

Nancy Dupree

Whether your ancestors came to America during the Colonial period or first set foot on U.S. soil at Ellis Island, your family history research will eventually lead to immigration and naturalization records. Exploring how and when, and even why, your ancestors chose to make the trip to America can be challenging, but very rewarding, possibly adding more pieces to your family history puzzle.

Immigration Records
For immigration records there are two periods to consider – pre-1820 and 1820-mid 20th century. Prior to January 1, 1820, federal law did not require passenger arrival lists. Many of the existing passenger arrival records for that period have been published and are available on-line and in many research repositories.

The records for the period between 1820 and the mid-20th century are more plentiful. Keep in mind that early passenger arrival lists were compiled at the point of embarkation, listing only the names of the passengers, and those names were often changed at the point of entry into the U. S.

Later immigration records are more detailed. Many of these records are available from the National Archives – www.archives.gov.

Immigration and naturalization information is also available on census records of the early 20th century. The 1900–1930 census records include the year of arrival in the U. S., whether the individual was naturalized, and, if so, the year of naturalization.

Naturalization was a two-step process by which an immigrant became an American citizen. After living in the U. S. for at least two years, an individual filed in court a Declaration of Intent. Some years later, usually three to five, a Petition for Naturalization could be filed, but it was not necessarily filed in the same court or even in the same state.

Naturalization Records
The search for naturalization records is divided into three periods – prior to 1790, 1790–1906, and after September 1906 with the creation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. During the Colonial period, many of the colonies had their own naturalization laws. Published indexes and abstracts are available for Colonial period naturalizations.

The search for naturalization records in the period between 1790 and 1906 can be the most challenging. The extant records may be found in a number of courts: federal, state, county, and municipal. With the creation of the INS, records became more centralized. Many of those records are at the National Archives. The Alabama Department of Archives and History has a limited number of naturalization records filed in the county probate records.

Nancy Dupree is Senior Archivist at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. If you have a question for Nancy, email us at primeeditor@gmail.com.

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