Getting an image of an Actual Kings And New York County Naturalizations
Subject: Re: Kings And New York County naturalizations
From: Susan Steeble
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2015 10:58:18 -0400
Jim Artt asked: "Does anyone have way to find electronic index to Kings county
naturalizations early 20th century without paying fee for access? For New York
County, I have index info for relative, can't find anything on procedures as who
to write to, any required fees, etc to obtain copy of citizenship papers. Just to
clarify, not talking about NARA naturalizations, but rather county court systems
themselves."
It so happens that I recently wrote an article for the JGS of
Maryland's newsletter on exactly that topic!
The short answer is that, if your ancestor was naturalized in the Kings County
Supreme Court (and not in a federal circuit or district court), you need to obtain
the index information in one database and then look for the images in a different
database. For New York County Supreme Court, there are more options, but you can
follow the same procedure.
For Kings County, you can obtain the index info for your ancestor's Petition and
Declaration in the database of the Jewish Genealogical Society (NYC):
http://www.jgsny.org/index.php/ny-area-research/ny-state-naturalizations
(Scroll down; the Petitions follow the Declarations.)
Then, once you have that information, you can find the
images at FamilySearch.org. The images are indexed geographically by state and
county and then chronologically by year, so a record can be found only if the
volume and page numbers are known. A search by surname will not find them.
Direct link for Kings County:
https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Frecapi%2Fsord%2Fwaypoint%2FMDS6-NNL%3A326204001%3Fcc%3D1999177.
(MODERATOR: https://tinyurl.com/pjtg7va). The Declaration will usually have
multiple pages (consecutive), so be sure to check the pages before and after the
one you reach first.
As for the New York County naturalizations that took place in the county courts, I
believe you said you already have the index number (which could also be obtained
from www.ItalianGen.org, www.GermanGenealogyGroup.com, or the www.SteveMorse.org
web site). Then, find the images on FamilySearch; the direct link for New York
County is: https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Frecapi%2Fsord%2Fwaypoint%2FMDS6-2TL%3A326209701%3Fcc%3D1999177.
(MODERATOR: https://tinyurl.com/pjtg7va)
Susan Steeble
Baltimore, MD
After 1906, there were seven courts where a NYC naturalization could take place:
- Eastern District of New York Federal Court - for Kings (Brooklyn), Nassau, Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), and Suffolk Counties
- Southern District of New York Federal Court - for Manhattan and the Bronx; also: Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester Counties
- New York County Supreme Court
- Kings County Supreme Court
- Bronx County Supreme Court
- Queens County Supreme Court
- Richmond County Supreme Court
For other FHC Records:
- New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980
- New York, Eastern District Naturalization Petitions, Index, 1865-1957
- New York, Eastern District Naturalization Final petition and citizenship papers (New York), 1865-1958
- New York, Southern District, US District Court Naturalization Records, 1824-1946
»A Demonstration of How to Find Records in the Southern District Collection
Obtaining actual copies from the US Government:
- C-File (Certificate of Naturalization) Number.
- Petition for Naturalization Number. This document was required after filing a Declaration of Intent in order to become a US citizen. A copy of this form can be ordered from USCIS.
- Alien Registration File Number. This document was required of any resident alien between Aug 1940-Mar 1944. A copy of this form can be ordered from USCIS.
»A Video by the JGSLI: Naturalization Documents in a Nutshell
»A Video by the JGSLI: 15 Questions on an Alien Registration Form (AR-2)