Chapter 4 · Life in America · Naturalization
For a Polish immigrant who became a citizen between about 1910 and 1940, the naturalization file is usually the single best American source. After September 1906 the federal forms ask for exactly what you need: the town of birth, the date, the ship and the arrival.
Before and after 1906
Until 27 September 1906 any court could naturalize an immigrant on its own forms, and many recorded little more than a renunciation of allegiance to the Emperor of Russia. The Basic Naturalization Act of 1906 introduced standard federal forms and a central file for every new citizen.
The three documents to look for
- Declaration of Intention, the “first papers”: town and date of birth, physical description, ship and date of arrival
- Petition for Naturalization, the “second papers”: the same details plus the names and birthplaces of the wife and children
- Certificate of Arrival: the official confirmation of the arrival, checked against the manifest
Wives and children
Until the Cable Act of 22 September 1922, a wife became a citizen automatically when her husband did, and has no file of her own. After 1922 women naturalized separately. Minor children derived citizenship from their parents. This matters for Polish citizenship by descent, where the date a parent naturalized can decide the case.
Where the files are
Court copies are held by the county or federal court, or by the National Archives. The federal duplicate, the certificate file or C-file, is held by US Citizenship and Immigration Services and can be requested through its genealogy program.
How we can help
Immigration & Passenger Records obtains and reads the complete naturalization file, and the Citizenship Assessment uses its dates to test the line of descent.
Keep reading
Draft cards and alien registration