Naturalization Records Overview
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Records on file at the Westchester County Archives: The Westchester County Archives holds naturalization records dating from 1808 through 1991 that were originally filed at the Westchester County Clerk’s office. Our online Index to Naturalizations is complete up through 1970, and is a work in progress. If you are seeking records dated later than 1970, please contact us.
What the records contain: Records dated earlier than 1906 generally contain little to no personal information, and vary widely in appearance.
From 1906 on, the forms were standardized, and contain much more personal information, including birth date, birth place, address, occupation, spouse’s name, children’s names, date of arrival in the U.S., and name of ship.
What forms are available: Most important are the Declaration of Intention, Petition for Naturalization, and Certificate of Arrival.
The Declaration of Intention, also known as “First Papers,” could be filed after three years of residency in the U.S. This document was valid for seven years. Often a copy is filed with the Petition.
The Petition for Naturalization, the actual application for citizenship, could be filed after five years of residency in the U.S., and one year in New York state. The Declaration did not have to be filed in New York for an individual to file their Petition in New York, but if it was filed out of state, there was usually a copy filed with the Petition. Once the Petition was approved, the individual would have become a U.S. citizen. The date of approval should appear on the back of the Petition under the Oath of Allegiance.
The Oath of Allegiance is not a separate document, but is part of the Petition for Naturalization.
The Certificate of Arrival, sometimes filed with the Petition, shows the individual’s original name/original spelling of name.
To see samples of these records, click here.
What form is not available: The Archives does not hold Certificates of Naturalization. The certificate would have been issued to the individual when their application (Petition) for naturalization was approved. The County Clerk’s office, which originally issued Naturalization documents, did not retain a copy. As the Archives only holds naturalization documents originally filed with the County Clerk, the Archives does not have any certificates of naturalization. For assistance in locating a Certificate of Naturalization, see the National Archives’ website: https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/naturalization/history-cert-of-naturalization and scroll down to “Researching Certificates of Naturalization.”
Forms for women: Until September 1922, women and minor age children (under age 21) received “derivative citizenship” through the husband or father, when he became a U.S. citizen. For this reason, it is rare to find naturalization papers filed for women prior to that month. After the law was changed in September 1922, women no longer received derivative citizenship through the husband. Minor age children continued to receive derivative citizenship.
The Naturalization Index: The Westchester County Archives’ Index to Naturalizations is complete up through 1965, and is a work in progress. If you are seeking records dated later than 1965, please contact us.
Often, people changed their own names during the naturalization process. If you are having difficulty finding a name in the index, try truncating (putting in the first few letters of the name), changing vowels or spelling the name phonetically (“f” for “pf” or “ph,” “x” for “ks,” “ch” for “cz”), or anglicizing the name: “Peter” or “Peter” for “Pietro,” “John” for “Giacomo,” “Henry” for “Enrico.”
For further information on the naturalization process and related documents, see this page on the National Archives’ website: https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/naturalization
Listed below is the full list of naturalization records available at the Westchester County Archives. Click on the name or series numbers to view a description of the records and the types of information available from the records.
Naturalization Records Available at the Westchester County Archives:
- Series 6 Declaration of Intention Record Books, 1855-1906
- Series 33 Declarations of Intention, 1906-1980
- Series 11 Naturalization Petitions, 1895-1991
- Series 13 Naturalization Record Books, 1844-1906
- Series 14 Naturalization Petitions, Rejected, 1898-1906
- Series 130 Naturalization Records Index, 1927-1972
- Series 15 Naturalization Records, Miscellaneous, 1808-1924
- Series 287 Naturalization Repatriation Proceedings, 1937-1967
- Series 288 Naturalization Witness Depositions in Support of Petitions, 1910-1960
- Series 291 Naturalizations -- Court Calendars, 1907-1915
- Series 343 Naturalizations -- Court Orders, July 1929-December 1986
- Series 290 Naturalizations -- Transfers, 1953-1991
- Series 373 World War I Alien Registration Forms, 1918