New York, U.S. District and Circuit Court Naturalization Records, 1824-1991

What is in This Collection?

This contains naturalization records of the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Southern, Western and Northern District for the State of New York. The records are part of Record Group 21, Records of District Courts of the United States. See also Naturalization Records at the National Archives at New York City

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

• NAID 5700802 Declarations of Intention for Citizenship
• Petitions for Naturalization filed at Fort Hamilton during WWI

U.S. Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York

• NAID 575701 Petitions for Naturalizations
• NAID 5897456 U.S. Civil Service Commission. District 2. Field Service. List of Naturalization Certificates, 1905–1906
• NAID 6171867 Dockets in Naturalization Suits in Equity, 1909–1917
• NAID 93016096 Case Files in Naturalization Suits in Equity, 1909–1917

U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York

• NAID 5710001 Petitions for Naturalization, 1903-
• NAID 5716574 Lists of Granted, Continued, and Denied Naturalization Petitions, October 4, 1928–

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York

• Petitions for Naturalization & Index, 1821-1906
• Index Northern District Court; 1821-1855; 1906, 1821–1906

Naturalization is a voluntary process through which immigrants can become American citizens. By becoming naturalized citizens, immigrants are granted the same rights, privileges and protections as natural born citizens. Before 1790, British immigrants were considered citizens of the British colonies in America, and later American citizens. Some Protestant immigrants from other European countries requested citizenship from civil authorities. After swearing allegiance, immigrants were generally granted citizenship. The process by which other immigrants could become citizens of the British Empire or the American colonies, and later American citizens, was handled by the individual colonies then states until 1906, when the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization standardized immigration laws and procedures.

Naturalization to become a U.S. citizen was a two-part process: The Declaration of Intent to Naturalize, or First Papers, and the Naturalization Record (including the Naturalization Petition), or Final Papers. The general requirements for citizenship include residency in one U.S. state for one year and in the United States for five years The First Papers were normally filed five years before the Final Papers because of the five-year residency requirement to become a citizen.

Naturalization papers are an important source of information about an immigrant's nation of origin, his foreign and “Americanized” names, residence, and date of arrival. Naturalization records were created to process naturalizations and keep track of immigrants in the United States. Naturalization records are generally reliable, but may occasionally be subject to error or falsification. Be sure to search all possible spellings for the surname of the person for whom you are looking. Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

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What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

In 1906 the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization was created and later renamed Immigration and Naturalization Services or INS. Some results included standardized forms throughout the country and copies of naturalization papers sent to the INS in addition to the court keeping a copy. Naturalization records after 1906 contain more detailed information about the immigrants and their families. The INS is now known as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Possible information given in post-1906 naturalization records include:

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  Petition for Naturalization 1846 front

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  Petition for Naturalization 1946 back

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  Petition for Naturalization 1909