| You've gone through the preliminaries.You've collected | | | | include: the full name, age, sex, place of origin, and |
| all your household vital records, interviewed relatives, | | | | destination for every passenger on the ship. The |
| gathered additional records from living relatives and | | | | records even include those who were born or died |
| followed-up on some of the leads that were | | | | during the voyage.And there's more. You can also |
| developed. Now, you're stuck and not sure what to | | | | track down some naturalization records through the |
| do next in your genealogy research.If you've worked | | | | U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. |
| your way far enough back, it might be time to start | | | | Naturalization is the process by which a a person |
| checking the Census.But first, you'll want to | | | | becomes an American citizen. By law, a person can |
| understand that while the Census Bureau collects | | | | be naturalized in any "regular" court. The Immigration |
| some great genealogical information, it has the | | | | and Naturalization Service has records for the entire |
| responsibility of confidentiality. As a result, the | | | | country beginning in 1906, but before this time, the |
| Decennial Census of Population and Housing on | | | | procedure will only be located in the records of the |
| individuals does not become available to the public | | | | court where it took place. These records often |
| until after 72 years.That's why you have to have | | | | provide a person's birth date and location, occupation, |
| worked your way far enough back in your research | | | | immigration year, marital status and spouse |
| before you'll find the Census helpful.But here's what | | | | information, witnesses' names and addresses, and |
| you'll really like ... not only will the Census records help | | | | more.For Pre-1906 Naturalizations:Contact the State |
| you locate where an acestor lived, after 1840 the | | | | Archives for the state where the naturalization |
| Census collected age, place of birth, occupation, | | | | occurred to request a search of state, county, and |
| personal wealth, education, spouse, children, hired | | | | local courts records.Contact the NARA regional facility |
| hands, and even immigration information. A gold mine | | | | that serves the state where naturalization occurred |
| for genealogists.Copies of the original decennial | | | | to request a search of Federal court recordsFor |
| census forms from 1790 through 1930 are available | | | | Naturalizations After 1906:After 1906, the courts |
| on microfilm for research at the U.S. National Archives | | | | forwarded copies of naturalizations to the |
| and Records Administration in Washington, DC ( at | | | | Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). |
| Archives regional centers, and at select Federal | | | | Naturalizations from Federal Courts are held in the |
| depository libraries throughout the United States. In | | | | NARA's regional facilities for the Federal courts for |
| addition, these records are available at various other | | | | their area. Learn more: are some additional resources |
| libraries and research facilities throughout the United | | | | that you might find helpful for learning learn more |
| States.You can also check with the reference librarian | | | | about the Census and how to access all the incredible |
| at your local library and see if they're set up to | | | | information available to genealogy |
| borrow microfilm through the National Archives' | | | | researchers:USGenWeb Census Project Census |
| census microfilm rental program.There's something | | | | Bureau's Genealogy Page Finder nothing quite as |
| else you're really going to like ... immigration records | | | | exhilarating as uncovering new information about your |
| are also on microfilm at the National Archives. These | | | | ancestors. If you've reached a point where you |
| records have been collected for all major U.S. ports | | | | aren't quite sure what to try next in your genealogy |
| since 1820. They include Boston, New York, | | | | research, The Census might just be your best bet. |
| Philadelphia, Baltimore and New Orleans. The western | | | | Even if you aren't at that point, it's a resource that |
| ports of San Franciso and Seattle are also archived, | | | | you should familiarize yourself with. Sooner or later, |
| though those records weren't started until late in the | | | | it's likely that's where your research is going to led |
| 19th Century.Here's what these immigration records | | | | you. |