Soundex index to naturalization petitions for U.S. District & Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950

Noter

"The Soundex Index to naturalization petitions reproduced here indexes records generated by several courts. These include both civil and military petitions from the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division; the Circuit, County, Criminal, and Superior Courts of Cook County, Illinois; and county and municipal courts in the old Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) District #9 (at one time called District 14), which comprised the northern third of Illinois, northwestern Indiana, southern and eastern Wisconsin, and eastern Iowa. The following counties are indexed: ILLINOIS: Boon, Bureau, Carroll, Champaign, Cook, De Kalb, Ford, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, Lake, La Salle, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, McHenry, McLean, Mercer, Ogle, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago and Woodford. INDIANA: Benton, Fulton, Jasper, Lake, La Porte, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph and Starke.

IOWA: Allamakee, Appanoose, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cedar, Chickasaw, Clayton, Clinton, DAvis, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Grundy, Hardin, Nenry, Howard, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Mahaska, Mitchell, Monroe, Muscatine, Scott, Tama, Van Buren, Wapello, Washington, and Winneshiek. WISCONSIN: Adams, Brown, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Kewaunee, Lafayette, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Oconto, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Shawano, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago and Wood." *** For access to any records in these counties that the library may have, see entries in the LOCALITY CATALOG under the following: State - County - Naturalization and citizenship. Look for records of the same court that is listed on Soundex/Index card contained in this record.

Both District and Circuit Courts in the Northern District of Illinois kept records concurrently until 1911 when the U.S. Circuit Court was abolished. Patrons should check both courts when searching for citizenship records during these years.

This index consists of 3 x 5 inch cards arranged in Russell-Soundex order, and thereafter alphabetically by given (first) name. To search for a particular surname (last name) it must first be coded. A Soundex code consists of a letter and three numbers (for example, M425). The letter is always the same as the first letter of the surname; numbers are assigned to the remaining letters of the surname according to the Soundex coding guide found below. Adjacent letters falling into the same numeric group are coded only once. Those separated by vowelss or disregarded letters are coded separately. Zeros are added if necessary to produce a four-character code. Additional letters are disregarded. SOUNDEX CODING GUIDE The number Represents the numbers 1 B,P,F,V 2 C,S,K,G,J,Q,X,Z 3 D,T, 4 L 5 M,N, 6 R Disregard the letters A,E,I, O, U, W, Y, and H.

"EXAMPLES OF SOUNDEX-CODED NAMES Washington = W252 Kuhne = K500 After locating the desired Soundex code on the appropriate reel, the user should search under that code for the given name of the person being sought. Entries in the index are listed alphabetically: first, by Soundex code; then by given name. Do not overlook initials, alternate spellings, and 'old country' versions of names.".

"Most cards that index naturalizations taking place after 1906 provide space for the following information: name of petitioner; address, name of court in which in whicn naturalization occurred; certificate number, petition number, or other identifying document number; country and date of birth; date and place of arrival in the United States; date of naturalization; and name and address of witnesses. Not all of this information, however, is provided on every card. Index cards for naturalizations taking place prior to 1906 typically contain only the name of the petitioner, the name of the court in which naturalization occurred, document number, country of origin, and date of naturalization." Some cards also include the certificate of naturalization number.

Researchers should search records of the court in which the naturalization occurred. Many courts retain custody of these records, others have been transferred to state and municipal archives.

"Illinois was divided into two judicial districts in 1855. The Northern District which comprised the northern quarter of the state sat at Chicago. The Southern District, which served the remainder of the state, sat at Springfield. Later, in 1887, the Northern District was separated into two divisions. Chicago was designated the seat of court for the Northern Division and Peoria that of the Southern Division. In 1937, a third district--the Eastern--was established which encompassed much of the southern third of the state as well as the eastern counties. Peoria was shifted to the Southern District, and the Northern District was realigned when the divisions were changed to Eastern and Western, the principal courts being Chicago and Freeport respectively--Introd.

Beginning with B-634, a total of 14 cards are out of place and are filmed at the end of B-650.

The following records are in the custody of the National Archives--Great Lakes Region: United States Circuit Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. Naturalized aliens until 1911 (When the federa circuits courts were abolished) Declarations of Intent, 1906-1911 Petition Books, 1906-1911 Certificate of Naturalization stubs, 1907-1911 United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division Declaration of Intention, 1872-1982 Naturalization Orders, 1872-1903 Naturalization Order Books, 1921-1976 Naturalization Depositions, 1909-1964 Naturalization Journals, 1925-1959 Records of Repatriation, 1936-1939 Index to Petition books, 1906-1960 Petition Books, 1906-1959 Military Petition & Record Books, 1918-1926; 1942-1946; 1954-1956.

Certificate of Naturalization stubs, 1912-1918 Petitions, 1872-1902 Naturalization case files, 1928-1978 Most of the above records are arranged by document number; and some volumes are self-indexed. The Soundex Index may provide identifying numbers that allow other documents to be located. Many petitions are filed with the corresponding declaration of intention, and sometimes a certificate of arrival. Records that pre-date 1906 typically contain little information. . . The National Archives - Great Lakes Region also holds dexagraph (negative photostat) copies of petitions and orders filed in Circuit, County, Criminal, and Superior Courts in Cook County, 1871-1906. These records are also indexed by the Soundex Index. The original records, including those dating after 1906, are in possession of the Circuit Court of Cook County"--Introd.

Microfilm of the original records at the Federal Archives and Records Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Illinois, Northern District Naturalization Index is available online, click here

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