Minnesota Naturalization Records and Indexes - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This publications contains naturalization records from United States District and Circuit Courts for the state of Minnesota. The collections are from Record Group 21 Records of the District Courts of the United States and are from the National Archives Branch in Kansas City, Missouri.

 Collections in this publications   United States District Court
 * First Division. Winona. Naturalizations, 1896-1924
 * Second Division. Mankato. Declarations of intention, 1906-1940; Naturalizations, 1897-1944
 * Third Division. St. Paul. Declarations of intention, 1872-1955; Naturalizations, 1859-1954 Third Division Administrative History Note NARA
 * Fourth Division. Minneapolis. Declarations of intention, 1906-1962 Fourth Division Administrative History Note NARA
 * Sixth Division. Fergus Falls. Naturalizations, 1897-1936 Sixth Division Administrative History Note. NARA
 * Sixth Division. Naturalizations, 1896-1936; declarations of intention, 1896-1936

United States Circuit Court 
 * First Division. Winona. Naturalizations, 1897-1899; declarations of intentions, 1910
 * Second Division. Mankato. Naturalizations, 1897-1911; declarations of intention, 1900-1911
 * Third Division. St. Paul. Naturalizations, 1875-1911; declarations of intention, 1875-1911
 * Fourth Division. Minneapolis. Naturalizations, 1890-1911; declarations of intention, 1890-1911
 * Sixth Division. Fergus Falls. Declarations of Intention, 1890-1911
 * Sixth Division. Fergus. Naturalizations, 1897-1911

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Full Name
 * Date filed
 * Place of residence
 * Occupation
 * Birth date and place
 * Date and place of arrival
 * Name of vessel
 * Name and place of court


 * Marital status
 * Wife's name and birthplace
 * names and birth dates of children
 * Former country of allegiance
 * Affidavits of petitioner and witnesses
 * Signature of person
 * Witnesses' name, occupation, and address
 * Court date

Sample Images
Petition for Naturalization 1916

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s naturalization record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?
Use those naturalization records to:


 * Learn an immigrant’s place of origin
 * Confirm their date of arrival
 * Learn foreign and “Americanized” names
 * Find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names and for nicknames
 * Try a different index if there is one for the years needed. You may also need to search the naturalization records year by year
 * Search the indexes of nearby localities
 * Consult the Minnesota Record Finder to find other records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Minnesota.
 * Minnesota Guided Research
 * Minnesota Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.