Ohio, Northern District, Eastern Division, Naturalization Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection contains an index to naturalization petitions. Corresponds to NARA microfilm publication M1893: Index Cards to Naturalization Petitions for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, Cleveland, 1855-1967. The collection is part of Record Group 21 Records of the District Courts of the United States.

Record Content
The index generally includes the following:


 * Name of immigrant
 * Place of residence
 * Title and location of court granting certificate of naturalization
 * Volume and page number where certificate is recorded
 * Country of birth
 * Age or birth date
 * Date of arrival and U. S. port of entry
 * Names and address of witnesses

How to Use the Record
When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:


 * The full name of your ancestor
 * Other identifying information such as the approximate immigration and naturalization dates or the ancestor’s residence

If you do not know this information, check the 1900 census and then calculate the possible year of naturalization based on the date of immigration. The 1920 census may tell you the exact year of immigration or naturalization.

Search the Collection
To search the collection image by image select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Surname Range" which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
Use the locator information found in the index (such as name of court, page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example, you can use 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.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived, and then look for the Naturalization Petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts and then in state, county, or city courts.
 * An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process.
 * If your ancestor had a common name, be sure to look at all the entries for a name before you decide which is correct.
 * Continue to search the naturalization records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who may have naturalized in the same area or nearby.
 * The witnesses named on naturalization records may have been older relatives of the person in the naturalization process. Search for their naturalizations.
 * You may want to obtain the naturalization records of every person who shares your ancestor’s surname if they lived in the same county or nearby. You may not know how or if they are related, but the information could lead you to more information about your own ancestors.
 * Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings. Realize that the indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings and misinterpretations.
 * 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 and records or nearby localities.

Related Websites

 * NARA Collection description M1893
 * NARA Naturalization Records
 * NARA U.S. Laws Relating to Immigration and Naturalization
 * Naturalization Records.com

Related Wiki Articles
Ohio Naturalization and Citizenship

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection citation:

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