What are naturalization papers and the Declaration of Intention?
Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. As a general rule, it was a two-step process that took a minimum of 5 years: • First your ancestor had to fill a declaration of intention (so-called “first papers”) to become citizen, after residing in the United States for 2 years • After 3 additional year, if the petition for naturalization was granted, a certificate of citizenship was issued As a general rule, the “declaration of intent” generally contains more genealogically useful information than the “petition.” Italian immigrants were the largest group to fill up the first papers. The “declaration” may include the alien’s month and year (or possibly the exact date) of immigration into the United States and port of entry. This date may be exact or an approximation. Sometimes the date of arrival recalled by the individual is when he arrived at the city in which he located rather than the date of arrival at the port. Keep in mind; WIVES were automatically
