What data was required by law?
In 1795, Congress enacted a statue requiring a Declaration of Intention to be filed 3 years before admission as a citizen, residence of 5 years in the USA and residence of one year in the state naturalized. An oath of allegiance, good moral character, renunciation of any title of nobility and the forswearing of allegiance to the reigning foreign sovereign were required. Prior to 1906, local, State and federal courts each had their own procedures and required forms for Petitions. Most asked for little information that is of use to genealogists. It was not until the law enacted on June 29, 1906 (effective September 27, 1906), that biographical data of the applicant and the applicant’s spouse and children were required. The immigrant’s Declaration of Intention and Certificate of Arrival were required to be attached to the Petition for Naturalization as a result of this law.
