Dear Baden-Wuerttemberg List Friends, As what will hopefully serve as a closing postscript on the subject of United States immigration and naturalization (citizenship) record research, below are some notes and some helpful Web sites (taken from a BW List message of mine in 2000.) J ========================================== US Naturalization (citizenship) research can be complex and time-consuming. For those with an interest in researching United States naturalization, here are some excellent Web sites which provide detailed practical assistance and background information on US citizenship, its acquisition, and how to research the naturalization process of your ancestors. Arnie Lang's Guide to Naturalization Research http://home.att.net/~arnielang/ship08.html RootsWeb Lesson on Naturalization http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson16.htm National Archives Guide to Naturalization Research http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/naturalization/ National Archives (Prologue Magazine) Article on Women & Naturalization http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1998/summer/women-and-naturali zation-1.html Immigration Law (publication) article on Women & Naturalization Circa 1802-1940 Part 1 http://www.ilw.com/articles/2003,0317-smith.shtm Now, here are some BRIEF background notes on the complicated and extensive subject of naturalization. J Immigrants to the USA were unable to apply for citizenship immediately upon arrival. The standard residency requirement for someone who wanted to become an American citizen was five years within the USA from the date of arrival. A person could normally file what was known as the Declaration of Intention, or "first papers" after having continuously resided in the USA for approximately 2 years. They then had to wait an additional 3 years before filing the "final papers," formally known as the Petition for Naturalization. The degree of detailed information these forms contain will vary from one person to the next; some specify an exact town of birth, others state only the country (or German "state," such as Baden, Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, etc.) As a *general* rule, Declarations of Intention are often more detailed than Petitions for Naturalization, and documents for naturalizations AFTER 1906 tend to be more informative than those prior to that time. (There was a change in the naturalization laws in 1906 which brought this about.) Before undertaking naturalization record research, it is vital to note that until 1940, foreign-born *children* under the age of 21 became American citizens when their foreign-born *father* did, and until 1922, MARRIED foreign-born *women* became US citizens when their foreign-born *husbands* did. (The laws changed again these respective years.) The children and the man's wife DID NOT file separate and individual citizenship papers for themselves---normally, only the father/husband would have filed this documentation. This often makes it difficult to research the pre-1922 naturalization of a married woman or the pre-1940 naturalization of a minor child who received derivative citizenship, as there may be no documents which recorded the process---if documented, it will be under the name of the father or husband receiving the primary citizenship, not under the children's names or that of the wife. Children over the age of 21 and/or children who were married (regardless of age) did NOT qualify for derivative citizenship. They had to file separate papers for this process themselves, and they had to fulfill the other requirements for citizenship separately from their fathers Remember that any person BORN IN the United States was a citizen of the USA from the moment of their birth, *regardless of any alien status of their parents.* Be certain you determine whether the child of an immigrant ancestor was indeed *foreign-born* before searching for a naturalization record. With warmest wishes, Carla HELLER, Los Angeles, California USA mscarlah@earthlink.net Co-Administrator, RootsWeb's Baden-Wuerttemberg Mailing List