Nancy and GenTippers, Your are correct in your speculation that "N1884" probably means that is the year he was naturalized. At that time a wife would most likely gain citizenship when her husband naturalized. I would not expect to find an application for her. The value of finding his application may be a "correct date" of arrival and possibly the name of the ship. This could direct you to a passenger list that contain the names of specific towns. You can find a piece that I have written on naturalization at my web site. <http://members.aol.com/RalphK/DocumentSearch.html> The 1900 and 1910 census also asked questions concerning birthplaces of mother and father. Don't be too hopeful as most census takes simply indicated the name of the countries, but I have seen a few the included the town. Good luck in your research, one step at a time, backwards. Ralph Komives Genealogy Document Searches http://members.aol.com/RalphK/DocumentSearch.html Free download: Extended Chronology of the Nineteenth Century (1743-1901) Document Searches in Washington, D.C. Area and Annapolis, MD. Problem searches a specialty. Research at: DAR Library, National Archives, Library of Congress, MD, State Archives In a message dated 7/13/00 9:41:20 AM, NGroves@aol.com writes: << My great-grandfather and great-grandmother emigrated from Sweden and Denmark, respectively. There is no family information on which part of those countries they came from, but I'd dearly love to know. I have obtained death certificates and obituaries for both relatives, but they don't provide anything other than the country of origin. A volunteer looked up census records from 1920, which again listed only the country. I 'm hoping that naturalization records will at last provide the details I need. The census records indicated that both relatives were naturalized; the record for my great-grandfather included the phrase "N1884," which I presume means he was naturalized that year. There was no year given for my great-grandmother. I can probably find the record for my great-grandfather given what I know, but what about his wife? Would she have had to file for naturalization, or would it have been bestowed automatically when she married (if her husband was already a citizen), or when he became naturalized? I don't want to waste time looking for a record if there isn't one. Can anyone clarify how this process worked for women? Nancy >>