Carol, We are on much the same wave length <smile>. My problem is that NARA says: "Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. It is a voluntary act; naturalization is not required. Of the foreign-born persons listed on the 1890 through 1930 censuses, 25 percent had not become naturalized or filed their 'first papers.'" Since my grandparents immigrated in about 1868 as children, married in Chicago in 1879, and raised their family in Minneapolis, I am facing what could be a very costly search for records that may not, in fact, exist in either Cook County, the City of Chicago, Illinois, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, or the State of Minnesota. I am willing to consider hiring researchers (I am in the East, the record centers in the Midwest) if these records would contain valuable information. However, from some recent postings, I was beginning to doubt that they, in fact, held much information at all. My grandparents, too, died before I was born. I would be elated to find anything on their families. Thanks for your comments. They will help keep me searching. Best, Elaine Elaine T. Maddox Rootsweb Sponsor, S.L.E.P.I.C.K.A. / H.R.U.S.K.A. family researcher Volunteer of Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness at http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnraogk/index.htm -----Original Message----- From: JOwenG@aol.com <JOwenG@aol.com> To: elainetm@worldnet.att.net <elainetm@worldnet.att.net> Date: Wednesday, March 10, 1999 9:06 PM Subject: Re: [NEBRRoots-L] Are Declarations of Intent and Naturalization Records a giv... >Elaine, > >I sort of caught the end of this "DOI" threads, but I think you are wondering >if it is worthwhile to pursue obtaining a copy of an ancestor's DOI papers. > >I am still looking for my Swedish grandfather's Naturalization Papers (if, >indeed, they actually exist), but I have my Irish grandfather's papers and I >consider them a treasure. The papers list the address where he lived at the >time (Brooklyn, NY), his occupation and the name and address of his sponsor, >who was probably a good friend. I have a copy of his signature from the >papers. > >Perhaps, if you are only looking for hard dates, and nothing else, they are >not of great genealogical value. But both my grandfathers died long before I >came into this world, so I never knew them. Having these (and like) documents >in my possession is as precious to me as the single item of my grandfather's, >a watch fob, given to me by my mother shortly before she died. > >Happy hunting! > >Carol Granville