Carol, --The following site says they would have been citizens if they were there unless they were of the native peoples (who were added in 1915). That corresponds with everything I have ever seen. [1]http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=136 The 1867 Treaty of Cession with the Russians spelled out that the inhabitants of Alaska "with the exception of uncivilized native tribes, shall be admitted to the enjoyment of all the rights, advantages, and immunities of citizens of the United States. . ." --Persons entering the U. S.Military do NOT now become US citizens automatically. [2]http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/f/noncitizen.htm Question: Can a non-U.S. Citizen join the United States Military? Answer: Yes. A non-citizen can enlist in the military. However, federal law prohibits non-citizens from becoming commission or warrant officers. In order for a non-citizen to enlist in the military, he/she must first be a legal immigrant (with a green card), permamently residing in the United States. It's important to note that the military cannot and will not assist in the immigration process. One must immigrate first, using normal immigration quotas and procedures, and -- once they've established an address in the United States -- they can find a recruiter's office and apply for enlistment. hope this helps, Ted Carol Hokana wrote: I'm hoping one of you very experienced and wise genealogists can help me with this. My GG grandparents immigrated separately from Ireland, met in NYC, and married there in 1965. As far as I can tell, neither was a naturalized US citizen. He was in the US Army (enlisted in NYC in 1855), and they got stationed in California where their first child William was born. Then they got transferred to Sitka, Alaska, in the second half of 1867 or 1868 where their next two children were born, Mary and Thomas (in 1869 and 1870, resp). The purchase of Alaska was in 1867. I know that their oldest child William would be a US citizen since he was born on definite US soil--California was already a state in July, 1867--even if his parents weren't citizens. My question: are Mary and Thomas considered US citizens if Alaska wasn't a state or perhaps maybe even the purchase wasn't completed? Would Alaska be considered US soil in 1869 and 1870, ensuring them of US citizenship? At what point in the history of Alaska are people born there considered US citizens if their parents were not? According to one website ([3]http://www.50states.com/statehood.htm), Alaska was a "district" from Oct. 18, 1867, until it became an "organized territory" Aug. 24, 1912. Thank you, Carol Hokana researching O'CONNELLs, SULLIVANs, and CALLAGHANs from Co. Cork to NYC (c 1855) ====NY-Irish Mailing List==== Don't forget to check out the NY-Irish mailing list website. Also, check/add y our NY-Irish surnames on the Surname Registry: [4]http://www.connorsgenealogy. com/NYIrishList/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [5]NY-IRISH-request@roots web.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the b ody of the message References 1. http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=136 2. http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/f/noncitizen.htm 3. http://www.50states.com/statehood.htm 4. http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/NYIrishList/ 5. mailto:NY-IRISH-request@rootsweb.com

Many thanks to Ted for his very thorough answer, and to Bob for his response, too. I had checked current laws about the military bestowing citizenship (they do not) but I had no idea where to look to find out the rules way back then or what the laws were concerning cases like Alaska. By the way, in my post I erroneously entered the year of my gg grandparents wedding in NYC as 1965 when it should have been 1865. I think you sharpies figured it out but I thought I should clarify that they were marriage did not begin a hundred years *after* their children were born! ;-) Thank you, Carol Hokana Boston area researching O'CONNELLs, SULLIVANs, and CALLAGHANs from Co. Cork to NYC (c 1855)

For the uninformed or misinformed: By Executive Order Number 13269, dated July 3, 2002, President Bush declared that all those persons serving honorably in active-duty status in the Armed Forces of the United States at any time on or after September 11, 2001 until a date to be announced, are eligible to apply for naturalization in accordance with the service during hostilities statutory exception in Section 329 of the INA to the naturalization requirements. This means that individuals with even one day of honorable active duty service can apply for citizenship, regardless of how long they have been a resident. Note: Under this provision, individuals who apply for citizenship after discharge must present a DD Form 214, with service characterized as "Honorable," or "General." Those with other characterizations (including Entry Level Separation), are not eligible. Section 329 of the INA also applies to service-members who served on active duty during World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carol Hokana" <hokafanti@verizon.net> To: <teduke@embarqmail.com>; <ny-irish@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 3:02 PM Subject: Re: [NY--date. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.560 / Virus Database: 270.12.26/2116 - Release Date: 5/15/09 6:16 AM > >