I found my great grandfather's declaration of intent here in NY. It may have to do with different forms used at different times in our history. He came in the early 1870's and his declaration stated his date of arrival and port of entry.. I can use this info to find what ships docked on this date. His port of departure was also listed, but not the ship's name. Hope this helps. I also was wondering if the declaration could have been filed in a local court and then the final papers issued from a different city?? Cathy