Get Familiar with USCIS: home of US Naturalization Records after 1906

Usually when I want to request a naturalization record, I think of the
 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or the state court if that is where the naturalization occurred. But as I mentioned in my last post, (July 23, 2012) since 1906 the federal government has had jurisdiction over naturalization. Even with this move to centralize the process under the federal umbrella, state and US courts

were both able to process naturalizations. Familysearch.org has a very informative wiki on this subject.

I had located my maternal grandfather’s Declaration of Intention on the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court NaturalizationDeclaration of Intention database:

Before I knew about Homeland Security’s naturalization files, I contacted the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) atNortheastern University in Chicago to request a copy of Frank’s naturalization card. I talked about IRAD in my post of July 4, 2012. You can call or write to make your request. Be sure to include any pertinent information that you already have about the target person, including birth date. In just a few days, I received Frank Holub’s naturalization certificate issued by the US District Court in Chicago in 1935:

But I wondered if a file existed for Frank Holub that might have more information than just the certificate. Could there be first papers (Declaration of Intention) or final papers? This event occurred after 1906, so I knew that the Homeland Security naturalization branch, the UnitedStates Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), might have Frank’s naturalization file.


But I needed to have a C-number to request the file, as I had learned from the USCIS Historical Reference Library, when I had made a previous request (see my post of July 23,2012.) I saw the H-410 number stamped on the upper left corner of the card. But where was the C-xxx? I decided to send another e-mail message to the USCIS Historical Reference Library, asking for help once more. And as you will see in the response below, the library came through again.

Before the written message, the library attached Frank Holub’s naturalization certificate with the three numbers circled and color-coded:

“The C-number for this file is “C-3903371.”  This is the number to submit to the USCIS Genealogy Program in your “Record Copy Request” when requesting Frank Holub’s Certificate File (“C-File”).

Naturalization records have a variety of associated numbers and one must be careful to use the correct number in a given context:

1.       The Certificate number (circled in red and identified as “cn” or certificate of naturalization) is the USCIS Certificate File (C-File) number used to request the file from the USCIS Genealogy Program.  (Put a “C-“ in front of the number on the card  C-3903371).

2.       The Petition number (circled in blue) is the Petition for Naturalization number and refers to the COURT document (state, local, or federal court).

3.       The “H-410” number (circled in green below) is the Soundex code for the last name and so is associated with the index itself, not any of the records.”

After I read the message, the numbering system on the naturalization looked easy. But before the library’s explanation, it had not been simple to decipher.

To recap, check your naturalization documents. If you have ancestors who were naturalized after 1906, you may wish to request copies of their files from USCIS, no matter if they were naturalized in state or federal courts. Also, a very helpful part of USCIS is the Historical Reference Library.


Categories: US citizenship, US Agencies

Why Some People were granted US Citizenship Twice

It all started with two legal documents that seemed to attest to the same event. And this event was John Ulrich Kreis’ US naturalization.

 The first document was his Certificate of Naturalization, issued by the 2^nd District Court of New Orleans, LA on 10 Oct 1878:

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The New Orleans Public Library offers a clear and comprehensive guide to naturalization.

How I came to have this document in my possession is important to all who study genealogy. My good friend, Gary Kriss, the co-administrator of the Kriss/Krise/Kreis/Kries DNA Surname Project, found it on Ancestry.   This is an example of the reason for every genealogist to build a   community of fellow researchers.You will benefit when you share information with others, help others with their brick walls, and follow the thinking processes of those in your circle.

A few months after John’s 1878 Certificate of Naturalization from New Orleans came into my possession, I had another piece of luck. Once again a genie friend led me to a great discovery. We found John Ulrich Kreis’ granddaughter, J.D., by his second wife, Henrietta Hausmann Williams Kreis, living in Essex County, NJ. I discussed this wonderful experience in my post of March 16, 2012.

It is through J.D. that John Kreis’ second citizenship document came to me. J.D. sent me a document titled “Certificate of Citizenship” and issued by the United States Bureau of Naturalization (under the Department of Labor from 1913-1933), dated September 26, 1931,which bestowed US citizenship on John U. Kreis for a second time in 53 years. This was very puzzling.

I sought guidance from a wise friend in NJ on this puzzle. I was thinking of checking with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) but had been procrastinating. My friend suggested contacting Homeland Security. I had not even thought of that. But that is after all where naturalization is handled now. I went to the main Homeland Security website and at the bottom of the page found the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) link. At first glance didn’t find anything about naturalization history (if I had scrolled down to the bottom of the page, I would have seen “genealogy” listed in the topic area.) But when I clicked on “About US”, I saw “History” on the left column and clicked on that. And here is where I got lucky. In the right-hand column appeared: USCISHistorical Reference Library.

Now as we genealogists all know, libraries are wonderful resources.

I e-mailed the library asking why a person would seek US citizenship a second time after having been naturalized. This is the response I received:

“Your great-grandfather had an “Old Law” Naturalization Certificate. 

The Federal government did not start keeping copies on naturalization records until Sept. 27, 1906.  Before that date, only the naturalization court had copies of the naturalization record and the court gave the original naturalization certificate to the new citizen.  Many certificates were lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed, however, creating an issue for the naturalized citizens (and courts trying to confirm the proper holder of a certificate – There were no pictures in the records).

To correct these problems, the Registry Act of March 2, 1929 authorized INS to issue "Old Law" Naturalization Certificates to replace naturalization certificates which were lost, destroyed, or mutilated, where the original naturalization certificate was granted under the procedure in effect prior to the Act of June 29, 1906…”

I had my answer! And there on the USCIS on-line genealogy brochure  was the same newly re-issued “Old Law” Naturalization Certificate as John Ulrich Kreis had.

But the library staff did not stop with just this explanation of why two citizenship certificates were granted to the same person from different government agencies. I was given directions on how to locate John’s naturalization file:

“Before 1956, issuing of an Old Law Naturalization Certificate created a (Naturalization) Certificate File (“C-File”).  Although most C-Files are numbered “C-########,” your great-grandfather’s Certificate Number is “OL-1241” (for “Old Law”). 

Use this number to request the C-File from the USCIS Genealogy Program.  See www.uscis.gov/genealogy.  You can skip the “Index Search” Request (1^st Step) because you have the number, and submit a “Record Copy Request.”  The records should cost Thirty-Five Dollars ($35.00).”

I sent away for the file and will share what I learn in a future post.

What I learned from this process (solving the puzzle of why a person would apply for citizenship once he had already been naturalized) is:

1.     how important it is to build and use a community of genealogy friends and mentors

2.     how key libraries are in supporting your genealogical research

Categories: US citizenship, US Agencies