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Naturalization Records

From U.S. District Courts (RG 21) in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, held in the National Archives, Chicago

7358 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629-5898
Telephone 773-948-9001

Dates indicate overall time span of discrete series of U.S. District Court (Federal) naturalization records in our custody. There are some chronological gaps and incomplete files. Occasionally references to Federal court naturalizations preceding the above dates can be found in early 19th century civil and criminal case records. Besides numerically arranged declarations of intention and petitions, other types of often complex naturalization records exist and may be examined in our Textual Research Room. Consult our staff to arrange a future visit. For Federal court records (including indexes) not yet in our custody, contact the Clerk of the Court for that Federal court.

A separate Soundex Naturalization Index in our custody (reproduced as NARA Microfilm Publication M1285) covers naturalizations filed 1871-1950 in Federal courts in Chicago and 1840-1950 in Federal courts in Danville and Peoria, IL; Hammond, IN; and Madison and Milwaukee, WI. These dates (and other available petition index dates) are reflected above. While the Soundex index also covers non-Federal municipal and county courts in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin, we do not have custody of non-Federal court records. For possible assistance with non-Federal court records, contact the appropriate non-Federal court clerk or State archives. Refer to books such as Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States by Christina Schaefer, County Courthouse Book by Elizabeth Petty Bentley, or The Handybook for Genealogists for information about county court records and repositories having custody of them.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service), 425 I Street NW., Washington, DC 20536, telephone 800-375-5283 has duplicate copies of naturalization petitions created after September 26, 1906 in all Federal, county, and municipal courts. BCIS (not the National Archives) also has alien registration files ("A" files) from 1940 onward.

*  Many Federal court records for Minnesota are in the National Archives and Records Administration -- Central Plains Region (2312 East Bannister Road; Kansas City, MO 64131; telephone 816-268-8000). Minnesota became part of the Great Lakes Region in 1971.

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