Online naturalization data on Clare-born, U.S. Archives

[smcarberry]

This long posting is necessary (and hopefully helpful) because I have come to realize how difficult it is to become aware of name indexes which exist on the U.S. National Archives website. The U.S. government has enormous amounts of records which could be critical to a family historian's research, but the perspective of the Archives administration has been that no special care is needed to alert family historians to finding aids, either in hard copy (i.e., lying on a shelf in a regional archives) or those which are already online. The Archives website has text sections for genealogy and how to get started using its resources. The records are organized online in the same manner as in bricks-and-mortar facilities, which is that the country is divided into regions, and each region has its own explanation of its records. All but two of those regional online text sections fail to mention that name indexes exist. Thus, after reading a regional facility's description of its holdings, a family historian must wonder if a trip to that facility might yield something useful. The regional archives physically located in Chicago IL (the Great Lakes Regional Archives) and the Central Plains Regional Archives in Kansas City, Missouri, prominently display their name indexes in their respective online sections.

Since I am doing Illinois research on my Carberrys and associated families, I bumped into the Illinois name index listing a few months ago. Yesterday I tried finding it and any others in the U.S. Archives system. That effort took a very frustrating half-hour, even though I knew these existed. The national website provides no direct links. Finally I did find my way to a page of links for name indexes in the entire system. Due to that difficulty, I am providing the links below, so that other family historians can make use of the data in these online name indexes. Not every state or region has one, but the name indexes cover states where Clare-born immigrants settled. The link to the page which contains the master list is:
http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/t ... bases.html

I have not reviewed every name index. However, here are the Clare names on the ones that I have reviewed:

Application by Alien for Relief from Military Service (DDS Form 301); Alien's Personal History & Statement (DDS Form 304)
http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/fin ... inois.html

Patrick Curtin Co. Clare, Ireland March 12, 1906 Michael Hynes Ennistgemon, Co. Clave, Ireland August 9, 1906
Patrick Joseph Meere Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland January 17, 1904

Michael Gleeson Limerick City, Ireland March 6, 1911
Sydney Eyre Ievers Limerick, Ireland February 12, 1915

Alien's Personal History and Statement (DSS Form 304), 1942-1945, for Michigan
http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/fin ... higan.html
John Thomas Davey Ontario, Canada May 21, 1914

Finding aid to Central Plains branch at Kansas City MO
http://www.archives.gov/central-plains/ ... ralization

Name Index to Naturalizations for District of Iowa (1840-1888)
http://www.archives.gov/central-plains/ ... eokuk.html
Malone Simon 9/20/1859 Ireland Declaration Folder 1859 US District Court, Keokuk, [for Jeanne Dwyer's research]
Griffen Michael 10/10/1859 County Clare, Ireland Declaration Folder 1859
McCarty John 10/4/1865 County Clare, Ireland Declaration Folder 1865 Shaughnessy James 10/6/1860 County Clare, Ireland Declaration Folder 1860

Additionally, I found online articles and other name lists which are potentially useful. There is more on that website than I
had suspected. Here is an example:
Wagonmasters Serving the Union During the Civil War
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/milit ... sters.html

posted by Sharon Carberry USA


Master List of Name Indexes, online on the U.S. National Archives website:
Iowa
Creston Naturalizations, Name index to naturalization records, including declarations and petitions, 1930-1951, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa, Southern (Creston) Division. Record Group 21.
Keokuk Naturalizations, Name index to miscellaneous records pertaining to naturalization, 1840-1888, U.S. District Court, District of Iowa, Southern (Keokuk) Division. Record Group 21.
Mason City Naturalizations, Name index to naturalization records, including petitions and declarations, 1942-1961, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa, Central (Mason City) Division. Record Group 21.
Ottumwa Naturalizations, Name index to naturalization records, including petitions and declarations, 1916-1951, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa, Ottumwa Division. Record Group 21.

Kansas
Fort Scott Naturalizations, Name index to naturalization records, including petitions and declarations, 1915-1967, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, Fort Scott Division. Record Group 21.
Kansas City Naturalizations, Name index to naturalization records, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, 1948-1970, Kansas City Division. Record Group 21.
Kansas Indian Naturalizations, Name index to Indians naturalized in Kansas, ca. 1865-1874, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas. Record Group 21.
Topeka Declarations 1852-1942 Name index to declarations of intention to naturalize ("first papers"), 1852-1942, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, Topeka Division. Record Group 21.
Topeka Overseas Naturalizations, Name index to overseas naturalization petitions, 1943-1954, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, Topeka Division. Record Group 21.
Topeka Petitions 1868-1984, Name index to naturalization petitions, 1868-1984, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, Topeka Division. Record Group 21.

Minnesota
Fergus Falls Petitions, Name index to petitions ca. 1897-1944, U.S. District Court and U.S. Circuit Court, Sixth Division of Minnesota, Fergus Falls, MN, Record Group 21.
Mankato Petitions, Name index to petitions ca. 1907-1929, U.S. District Court, Second Division of Minnesota, Mankato, MN, Record Group 21.
Minneapolis Naturalizations, 1890-1965 - Part 1
Minneapolis Naturalizations, 1890-1965 - Part 2
This index contains naturalization petitions filed in the U.S. Circuit Court and U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, 1890-1965 and the declarations of intention filed in the U.S. Circuit Court, 1890-1911.
St. Paul Name Index to Naturalization Records (1859-1956), U.S. District and U.S. Circuit Courts, District of Minnesota
Winona Naturalizations, Name index to petitions and declarations of intention 1895-1924, U.S. District Court and U.S. Circuit Court, First District of Minnesota, Winona, MN, Record Group 21.

Missouri
Cape Girardeau Petitions, Name index to naturalization petitions ca. 1908-1979, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, Southeast Division, Cape Girardeau MO, Record Group 21.
Hannibal Petitions, Name index to naturalization petitions ca. 1907-1973, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, Northern Division, Hannibal MO, Record Group 21.
Jefferson City Petitions, Name index to naturalization petitions ca. 1938-1982, U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Central Division, Jefferson City MO, Record Group 21.
Joplin Petitions, Name index to naturalization petitions ca. 1931-ca. 1969, U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Southwest Division, Joplin MO, Record Group 21.
Springfield Petitions, Name index to naturalization petitions ca. 1911-ca. 1983, U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Southern Division, Springfield, MO, Record Group 21
St. Joseph Petitions, Name index to naturalization petitions ca. 1908-1976, U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Northern Division, St. Joseph MO, Record Group 21.
Kansas City
The Central Plains Region has a WPA card index to naturalizations (1848-1950) covering the greater Kansas City area, much of Kansas and Missouri, and parts of Oklahoma, we also have a certificate stub index to naturalizations in the U.S. District Court, Kansas City, Missouri (1914-1985).
St. Louis
The Central Plains Region has a card index for U.S. District Court and U.S. Circuit Court naturalization petitions filed in St. Louis (1890-1991). East St. Louis, Illinois records do not appear in this index.
Name Index to Naturalizations, 1846 - 1890, U.S. Circuit and U.S. District Courts, Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division (St. Louis) in NARA's Central Plains Region (Kansas City, MO). Record Group 21.

Nebraska
Chadron Division, Name Index to Naturalization Records, Including Declarations and Petitions, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, in NARA's Central Plains Region (Kansas City, MO)
Grand Island Petitions, Name index to naturalization petitions ca. 1930-1951, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, Record Group 21.
Hastings Petitions, Name Index to Naturalization Petitions ca. 1931-1951, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, Record Group 21.
Lincoln Petitions, Name index to naturalizations petitions ca. 1932-1980, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, Record Group 21.
McCook Division, Name Index to Naturalization Records, Including Declarations and Petitions, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, in NARA's Central Plains Region (Kansas City, MO)
Norfolk Petitions, Name index to petitions ca. 1929-1942, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, Record Group 21.
North Platte Petitions and Declarations, Name index to petitions and declarations of intent ca. 1930-1951, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, Record Group 21.
Omaha Petitions, Name index to petitions ca. 1867-1991, U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska, Record Group 21.
North Dakota
District of North Dakota, Name Index to North Dakota Naturalization Records, U.S. District and U.S. Circuit Courts
South Dakota & Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory and South Dakota, Name Index to Naturalization Records

[smcarberry]

The prior posting under this topic heading described the difficulty in reaching a useful listing of each NARA branch's holdings, especially when a facility has name indexes for its records. I gave examples of online indexes at NARA branches, which included material from DSS forms filed in Illinois and Michigan, held by the Great Lakes branch in Chicago. The DSS forms were filed during WWII by alien residents all over the U.S., so every NARA branch should have the actual, completed forms in its holdings. Apparently none have been filmed so they are all called "textual records." I have tried the NARA online search engine to confirm that each branch has them. Unfortunately I could not find any such listing for my local NARA branch near Atlanta GA. There are listings for other branches, which can be reached with the search engine link which I show below.

The good news on this subject is that the German Genealogy Group of NYC has gone to the NYC NARA branch and has placed online transcribed important details of all the filed registration statements. This is a new database and not yet listed on the group's main screens which list their website's databases. So, use the link below to reach the database's search engine. If you locate a record in which you are interested, the entire four-page form can be ordered from NARA. The personal details on those forms are highly useful for family history purposes; see the questionaire form via a link below.

Sharon Carberry


Dss forms filed (names, dates, etc. on individual forms) in Illinois
http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/fin ... inois.html

Dss forms filed in Michigan
http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/fin ... higan.html

Searching for DSS forms in other NARA branches: using "dss" as a search term - 4 screens of listings for textual records
http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/

Alien Statement details online via the German Genealogy Group of NYC
As of Sept 1940, a DSS Form 304, "Alien Personal History and Statement," was issued to every alien classified in particular classes by the local Selective Service board.
Those transcribed from files in the New York City area can be found via this search engine:
http://www.germangenealogygroup.com/AlienSEARCH.asp

Questionaire form completed by registrants
http://www.germangenealogygroup.com/ALI ... TEMENT.pdf

These records are held in the (federal) National Archives, with the transcribed ones being at the Varick Street branch, NYC. The records can be viewed there or a copy ordered for a fee.

Note that the NYC-area files contain forms completed by registrants living as far away as Los Angeles CA and many for other locations in New York State.

For some transcriptions, there is an entry in the "notes" column that refers to an Irish location or a place to which the registrant moved in the U.S. presumably after filing the DSS form.

Examples:
Brogan, Patrick Joseph
filed NJ, b. 1908, residing Middlesex Co. NJ, notes: Mullogh, Ireland

Hurley, Austin Dennis
filed NYS, b. 1903, residing Rochester NY