Hello California! Need some advice.

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:04 pm

Hi everyone,

I've located a possible relative of my mother's. On Ancestry, he shows up registering for the draft in San Francisco in 1917. He also shows up in the Index for Naturalizations for the Northern District of California but there is no date given on the record.

Does anyone know how to access actual Naturalization records for California?

Carol

Post by **marilyn morning** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:43 pm

Hi Carol,

As far as I'm aware, the actual documentation would be held at a National Archive location which would require a visit in person. So pack your suitcase for a trip or maybe contact RAOGK to request a look-up.

http://www.archives.gov/pacific/san-francisco/

http://www.raogk.org/californ.htm

Regards
Marilyn

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:22 pm

Thanks Marilyn,

Looks like I might be able to order a repro of the declaration of intention since he was in the index, but I have to register to use their find feature. Will take this up later.

Right now I'm going to do battle with my healthcare insurer. When my husband switched to Medicare on the 1st of the month, someone dropped my prescription coverage and now their computer isn't talking to the mail order pharmacy's computer and I have to try to get someone to fix the problem!

Carol

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:34 pm

Hi again!

The US National Archive site is relatively easy to use so I went ahead and ordered a copy of the naturalization record. It costs $7.50 for an uncertified copy and they don't charge you if they don't find the record that you requested.

The main problem I ran into was choosing the date spread to request. The naturalization records changed in September of 1906 from state held to federal government held so they are in different locations.

Of course, 1906 is the year I am interested in because a family story says that my grandfather decided to see the west coast before he settled down and married so he bought a pistol and a train ticket for San Francisco. He was supposed to have been in SF three weeks before the earthquake! He might have been an adventurer, but this story would make more sense if he had a cousin in San Francisco who said, "Come on out!" The cousin is the person who's records I'm interested in because my grandfather was illigetimate and my mother and aunts said he never talked about his family.

I ended up choosing the 1907-1917 spread because I know he was naturalized when he registered for the WWI draft in 1917. If he doesn't show up in this set then I'll think about trying the 1906 and earlier set.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Carol

Post by **marilyn morning** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:54 am

The US National Archive site is relatively easy to use so I went ahead and ordered a copy of the naturalization record. It costs $7.50 for an uncertified copy and they don't charge you if they don't find the record that you requested.

Hi Carol,

Well to borrow a quote from my good friend Jed Clampett

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Ebsen

"Well I'll be doggie"

Honestly I wasn't aware that any records from the National Archives were available on line.

Now I wondering if they were available six years ago when I drove to Massachusetts to fetch my g gf records.

Regards
Marilyn

P.S. Keeping my fingers double crossed for ya [-o<

Post by **Ina** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:00 am

Hi Marilyn,

I also wasn't aware that the records were online.

I've just now ordered my naturalization papers. Let's hope they have them as Ancestry has no records of me ever being naturalized........ and I've been voting for many years.

Ina

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:39 pm

Hi all,

Marilyn,

Don't know when the find and order facility became available. I tend to get lost in sites like the archives so I may have missed it before. Also, we have our grandparents papers already so it wasn't something that I was pursuing.

Ina,

Dear old Ancestry! The index shows both of my grandparents, but not my grandfather's brother and wife who lived just a couple of miles away and were naturalized about the same time! In fact, I still haven't found them on the 1930 census after two years of searching...

Carol

Post by **Ina** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:36 pm

Hi Carol,

It's not only dear old Ancestry that doesn't get things right. I contacted NAS via email requesting my naturalization paperwork. They phoned me yesterday and said they have no record of me ever becoming a citizen.

I went to my safe and located the petition number they had given me when I was sworn in. They are now going to search for my records using that number. She said she would get back to me by Monday.

I'm here now.....no green card.....no citizenship.......do you think they will deport me?

I just bought my ticket to go home in May. Maybe I should have waited......I may get a free trip!!!

Ina

Post by **Anne H** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:44 pm

Ina wrote:

I'm here now.....no green card.....no citizenship.......do you think they will deport me?

I just bought my ticket to go home in May. Maybe I should have waited......I may get a free trip!!!

You just might get that free trip...you never know, Ina!

Regards,
Anne H

Post by **marilyn morning** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:52 pm

Ina wrote

I'm here now.....no green card.....no citizenship.......do you think they will deport me? Laughing Laughing Laughing

I just bought my ticket to go home in May. Maybe I should have waited......I may get a free trip!!

Ah Ina, careful homeland security could be watching and maybe they're a member here on [talkingscot]

8-[ 8-[ 8-[

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