Title: Wisconsin. Circuit Court (Brown County) Naturalization Records
Inclusive Dates: 1829-1984

Creator:

• Wisconsin. Circuit Court (Brown County)

Call Number: Brown Series 27; Brown Series 28; Brown Series 29

Quantity: 19.0 cubic feet (28 archives boxes, 2 flat boxes, and 15 volumes)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Records of naturalization proceedings in the Circuit Court of Brown County, Wisconsin. Records include indexes; Declarations of Intention; Petitions for citizenship; and court orders granting citizenship.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-brow0027

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See a general description of the naturalization process and naturalization records.

General

The Brown County Naturalization Records, 1829-1984, consist of records assigned three separate numbers but with related content. Brown Series 27, titled “Naturalization Records, 1829-1984” is the basic series and consists of the final naturalization papers which in this case include the declarations of intention, petitions for citizenship, and court orders granting citizenship. Brown Series 28, titled “Declarations of Intention, 1829-1937” consists of the declarations and related lists and indexes. Brown Series 29, titled “Index to Naturalization Records, 1829-1984” consists of indexes to Brown Series 27.

The Green Bay Area Research Center prepared a complete index of holdings for Brown Series 27 (Naturalizations) and Brown Series (Declarations of Intention). See link under "Other Finding Aids." Hard copies of these indexes are available in the Green Bay Area Research Center Reading Room.

In Brown Series 27, the original system of identifying volumes by number or letter was retained because the indexes are often keyed to this system. To eliminate confusion when requesting a particular volume, the researcher should specify not only the volume number but also the type of volume (e.g. Declarations of Intention) and dates.

For preservation purposes, some volumes were dismantled and placed in boxes, however the original system of numbering volumes was retained since the indexes are often keyed to this system. For these volumes, the container list gives the volume number in parentheses ( ) for identification purposes, and the box and reel number for location purposes.

Brown Series 27, Naturalization Records, 1829-1984 12.0 cubic feet (14 archives boxes and 15 separate volumes)

This series contains final naturalization papers consisting of Declarations of Intention (made at least two, later five, years prior to attainment of citizenship), Petitions for citizenship, and court orders granting citizenship.

The Declarations of Intention generally include: name, age, and nationality of declarant; date and place of arrival in the United States; date and place of declaration and renunciation of former allegiances. Beginning about 1930, Declarations include a small photograph.

Petitions include information from the Declaration as well as a sworn statement by one or more citizens that the petitioner had been a United States resident five years, a Wisconsin resident one year, and a person of suitable moral character and behavior.

After 1906 the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization of the Department of Commerce and Labor administered naturalization procedures. Petitions after that date also include occupation of petitioner, wife's name and nativity, family information (e.g. number, age, and birthplaces of children), record of court appearances, and similar information.

Volume 1 and volumes 8-25 contain an index to naturalizations recorded within each volume; volumes 2, 4, and 6 are indices to naturalizations recorded in volumes 3, 5, and 7.

Brown Series 28, Declarations of Intention, 1829-1937 5.6 cubic feet (12 archives boxes and 1 flat box)

This series consists just of Declarations of Intention to become a United States citizen and to renounce allegiance to other governments. Information on the Declaration form includes date of birth, country of origin, date of immigration, port of arrival, and date of declaration. After October 1906, the Declaration also includes occupation, physical description, place of birth, and last place of foreign residence. Information concerning declarant's spouse is included after 1917.

Prior to 1909, the State Constitution extended suffrage to aliens who had made a Declaration of Intention. Acting on the mistaken belief that the Declaration alone granted full citizenship, many nineteenth century immigrants never completed the naturalization process.

Volume 1 is a chronological list and alphabetical index of the unbound Declarations, 1829-1879. Page numbers in the index refer to the chronological list in the front of the volume. Volumes 2-8 are indexed at the front of each volume.

An additional volume can be found in Box 10 for September 7, 1929-July 21, 1937. This volume was not available when the Historical Society compiled its inventory.

Brown Series 29, Index to Naturalizations, 1829-1984 1.4 cubic feet (2 archives boxes and 1 flat box)

Consists of names of citizens naturalized in the Circuit Court, arranged by first letter of last name and thereunder roughly in chronological order. Box 1 is a general index to Brown Series, Naturalization Records, 1829-1940, but does not include names of unsuccessful applicants for citizenship. An entry on the last page of this record reads: “indexed from the old Naturalization records, under the W.P.A. project. Project finished December 4, 1936. Leo Ruel Clerk of Court.” The index has been updated to 1972. Especially for the earlier years, this index may be incomplete and may contain inaccuracies. Indexes included in Brown Series 27 may provide additional names. However, the index compiled by the Area Research Center is the most complete of all.

Box 2 contains separate indices to Volumes C, D, and E in Brown Series 27. Box 3 is “Citizenship Indexes, 1829-1984” and is undefined.

Volume A cited in the index is the list of naturalized persons (circa 1829-1889) found in box 1, folder 3 (xerographic copy) and in box 2 (original) probably compiled in the 1870s and 1880s. This list, arranged in approximate chronological order, shows only names and dates of naturalization. Volume B is catalogued as volume 1 of Brown Series 28 and is a list of Declarations of Intention.

Name index prepared by Green Bay Area Research Center.

Brown Series 27	Series: Naturalization Records, 1829-1984
Box   1 Folder   1	1829, 1831
Box   1 Folder   2	1835
Box   1 Folder   3	1837-1840
Box   1 Folder   4	1841
Box   1 Folder   5	1842
Box   1 Folder   6	1843
Box   1 Folder   7	1844
Box   1 Folder   8	1845
Box   1 Folder   9	1846
Box   1 Folder   10	1847
Box   1 Folder   11	1848-1849
Box   1 Folder   12	1850-1853
Box   2 Folder   1	1854
Box   2 Folder   2	1855
Box   2 Folder   3	1856
Box   2 Folder   4	1857
Box   2 Folder   5-6	1858
Box   2 Folder   7-9	1859-1860
Box   2 Folder   10-11	1861
Box   3 Folder   1	1862
Box   3 Folder   2	1863
Box   3 Folder   3	1864
Box   3 Folder   4	1865
Box   3 Folder   5	1866
Box   3 Folder   6	1867
Box   3 Folder   7	1868
Box   3 Folder   8	1869
Box   3 Folder   9-10	1870
Box   3 Folder   11	1871
Box   3 Folder   12	1872
Box   3 Folder   13	1873
Box   3 Folder   14	1874
Box   3 Folder   15	1875
Box   4 Folder   1-3	1876
Box   4 Folder   4-5	1877
Box   4 Folder   6-9	1878
Box   4 Folder   10-11	1879-1880 February
Box   B	Volume B, 1840-1847
Box   C Folder   1-5	Volume C, 1880-1891, pages 1-250
Box   C2 Folder   1-4	Volume C, 1880-1891 (continued), pages 251-504
Box   D Folder   1-5	Volume D (also designated Volume 5), 1891-1900
Volume   E	1900-1903
Volume   F	1903-1906
Volume   G	1906
Volume   1	1907-1909
Volume   2	1909-1913
Volume   3	1913
Volume   4	1913-1914
Volume   5	1914
Volume   6	1914-1915
Volume   7	1915-1917
Volume   8	1917
Volume   9	1917-1918
Volume   10	1918-1920
Volume   11	1920-1925
Volume   12	1925-1929
Box   5 Folder   1	Volume 13 (also designated Volume 22), 1930-1932
Box   5 Folder   2	Volume 14 (also designated Volume 23), 1932-1936
Box   5 Folder   3	Volume 15 (also designated Volume 24), 1936-1938
Box   5 Folder   4	Volume 16 (also designated Volume 25), 1938-1940
Box   6 Folder   1	Volume 17, 1940-1942, #1913-2004B
Box   6 Folder   2	Volume 18, 1942-1943, #2005-2100
Box   6 Folder   3	Volume 19, 1943-1948, #2101-2200
Box   6 Folder   4	Volume 20, 1948-1954, #2201-2298
Box   7 Folder   1	Volume 21, 1954-1957, #2301-2400
Box   7 Folder   2	Volume 22, 1957-1961, #2401-2502
Box   7 Folder   3	Volume 23, 1961-1964, #2503-2599
Box   7 Folder   4	Volume 24, 1964-1965, #2600-2699
Box   8 Folder   1	Volume 25, 1965-1969, #2700-2875
Box   8 Folder   2	Volume 26A, 1969-1970, #2876-2944
Box   8 Folder   3	Volume 26B, 1971-1972, #2945-3000
Box   8 Folder   4	Volume 27A, 1972-1974, #3001-3074
Box   8 Folder   5	Volume 27B, 1974-1975, #3075-3150
Box   9 Folder   1	Volume 28A, 1975-1978, #3151-3255
Box   9 Folder   2	Volume 28B, 1978-1979, #3256-3341
Box   9 Folder   3	Volume 29A, 1980-1982, #3342-3441
Box   9 Folder   4	Volume 29B, 1982-1984, #3442-3585
Box   10 Folder   1	Order Books, Volume 1, 1929-1955, #1-100
Box   10 Folder   2	Order Books, Volume 2, 1955-1982, #101-203
Box   10 Folder   3	Transferred Petitions and Repatriations, 1956-1982
Brown Series 28	Series: Declarations of Intention, 1829-1937	⇧
Box   1 Folder   1	1829-1841
Box   1 Folder   2	1842
Box   1 Folder   3	1843
Box   1 Folder   4	1844
Box   1 Folder   5	1845
Box   1 Folder   6	1846
Box   1 Folder   7-8	1847, A-Z and miscellaneous
Box   1 Folder   9-10	1848
Box   2 Folder   1	1849
Box   2 Folder   2	1850
Box   2 Folder   3-4	1851
Box   2 Folder   5	1852
Box   2 Folder   6	1853
Box   2 Folder   7-8	1854
Box   3 Folder   1-2	1855, A-Z and miscellaneous
Box   3 Folder   3-6	1856, Q-Z and miscellaneous
Box   4 Folder   1	1857
Box   4 Folder   2-3	1858, A-Z and miscellaneous
Box   4 Folder   4	1860
Box   4 Folder   5	1861
Box   4 Folder   6	1862
Box   4 Folder   7	1863
Box   4 Folder   8	1864
Box   4 Folder   9	1865
Box   5 Folder   1	1866
Box   5 Folder   2	1867
Box   5 Folder   3-4	1868
Box   5 Folder   5	1869
Box   5 Folder   6-7	1870
Box   5 Folder   8	1871
Box   6 Folder   1-3	1872
Box   6 Folder   4	1873
Box   6 Folder   5-6	1874
Box   7 Folder   1	1875
Box   7 Folder   2-4	1876, A-Z and miscellaneous
Box   7 Folder   5	1877
Box   7 Folder   6	1878
Box   7 Folder   7	1879
Box   8 Volume   1	Index to Unbound Declarations, 1835-1879
Box   8 Volume   2	, 1880-1888 and Index to , 1880-1888
Box   8a Folder   1	Index, 1829-1839
Box   8a Volume   2-7	Index, 1840-1879
Box   8a Folder   8	Index Supplement, 1840-1879
Box   8a Folder   9	Index, 1880-1888
Box   8a Folder   10-12	Chronological List, 1840-1879
Box   8b Volume   3	, 1888-1906 and Index to 1888-1906
Box   9 Volume   4	, 1906-1908 and Index to 1906-1908
Box   9 Volume   5	Original Volume 2, 1909-1914 and Index
Box   9 Volume   6	Original Volume 3, 1914-1918 and Index
Box   10 Volume   7	Original Volume 4, 1918-1920 and Index
Box   10 Volume   8	Original Volume 5, 1920-1929 and Index
Box   10 Volume   9	Original Volume 6, 1929-1937 and Index
Box   11 Folder   1	Original Volume 7, 1937-1950, #1480-1700
Box   11 Folder   2	Original Volume 8, 1950-1977, #1701-1796
Brown Series 29	Series: Index to Naturalizations, 1829-1984	⇧
Box   1	Index to Naturalizations, 1829-1972
Box   2	Index to Volume C
Box   2	Index to Volume D
Box   2	Index to Volume E
Box   3	Citizenship Indexes, 1829-1984