General
The Iowa County Naturalization Records consist of naturalization cases in the Iowa County Territorial District Court (1835-1848) and the Circuit Court (1848-1954). Records include Declarations of Intention (1835-1953), Naturalization Record (1904-1906), Petitions (1907-1954), and indexes to these records (1837-1952).
The original volume numbers have been retained because the indexes are keyed to this system.
For preservation purposes some volumes have been dismantled and placed in boxes. These volume numbers are designated by parentheses in the Container List for identification purposes; the box number is listed for retrieval purposes.
Indexes
The index titled “Register of Citizenship” is an index to naturalization orders and decrees. It indexes entries in “Court Orders and Decrees,” volumes 1-12, 1837-1903 (Iowa Series 36); Naturalization record, Volume C, 1904-1906; and Petitions, volumes 1-7, 1909-1952. Each entry in the index shows name, date of court action, volume, and page number of actions relating to granting citizenship.
The “Index to Declarations of Intention” indexes volumes 1-10 (1835-1906) of Declarations. Entries show name, nationality and age of alien, date of declaration, and volume and page of document. For Declaration volumes 1-6 (1906-1953) consult the name index in the front of each volume.
The “Index Cards” gives the name, date of admission, petition number and sometimes declaration number for citizenship granted from 1921 through approximately 1954. Cards are arranged alphabetical by name. Be aware that the set of cards may not be complete.
Records
The Declarations of Intention typically include some or all of the following information about the applicant: age or birth date, place of birth, and date and place of entry into the United States. Entries in Volumes 1-4, 1835-1849, also contain the date and place of emigration and immigration. Post-1906 records contain more information about the petitioner.
Each individual's record in the Naturalization Record, 1904-1906, consists of the petition, oath of witnesses, final oath, and order of admission to citizenship showing name of citizen, country of birth, date of arrival, and related information.
