SIMPLIFIED METHOD OF USING THE FOND DU LAC COUNTY NATURALIZATION RECORDS
1. Go to the alphabetical card index. (The original cards are located at the Oshkosh Area Research Center; they have been microfilmed and also appear on Reels 1-3 of this collection.) If you do not at first find the individual you are researching, try different spellings of the name. There are many reasons why the spelling you have may not be the same as the spelling on the index card. If you are still unsuccessful, you should try the other indexes described in “Scope and Content,” and listed in the Contents List.
2. Once you find the individual you are researching, take down all the potential finding aid information given on the index card. Finding aid information includes date of transaction (that is, declaration, petition, order, certificate), court number (which may refer to either the declaration or the petition, whichever was the last step taken by the particular individual in the naturalization process), certificate number, and volume and page numbers.
3. With this finding aid information in hand, turn to the Contents List and match your information with the information on the Contents List to determine which volumes, boxes, or reels of microfilm contain the document(s) for the individual you are researching.
4. If this method does not work for you, study the “Scope and Content” section and/or consult with the archival staff.
