Although the various indexes reference individuals who filed naturalization papers as early as 1836, the Petitions in this series begin only in 1856, and Declarations filed between 1836 and 1906 (contained in Boxes 4-9 and duplicated on microfilm reels 1-5) do not appear to constitute a complete set of Declarations filed during those years.
The beginning place for searching the Grant County Naturalization Records is the alphabetical Card Index to Petitions and Repatriations (1838-1962). This index gives the date, volume, and page or Petition number for all Petitions filed from 1856 to 1962 and for many filed prior to 1856. It gives the Repatriation number for Repatriations.
The Index to Petitions (1838-1906) and the Index to Citizenship (1906-1962) provide a back-up to the Card Index. These indexes are arranged in alphabetical segments by first letter of surname and chronologically by date of Petition therein. The Index to Petitions gives only the date of filing the Petition. The Index to Citizenship gives the date, volume, page and document number for Declarations, Petitions, and Certificates of Naturalization for those individuals who completed the naturalization process in Grant County after 1907.
If an individual's name is not found in the indexes described above, the researcher should check the various Declaration of Intention indexes. Researchers will need to use the microfilmed index; the original volume is not in archival custody. The Index to Declarations (1836-1906) is arranged in alphabetical segments by first letter of surname. It gives only the date the Declaration was filed; the original volume is not in archival custody. If the date is pre-1856 or if the Declaration is not found in Volumes 1-3, the researcher should check Boxes 4-9 where unbound Declarations are foldered in alphabetical segments. These Declarations range from approximately 1836 to 1906, but are heavily concentrated in the 1840s and 1850s. For Declarations filed in the 1906-1958 period the researcher will have to check the individual indexes for Volumes 4-6; these are located at the front of each volume.
Most of the records are available both in original paper form and on microfilm.
