General
The Lincoln County Naturalizations include Declarations, Petitions, Certificates, indexes to these records; and Orders Granting and Denying Petitions.
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 or Petitions) and dates.
For preservation purposes some volumes have been disbound and placed in boxes. For these volumes the list below gives the volume number in parentheses ( ) for identification purposes, and the box number for circulation purposes. Volume numbers that appear in brackets [ ] are numbers that were assigned by the archivist. All records are available in both original format and on microfilm.
Indexes
The INDEX TO CITIZENSHIP, 1876-1958, is arranged alphabetically by first letter of last name and roughly chronological thereunder by date of declaration. Entries list the name; volume number, page number, and date of declarations, petitions, and certificates. This is the most comprehensive of all the indexes. If an entry gives a declaration date between 1884 and 1906, the declaration can be found in Box 3, the volumes, or both.
NATURALIZATION INDEX CARDS, 1877-1948, are arranged alphabetically by last name. The cards may list the date, volume and page numbers of declarations, petitions, and certificates; address; country of origin; date of birth; date and port of arrival; names and addresses of wife and children; and alien registration number. The “Date of Naturalization” listed is usually the date the certificates were issued, however especially before 1906, it can be the date of the declaration. Most cards do not give the volume and page number of declarations. The entries in this index and declaration entries in the “Index to Citizenship” tend to duplicate each other for the overlapping years.
INDEX TO DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION, 1876-1906, is arranged alphabetically by first letter of last name and chronologically thereunder. Entries list the name; declaration number; date; and may also list the page number of the declaration. The declaration numbers are numbers that have been written on the declaration document by the clerk. Entries refer to the declarations in the volumes, not the loose declarations in Box 3. The entries in this index and declaration entries in the “Index to Citizenship” tend to duplicate each other for the overlapping years.
Records
DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION cover the years 1876-1950. Unbound documents for 1884-1906 (Box 3) are arranged alphabetically by last name and appear to be duplicates of the declarations in Volumes 1-3. If you cannot find the declaration you are looking for in the volumes, check the documents in Box 3. Declarations for 1876-1906 (Volumes 1-3, document #1-2440) are arranged by date filed. The document numbers are ones that were handwritten in by the court clerk and are referenced by the Citizenship Index. Note that beginning in 1907, the court began a new numbering scheme for the Declarations, starting with “1”. Volumes 2-3 (1913-1920), duplicate volume and document numbers that existed under the original pre-1907 numbering system so care must be taken to pay attention to the date span of the volume as well the volume numbers. Volumes for the years 1929-1950 do not have volume numbers and should be requested by their box number.
PETITIONS, 1872-1948, are arranged chronologically by date filed. Petitions, 1872-1884, are not indexed but consist of only ten pages of petitions. “Certificates/Petitions” for 1903-1906 act as both petitions and certificates but are listed under Certificates. Petition volumes may contain some declarations as well. Each petition volume contains an index.
CERTIFICATES, 1875-1926, are arranged chronologically by date filed. “Certificates/Petitions,” 1903-1906, act as both certificates and petitions. Volume 3 of certificates contains an index at the front.
CERTIFICATES, 1908-1926, are in the form of stub books. Each stub usually lists the name; age; date, volume, and page number for declarations, petitions, and certificates; name and residence of wife and children; and certificate number. It appears that no certificates were filed in 1907.
Ancillary Records consist of ORDERS GRANTING AND DENYING PETITIONS, 1929-1948, which are lists of the people who were granted or denied citizenship.
