General
The Walworth County Naturalization Records consist of Declarations of Intention, Petitions, indexes to Declarations and Petitions, and some miscellaneous materials.
Originally the records contained several volumes identified by the same volume number. For instance, there were three volumes identified as volume “3.” In an attempt to eliminate some of the confusion, all volumes have been renumbered consecutively. However, since the indexes sometimes reference the original volume numbers, the original numbers are also indicated on the labels and in the Contents List below.
Declarations of Intention
The Declarations of Intention are contained in Boxes 1-6 (1840-1906) and Volumes 4-15 (1906-1954). They are indexed in Volumes 1-3.
Volumes 1 (1838-1888) and 2 (1889-1906) actually contain copies of Petitions, but the indexes in the front of each volume list persons who filed Declarations, the birthplace and birthdate for each, and the date of filing the Declaration. These are grouped by the first letter of the surname and listed chronologically by date of filing the Declaration therein. The Declarations indexed in these two volumes can be found in Boxes 1-6. These Declarations are grouped in folders by first letter of surname, but have no apparent order therein. Thus, if a name is found in the index in Volume 1 or Volume 2, that name must be searched in the proper folder(s) in Boxes 1-6 and all the information available from the index--birthplace, birth date, and date of filing Declaration--must be compared to the information given on the actual Declarations. Declarations filed prior to 1840 outside Walworth County can also be found in Boxes 1-6, if the person filed a Petition after 1840 in Walworth County.
Volume 3 is a combined index to Declarations, Petitions, and Orders Admitting to Citizenship. Its arrangement is also by first letter of surname, but the listing therein is more or less chronological by date of filing the Petition. If the Declaration was filed in Walworth County after September 26, 1906, the volume and page number are given and also the number of the Declaration. The key index element is the Declaration number which is listed in the Contents List below. These Declarations are contained in Volumes 4-15. If the Declaration was filed prior to September 26, 1906, only the date of filing is given and the actual Declaration document will be found in Boxes 1-6. Most of these, however, are also indexed in Volumes 1 and 2.
Petitions
Petitions are also indexed in Volumes 1-3. Volumes 1 and 2 also contain copies of the actual Petitions. The Petitions In Volume 1 (1866-1889) are indexed by a typewritten alphabetical list in the front of the volume. These Petitions, plus Petitions filed prior to 1866, are also listed by alphabetical segments and chronologically therein, at the end of each letter of the alphabet in the Declaration of Intention index found in Volume 1. Petitions filed prior to 1866 can be found in Boxes 1-6.
Petitions in Volume 2, 1889-1902, are indexed by a chronological list compiled for each letter of the alphabet after the Declaration of Intention index for each letter. These lists are identified by the title “Full Naturalization.”
Petitions filed during 1903-1906 are indexed only by an alphabetical segment index in the front of Volume 16, which also contains copies of the actual Petitions. Additional copies of these Petitions can often be found in Boxes 1-6 as well.
Volume 3 indexes Petitions filed after September 26, 1906. These Petitions are contained in Volumes 17-34. The index is in alphabetical segments, by first letter of surname, and therein chronological by date of filing the Petition. It gives the volume, page, and number of the Petition and the date of the hearing. The key index element is the Petition number, which is included in the Contents List below.
Miscellaneous
In this category is a volume of Orders Granting and Denying Petitions and two boxes of correspondence, forms, depositions, affidavits, and other materials dealing with the naturalization process. The two boxes, Box 7 and Box 8, cover the years 1919-1943, and are filed in alphabetical segments by first letter of surname of the person about whom naturalization information is being sought. There is no index to this material and its use is limited, but the serious researcher might find in these files additional information about an ancestor.
