General
The Wood County Naturalization Records span 1873 through 1991, although some index entries note actions as early as 1858. The records consist of Declarations of Intention, Petitions, Naturalization Certificates, various volume indexes and card indexes to these records; Court Orders Granting and Denying Petitions, Repatriations, Depositions [of Witnesses], and Transfers [to other courts]. Although Wood County was formed from Portage County in 1856, no naturalization records for the period 1856-1872 now exist. Furthermore, since no county offices have records before 1874, it is possible that these early records may have been lost in the floods of the 1870s or the old court house fire of 1885.
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 and dates.
For preservation purposes some volumes have been dismantled and placed in boxes. For these volumes the list below gives the volume number in parentheses ( ) for identification purposes, and the box number for location purposes. Volume numbers in brackets [ ] have been assigned by the Archives.
Almost all records are available both in original paper form and on microfilm.
Indexes
There are six different indexes to the various portions of the naturalization records. Indexes are grouped by format: card indexes and volume indexes, and thereunder are listed chronologically by earliest date. Entries are alphabetical by last name. In general, the key information in the entry is the date of the document.
Card Indexes
Each card in the INDEX TO CERTIFICATES, 1873-1906, gives the individual's last name, first name or names, address, Certificate number, volume and page, court, country of birth or allegiance, date born or age, date and port of arrival, date of naturalization, and names and addresses of witnesses. These cards index Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Certificates.
Cards in the INDEX TO PETITIONS, 1906-1927, give the individual's last name, first name, volume number and petition number, and date that the Certificate of Citizenship was issued. These cards refer to the petitions in Volumes 1-8. Unlike the other two card indexes, these cards are not official Immigration and Naturalization Service forms.
Information varies on cards in the INDEX TO PETITIONS, REPATRIATIONS, TRANSFERS, 1927-1991. Cards referring to Petitions usually include name, address, date of birth, date of order of admission, date Certificate issued and by which court, Petition number, alien registration number and signature. These cards provide access to Volumes 8-20 of the petitions. Cards referring to Repatriations give the name, date repatriated, and volume and page number of document (see Repatriations in Box 5). If a card has a “TR” number in the petition number field, this refers to a transfer number (see “Book of Transfers” in Box 5).
Volume Indexes
Some volumes overlap and index the same documents. For example, Indexes [1] and [2] both index Volumes 2 and 3 of Declarations. Entries are listed by first letter of surname and thereunder chronologically by date of entry.
[1] INDEX TO DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION AND CERTIFICATES OF NATURALIZATION, 1858-1906. This volume indexes the following volumes of declarations: Volume B (which the index calls Volume 1), 1874-1894, Volume 2, 1883-1893, and Volume 3, 1893-1906. If an entry refers to Volume 1 (a.k.a. Volume B), the key information is the document number. When looking at documents in Volume B, this number is written on the left side of the declaration. The index's page references for Volume B appear to be wrong. If an entry refers to Volume 2, rely on the page number to find entries in Volume 2. If an entry refers to Volume 3, rely on the document number. In Volume 3, it is the top number on the left side of the declaration. There are entries for persons declaring their intention as early as 1858, but the archives does not have any declarations prior to 1874. This volume also indexes Volumes 1 and 2 of certificates.
[2] INDEX TO CITIZENSHIP (DECLARATIONS), 1872-1952. This volume indexes declarations in Volumes A, B, 2, 3, and 1-(6). The document number listed refers to the number stamped in the upper right corner of the document. The numbering sequence started over at #1 in 1906 so it is important to note both the date and the document number when paging material.
[3] INDEX TO CITIZENSHIP (DECLARATIONS, PETITIONS, AND CERTIFICATES), 1872-1975. This volume indexes a few Declarations (which are better found using the above sources), petitions in Volume 1, 1873-1903, Volume 2 (not in archival custody), and Petitions Bound with Declarations, Volumes 1-20. Entries also refer to certificates in Volumes 1 and 2, and give the certificate number for those after 1906 (which are part of the petition documents in Volumes 1-20).
Also available is an Index to Declarations of Intent, 1872-1921, compiled by the Heart O' Wisconsin Genealogical Society. It is in the local records inventory file cabinet in the archives processing room in Madison.
Records
The DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION date 1874-1981, and are arranged roughly in chronological order by date filed. The dates of the first three volumes (A, B and 2) overlap; however, the entries are not duplicates. Although the Index to Declarations of Intention and Certificates of Naturalization, 1858-1906, refers to declarations filed from 1858- circa 1874, these are not in archival custody. Volumes 1-(6), 1906-1981, each contain a name index.
PETITIONS date 1873-1991. Pre-1906 petitions are arranged by year and thereunder alphabetically by last name, while post-1906 petitions are arranged by filing date and assigned a unique number. From approximately October 1906 through approximately 1955, a copy of the Declaration was often attached to the Petition. At one time a Volume 2, 1903-1906, existed but when the Archives acquired the records from the court, the volume was missing. Each volume except number one from 1873 to 1903 contains a name index. Volume (15) of petitions bound with declarations was erroneously filmed twice and appears on both Reels 8 and 10.
CERTIFICATES date 1873-1906 and are arranged by the date filed. Only Volume 2 has a name index.
ANCILLARY RECORDS include Court Orders Granting and Denying Petitions, 1929-1991, Repatriations, 1940-1969, Depositions [of Witnesses], 1933-1956, and Transfers, 1962-1983. Documents within each type of record are arranged chronologically by the date filed. Repatriations include related correspondence and Transfers consist of documents and correspondence pertaining to cases transferred to the Wood County Circuit Court. Of these Ancillary Records, only the first volume of Court Orders, 1929-1959 and the Repatriations include a name index.
How to Find the Records
To Find Declarations of Intention
1. Look in Index to Declarations of Intention and Certificates of Naturalization, 1858-1906, which indexes Volumes B, 2, and 3 of Declarations, or Index to Citizenship (Declarations), 1872-1952, which indexes Volumes A, B, 2, 3, 1-3, and 4-6 (in Box 1).
2. Note the date, volume number, page number, and Intention number. The key information is the date. Be aware that the additional information in the Index to Declarations of Intentions and Certificates of Naturalization may be unreliable.
3. Use the date of the Intention to go to the correct volume (arranged chronologically by date) to find the intention. If you can't find the intention using the date try to find it by the page number, Intention number, or Certificate number.
4. If you still cannot find the intention, use the Petition to find the date of the individual's Intention. Once you have found the Intention date (listed in the Petition), go to the volume of Declarations that contains those dates. Remember that the Declarations are arranged chronologically.
NOTE: Some Declarations are attached to the Petitions in Volumes 1-15 of “Petitions bound with Declarations of Intentions.”
5. In addition, you can refer to the Index to Declarations of Intent, 1872-1921, compiled by the Heart O' Wisconsin Genealogical Society and available in Madison.
To Find Petitions
1. Depending on the date you believe the individual filed the Petition, look either in the card indexes at Index to Petitions, 1906-1927, which indexes Volumes 1-8; Index To Petitions, Repatriations, Transfers, 1927-1991, which indexes Volume 8 and Petitions in Boxes 2-4; or Index to Citizenship (Declarations, Petitions, and Certificates), 1872-1975, which indexes Volume 1, Volumes 1-8, and Petitions in Boxes 2-4.
2. Locate the name of the individual and note the date of the Petition, volume number, and the page number if they are given. (In the Index to Petitions, 1906-1927, the page number may actually be the Petition number. e.g. “Vol. 2, p. 47” may be Volume 2, Petition number 47.)
3. Go to the appropriate volume and find the Petition. The Petitions are also arranged chronologically so you can find it by using the date.
4. Petitions also list the date of the Declaration of Intention. Once you have found this date, you can look at the volume of Declarations containing that date.
To Find a Certificate of Naturalization
1. To find Certificates before 1907, look at the card index titled Index to Certificates, 1873-1906, which indexes Volumes 1 and 2. Certificates for 1907 and later are part of the Petition.
2. Look at the citizenship information and note the volume number, page number, date, and Certificate number.
3. Using this information, locate the appropriate Certificate of Naturalization volume and find the document. The Certificates are arranged chronologically so if you do not find it using the page number or Certificate number you can find it by the date.
