NATURALIZATION RECORDS, MAHONING COUNTY, OHIO

8 ft.

MSS 91

November 1992

HISTORICAL NOTE

The collection contains preliminary naturalization petition forms ("second papers") for Mahoning County, Ohio.  These forms were submitted to the district naturalization office along with immigrants' initial applications for naturalization ("first papers") for verification of information such as arrival dates and residence before naturalization could proceed.  These forms were to be destroyed when the final naturalization certificate was completed.  This group of records was preserved by a clerk who passed them on to the donor.

PROVENANCE

The collection was donated by Richard D. Chicko in 1991.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The records included in this collection detail the naturalization process for Mahoning County, Ohio, for the years 1900 to 1906, and 1923 to 1933.  These documents are rich in information concerning many aspects of an immigrant's life in America prior to his decision to establish permanent residency.  Details include date and place of birth, date and place of departure and arrival, vessel name, the migration patterns of the petitioner while a resident alien, occupation information including current employer and employment history for the five years prior, marital status including spouse and children's date of birth and location, marriage date and location and current residency of family members, witnesses and their addresses and occupations, and questions covering any return migration.

The bulk of the collection is composed of form 2214/14-2127 and related documentation.  This documentation, amassed by the district naturalization office clerks in the course of verifying the information on the submitted forms, varies considerably between cases and consists primarily of correspondence between the office and other government agencies.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

The records have been arranged with the earlier form first, then alphabetically by ethnic group.  Within ethnic group, the papers have been arranged chronologically.  Three basic forms appear in the collection.  The first 47 folders of records contain the Declaration of Intention (first papers), Petition for Naturalization (second papers), and supporting documentation enclosed in Form 2211, Jacket for Naturalization Papers.  These records were in use prior to the change in the laws regulating naturalization enacted in 1906.

Form 2214/14-2127, Preliminary Form for Petition for Naturalization, was adopted by the United States Department of Labor, Naturalization Service in 1924 and used until mid-1929.  Another document used to ascertain information was Form 2214/14-1850 Facts for Petition for Naturalization.  This form is essentially the same as form 2214/14-2127, but was applicable only to immigrants arriving prior to 1906.

In July 1929, a new form, 2214/14-2621, Statement of Facts to be used in Filing my Petition for Citizenship, came into use.  This differed from form 2214/14-2127 in that the new form required the applicant to designate a race or ethnic identity from a selection given on the reverse of the form.

In the Folder List, all forms are 2214/14-2127 unless otherwise noted.