Genealogy: Finding Immigration & Naturalization Records

The U.S. is a country built by immigrants. Most residents of the U.S. today are either immigrants or descended from immigrants. Many of them also became naturalized citizens. Below is an overview of what kinds of immigration and naturalization records are available and where to find them.

Immigration

Immigration is the act of moving from one country to another to permanently reside there.

Good Things to Know:

A resident of the British Empire wasn't required to register on a ship if they were traveling from one part of the Empire to another, making records from the Colonial Era spotty
Many immigrants from Europe, particularly from Ireland, would travel first to Canada before going to the U.S.
The U.S. government did not require passenger ships to file manifests until 1820
The National Archives holds records from about 1820-1982 covering numerous ports

Records

Ship Passenger Arrival Records

These records consist of ships' passenger listings. These lists may contain the following information about each passenger:

nationality
birthplace
last known residence
occupation
who they are going to live with in the U.S.
physical description

In general, the more recently the lists were created, the more information will be on those lists .

Naturalization

Naturalization is the legal process of making a person a citizen of a country they were not born in.

Good Things to Know

The BPL does not hold or have access to original naturalization records beyond what is available online
Naturalization records from before September 27,1906 may held by local (municipal, county, state) courts or Federal courts
Naturalization records from after September 27, 1906 are mostly held by the National Archives, with some earlier records held by local courts
From 1855 to 1922, most married immigrant women automatically became citizens if their husbands were naturalized, so they would not have their own naturalization records

Types of Records

Declaration of Intention: Also called "first papers," this would be filed by someone seeking citizenship after they had resided in the U.S. for at least two years.
Petition for Naturalization: Also called "second papers," this would be filed three years after the Declaration of Intention.
Certificate of Citizenship: This would be granted if the Petition for Naturalization was approved.

Depending on the year each form was filed, both the Declaration of Intention and the Petition for Naturalization could contain the following information:

where and when the person was born
details about their arrival to the U.S.
names of spouses and children

Resources

BPL Resources

Books

Immigration- Specific Origins - Books held by the BPL containing indexes and other information about immigration records.

Immigration- Passenger Listings - Books held by the BPL containing indexes and other information related to passenger listings.

Microform

Immigration and Restriction League of Boston - Contains a scrapbook of newspaper clippings
Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906 - Also available online, opens a new window.
Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Mass., July 1, 1906-December 31, 1920
Passenger Lists of the Holland-America Line: 1900-1940 - Covers 40 years of passenger lists of the Dutch-based Holland-America Line
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, 1820-1891
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Mass., 1891-1943

Databases

Ancestry Library Edition - The Immigration & Travel search category includes multiple collections of passenger listings and naturalization records covering Massachusetts, primarily from the 19th century. In Library Use Only.
HeritageQuest Online, opens a new window - Provides access to a limited collection of immigration and naturalization records covering the U.S. and various other countries around the world.

Government Resources

Massachusetts State Archives
- Boston Passenger Manifests, 1848-1891
- Naturalization Records at the Massachusetts Archives - Link opens PDF file
National Archives
- Dual Citizenship Assistance - Frequently Asked Questions
- Early Naturalization Records at the National Archives - Link opens PDF file
- Immigrant Records at the National Archives - Information about related collections
- Naturalization Records - Information about related collections
- Prologue: Genealogy Notes, Immigration and Naturalization - Articles from National Archives' publication Prologue Magazine
- Search Strategies for Ships - From the National Archives at Waltham
Mass.gov: Get access to historic naturalization records - Find out which types of historic naturalization records are available through the court archives and how to access them.
Researching Individuals - From U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS)

Online Records

FamilySearch.org
- United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
- United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930 - From Harvard University Open Collections
- A web-based collection of historical materials from Harvard's libraries, archives, and museums that documents voluntary immigration to the United States from the signing of the Constitution to the onset of the Great Depression. Of local interest are digitized materials from the Women's Educational and Industrial Union, the North Bennet Street School, and Denison House, and the Immigration Restriction League.
Passenger Search at the Ellis Island site - Information on more than 12 million immigrants arriving in New York City from 1892 to 1954

Online Guides and Articles

FamilySearch.org
- United States Emigration and Immigration
- United States Naturalization and Citizenship
- One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse
  - This site contains tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records, and for dealing with calendars, maps, foreign alphabets, and numerous other applications. Some of these tools fetch data from other websites but do so in more versatile ways than the search tools provided on those websites.
Naturalization Records - From the New England Historic Genealogical Society. A free account is required to access the research guide.

Learn More

Join us via Zoom on November 30 at 6:00pm, as professional genealogist Rich Venezia presents a talk called Naturalization Know-How: The Laws and Records of U. S. Citizenship. See more information and register from the calendar event listing.