Canadian Citizenship Records 1950s

Yolanda asked about lists of Canadian citizens in 1959:

I am looking for some help as I do not know where to start.  I am looking for a list of people who became Canadian citizens in 1959.

Please advise as to where I might find these records...

Hello Yolanda - You won't find such a list. Canada has strict privacy laws. The most recent Canadian public census is 1911. Compare that to the United States whose most recent public census is 1930 (with 1940 being made public in a year)

If you are looking for one specific individual, you may be able to access that information (depending on your relationship to the person and a few other factors) See http://naturalizationrecords.com website for the answers. Choose Canada Naturalization Records. Good luck.

Searching for Naturalization Records

 Robert's question was about Naturalization records:

NAT records of Stanislaus/Stanley/Charles Regeleski c. 1892 to 1899

NARA and the State of New Jersey ( Middlesex County Archives) report they DO NOT have a record for this Subject during this time period. The Surname could have been: Regeliski; Rogalski; Regielski and evenRegilski.

The 'court of record' could have been located in the State of New Jersey or New York. Not much to go on -right ? Thought you may have some input regarding NAT records. Thanks anyway..

OLIVE TREE RESPONSE: Dear Robert, First things first. You haven't said how you know that Stanley naturalized. Did you find information on his citizenship in census records? If not, that would be your first step - to verify that he did indeed naturalize. I'd visit the website NaturalizationRecords.com and read what census records have citizenship information. (Hint: 1870, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 all have various details) Remember, it is a voluntary act, Naturalization is not required

 If you have found that Stanley indicated he did indeed naturalize, then you will want to read about finding Naturalization Records before 1906. Before 1906, the declaration of intent generally contains more genealogically useful information than the petition. Petitions before 1906 usually show only a name, former allegiance, and date of naturalization. The declaration may include the exact date of immigration into the United States.

Lastly, have you found a ships' passenger list for your ancestor?  These are steps I would follow to find his naturalization records IF they exist.

Finding Citizenship Records in USA

Ivan's Question:

I am looking for citizenship records for Johann Peter Riege, Dorothea Elizabeth Riege and their five(5) sons, Herman, August, Adolph, John and Wilhelm. They arrived in the United States in 1883 on the ship U.S. Lessig.Any help you can give will be appreciated

OLIVE TREE ANSWER: Hello Ivan. You have not said what year you think your ancestor naturalized. Are you sure he did?

Have you checked census records beginning in 1900 for an approximate year of naturalization?

The 1900, 1910 ,1920 and 1930 census identify citizenship status, with notations showing the individual was an Alien,or had started the Naturalization process or had his final papers. What great clues to help narrow the time frame for finding the records!

You may wish to read the previous answers I have given on this blog. Just look in the right side bar for the topic NATURALIZATION. Also I think this blog post will help you in your search.

Citizenship Records - How to Find out if your ancestor naturalized

Mary asked

I'VE BEEN HAVING A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE FINDING IF MY GRANDFATHER, HENRY RUFF, EVER BECAME A U.S. CITIZEN.ALSO, IT'S AS THOUGH, WITHIN THE 1930'S CENSUS I CANNOT FIND THEM AT ALL.THE NAME WOULD BE HENRY RUFF POSSIBLY FROM COLORADO OR WISCONSIN.

Olive Tree Answer Hello Mary. Did you know that writing an email in all CAPS is the same as shouting? You should write your emails in regular fonts to avoid any problems in future.

You have not told me when your Henry Ruff was born so I will give you a answer that covers many years.

The 1900, 1910 ,1920 and 1930 USA census identify citizenship status, with notations showing the individual was an Alien,or had started the Naturalization process or had his final papers.

You can read more about the value of census records in your search for an immigrant ancestor at
http://naturalizationrecords.com/usa/census.shtml

There are great clues in the 1870 census too! If your ancestor has a check mark in the column "Male Citizens of the United States of twenty-one years of age and upwards" you have a clue that naturalization took place before 1870

For a list of questions asked on American census years, see USA Census Records

You indicate that you cannot find Henry in 1930. Sometimes genealogists forget to try other methods of searching, such as search only by last name. Use wildcards. Search only by first name and an approximate year/place of birth. Search a child instead of the parents. There are many ways to work around problems of indexing, transcribing and illegible names that have been badly mangled!

Finding Answers in Naturalization Records

Olav asked

Still currently researching my grand uncle, Berger Andrew Martinsen (Social Security No. 451-22-6033), Searching for information regarding a wife or possible descendants of Berger Andrew Martinsen. He was borned in Norway October 29, 1893, was a seaman all his life. He became an US citizent aprox 1942, and he lived on Fulton st,Brooklym and leter on Church Street, Massapequa, Nassau County, New York and died 0ctober 1. 1979. He was the son of Harald and Petra Martinussen of Bergen, Norway. Searching for ANY information regarding his grave and maybe who was mentioned around his funeral We have been looking for descendents and /or caretakers for a long time.

Olive Tree Answer: Hi Olav, I know how frustrating it can be to hunt for an ancestor or a relative without much luck. So I'm pleased to tell you there is good news! Both Ancestry.com and
Footnote.com have Berger's Naturalization Petition online. These are the full petition so you will find information on his family - wife and children, when he sailed to USA, what ship he was on, where he sailed from and so on. He petitioned for Naturalization in 1928.

Ancestry has him indexed as Martinson and the image is in their World Archives Project. Footnote has him indexed as Martinsen so be aware of the differences if you use one of their links. You can also check microfilm (details are below) if you prefer.

Name: Berger Andreas Martinson
Age: 34
Naturalization Date: 9 Aug 1928
Former Nationality: Norway
Record Type: Petition for Naturalization
Court Type: District Court
Court: (Rolls 0579-0612) Petition No. 134215 - Petition No. 142460
Court Location: Southern District, New York
Naturalization Record Number: 139457
Roll Description: (Roll 0274) Petition No. 54368 - Petition No. 54646
Archive Series: M1972
State: New York

You will also find Berger in the U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards for 1942 and sailing as a crew member on many ships lists on Ancestry.com

You may want to check newspapers for an obituary for Berger, as it may give the location of his burial site. You can search Obituaries on GenealogyBank.com or use NewspaperARCHIVE.com to hunt for an obituary.