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Guide to the Sacramento County (Calif.) Naturalization Records CNTY0008
CNTY0008  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Preferred Citation
  • Custodial History
  • Scope and Contents
  • Arrangement
  • Immediate Source of Acquisition
  • Related Materials
  • Processing Information

  • Language of Material: English
    Contributing Institution: Center for Sacramento History
    Title: Sacramento County (Calif.) Naturalization Records
    Identifier/Call Number: CNTY0008
    Physical Description: 74 Volumes
    Physical Description: 2.5 linear feet Two bankers boxes, two Hollinger boxes, one flat oversized box.
    Date (inclusive): 1850-1955
    Abstract: Court records pertaining to the legal process of an immigrant becoming a naturalized American citizen. These records are drawn from Sacramento's District, County, and Superior Courts. The naturalization process is recorded in three documents: 1) Declaration of Intention, 2) Petition for Naturalization, and 3) Naturalization Record.
    Language of Material: English

    Preferred Citation

    Preferred Citation [Identification of item], CNTY0008, Sacramento County Naturalization Records, Center for Sacramento History, Sacramento, CA

    Custodial History

    The bulk of these records (the 74 bound volumes) were transfered from the Sacramento County Clerk to the California State Archives on 10-22-1969. They were received by David L. Snyder, Archivist II. It is unclear how the unbound materials came into the possession of the State Archives.
    It is unclear how these records came into the possession of the County Clerk.

    Scope and Contents

    These records are artifacts of the process that individuals took to become a naturalized American citizen. This typically took the order of Declaration of Intention, Petition for Naturalization, and a Oath. There is an additional volume of Court Orders and Recommendations.
    The information found in the records includes: country of nativity, name of petitioner, and witnesses.
    This is an artificial collection which draws records from three different Courts; County, District, and Superior and includes indexes. The District Court appears to have been responsible for Naturalizations until 1880 when the Sacramento County Superior Court assumed the role.
    These records also include a repatriation book, which is comprised of petitions by women to regain the citizenship which they lost due to marriage to a foriegn national.

    Arrangement

    These records are arranged chronologically by volume.
    Within each volume the arrangement is as follows: Indexes are arranged alphabetically by the name of the petitioner. Petitions for Naturalization volumes are arranged by petition numer.

    Immediate Source of Acquisition

    The Naturalization records were acquired by the Center for Sacramento History from the California State Archives as a large transfer of government records. This transfer was assigned the accession number of 1980/132.

    Related Materials

    The Records of the Sacramento County Clerk includes blank naturalization certificates which were accessioned as 1978/93.

    Processing Information

    Note all individual processing actions that were taken