Series 85178
District Court (Fourth District : Juab County) Naturalization record books

Dates: i 1904-

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These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.

Scope and Content

To become a citizen of the United States, an individual normally filed a "declaration of intention to become a citizen" at least two years prior to applying for citizenship. The next step was the naturalization hearing at which the candidate and witnesses either made oral statements or filed written petitions and affidavits attesting to the applicant's character, worthiness to become a citizen, and the validity of statements made to the court. If the judge found the applicant eligible to become a citizen, an oath was administered and the individual renounced his former citizenship. At this point a certificate of citizenship was issued documenting the fact. These volumes contain documentation of the final steps of becoming a United States citizen. They include petitions for naturalization, certificates of citizenship, and accompanying documentation.

The first preprinted application forms consisted of an applicant's affidavit and witness affidavits, as well as a certificate ofcitizenship. The applicant's affidavit gave his name, birthplace, court and date of declaration of intention, sovereign, and date of admission to the United States. The affidavit included an oath of renunciation of allegiance to his former sovereign and a declaration that the applicant is not insane, epileptic, a pauper, begger, contagious, a felon, guilty of moral turpitude, a polygamist, anarchist, or pimp. The affidavits of two witnesses confirmed the applicant's statements and declared his worthiness to become a citizen. A copy of a certificate of citizenship form was then completed reiterating this information and ordering his admittance as a citizen.

After 1906, courts were required to use pre-printed forms in volumes furnished by the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization of the Department of Commerce and Labor (later the Naturalization Service of the U.S. Dept. of Labor). Each volume was to be indexed and the petitions numbered consecutively beginning with number 1 involume 1. A duplicate copy was to be sent to the Bureau of Naturalization.

The petitions include the individual's name, residence, occupation, birthdate, and birthplace; the place from which he emigrated, the date, port of arrival, and vessel name; the date on which he declared his intention of becoming a citizen and the name of the court involved; his wife's name, birthplace, and residence; and any previous petitions filed. Later there were blanks to record his children's names, birthdates, birthplaces, and residences. The applicant was also required to take an oath that he was not an anarchist or a polygamist and to renounce his former sovereign. An applicant had to be able to speak English and have resided continuously in the United States for five years and in the state for one year.

Also included on the petition form were the affidavit of two citizen witnesses who validated the individual's petition information and declared that he was of good moral character. The printed oathof allegiance and court order admitting the petitioner to citizenship are also included. Later space was added for memoranda of continuances in the proceedings, names of substitute witnesses, and space to record the denial, not just the acceptance, of the petition .

In 1941, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was moved to the U.S. Department of Justice. A sentence was added to the applicant's affidavit regarding any departures from the United States with a table in which to record dates of departure and return, the ports used, and the vessel name. The anti-polygamy clause was dropped from the oath, but the statement regarding anarchy was expanded.

Various corroborating documents had to be produced at the time of application and hearing. These are usually bound into the volumes along with the petitions. They include declarations of intention, filed earlier in a variety of courts in several states, of the individual's desire to become a citizen. Certificates of U.S. militaryservice may also be included, as they could be used in lieu of a declaration of intention or to shorten residency requirements. The volumes also include certificates of arrival, required of those who entered the country after 1906, from the Bureau of Naturalization showing the individual's name, date, place and manner of arrival in the United States. If the witnesses who could vouch for his length of residency lived out of state, depositions could be mailed in. The depositions, which describe how long the witness had known the applicant and confirm his moral character, were then bound in with the petition and other forms. Correspondence is sometimes included, usually from the Bureau of Naturalization, detailing changes in naturalization law and procedures. Occasionally court orders revoking citizenship are included. CITIZENSHIP CERTIFICATE STUBS appear in the last volume instead of being filed separately (cf. series 85180).

The series was begun at statehood in 1896 when Juab Countymoved to the fifth judicial district, and the district courts began keeping records separately in each county. In 1977, the county was moved to the fourth judicial district.

Arrangement

Chronological. After 1906, also by volume and petition number.

Related Records

Certificates of citizenship record books from the District Court (First District), Series 83895, of the 1st District Court should be consulted for records of Juab County residents prior to statehood in 1896, as the county was part of the 1st judicial district from 1859-1896.

Declarations of intention record books from the District Court (First District), Series 85113, of the 1st District Court should be consulted for records of Juab County residents prior to statehood in 1896, as the county was part of the 1st judicial district from 1859-1896.

Preliminary citizenship examination lists from the District Court (Fourth District : Juab County), Series 85179, contain recommendations on naturalization based on data collected prior to the naturalization hearing recorded here.

Citizenship certificate stubs from the District Court (Fifth District : Juab County), Series 85180, contain stubs summarizing naturalization data and cite entries in these record books.

Declarations of intention record books from the District Court (Fifth District : Juab County), Series 85224, contain declarations filed with the same court and may include records of individuals whose later naturalizations are recorded here.

Additional Forms

This series is available on microfilm.

Copies of these records are located at Ancestry.com View Online.

Copies of these records are located at Familysearch.org View Online.

Access Restrictions

This series is classified as Public.

Preferred Citation

Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.

Finding Aids

Indexes: Entries are alphabetic by the first letter of the petitioner's surname. Indexes appear at the beginning of the volumes, covering from April 15, 1907 thru 1958.

Indexing Terms

  • Emigration and immigration--Utah--Juab County.
  • Citizenship--Utah--Juab County.
  • Naturalization--Utah--Juab County.

Container List

REEL VOLUME DATE DESCRIPTION
1 N/A 1904-1906 Declarations of Intention
2 1 1907-1910 1-20
3 1 1910-1914 21-50
4 2 1915-1929 51-138
5 3 1930-1958 139-193
5 N/A 1930-1958 Declarations of Intention
5 N/A 1930-1958 Preliminary Examinations
5 N/A 1930-1958 Citizenship Certificate Stubs
BOX DATE DESCRIPTION
1 1909 Mar-1929 Jun Naturalization Service Petition and Record Book - Volume 2

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