District Court (Fourth District : Wasatch County)

These volumes document the final steps of becoming a United States citizen. They include petitions for naturalization, certificates of citizenship, and accompanying documentation. The first volume contains only certificates of citizenship. Each form gives the date, applicant's name, former town and country, current residence, and a standardized summary that the applicant had conformed to the legal requirements, producing necessary evidence and taking the necessary oaths. The judge then signed admitting the applicant as a citizen. By late 1903, the preprinted forms consisted of an applicant's affidavit and witness affidavits, as well as a certificate of citizenship.__The applicant's affidavit gave his name,

birthplace, sovereign, date and court where he had declared his intention to become a citizen, and date of entrance to the United States. Occasionally, the original declaration of intention is filed in the book as documentation. The affidavit included an oath of renunciation of allegiance to his former sovereign and a declaration of the applicant's character and health. 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 was completed reiterating this information and ordering his admittance as a citizen. After 1906, courts were required to use preprinted forms in volumes furnished by the Bureau of Immigration and

Naturalization. These include detailed petitions for naturalization and accompanying documentation. The petitions have blanks for name; residence; occupation; birthdate and place; emigration data including vessel name and ports; wife's name, birthplace, and residence; his children's names, birthdates and places, and residences; and any previous petitions filed. An oath against anarchy and polygamy was taken and former citizenship renounced. There was also space on the petition for affidavits of witnesses and a preprinted oath of allegiance and court order admitting the petitioner to citizenship. Later space was added to record continuances, denial of citizenship, etc. Corroborating documentation included declarations of intention from a variety of courts, certificates of arrival, and

questionnaires submitted prior to the petition which included much the same information with the addition of mother's maiden name, names of persons the individual was coming to in the U.S., names of other passengers, etc. Rather than filing locally, many people apparently filed with the U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City. Because so few naturalization petitions had been filed with the court in the 1930s, the Fourth District Court for Wasatch County relinquished jurisdiction in naturalization cases in 1935.

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 volume contains only certificates of citizenship. Each form gives the date, applicant's name, former town and country, current residence, and a standardized summary that the applicant had conformed to the legal requirements of producing necessary evidence and taking the necessary oaths. The judge then signed admitting the applicant as a citizen.

By late 1903, the preprinted application forms consisted of an applicant's affidavit and witness affidavits, as well as a certificate of citizenship. The applicant's affidavit gave his name, birthplace, sovereign, date and court where he had declared his intention to become a citizen, and date of entrance to the United States. Occasionally, the original declaration of intention is filed in the book as documentation. 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, beggar, 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. The volumes from 1906 to 1935, when the court relinquished jurisdiction, are held by the agency. A microfilm copy can be located in series 10146, DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION AND NATURALIZATION RECORD BOOKS.