Immigrant Ancestor Checklist : Naturalization Records

My local genealogy support group spent a session a month or so ago learning about naturalization records. It seemed like a good idea to use the notes I took in class to make a little worksheet that would help me gather the information that I might need to track down my immigrant ancestors' naturalization records.

And then I thought I should share it with you :-)

• This worksheet is designed to help you gather in one place the information that you might need to find immigration records. 
• Once you narrow down the time and place, find out where your ancestors might have filed, and where those records are stored today.

Note the section at the bottom that gives some information you might find useful if your ancestors didn't naturalize as US citizens. My Lithuanian great-grandparents never became citizens, but I was able to get some great information about them through their A-File (Alien Files) records.

When you are trying to pin down the earliest possible dates for Declaration of Intent and for Naturalization be sure to find out what the immigration rules were for those actions at the time your ancestor might have been applying for citizenship. You'll find a general overview at the National Archives website.

PDF : Immigrant Ancestor Checklist : Naturalization Records 

You can click on the image to make it larger, or click on the link above to access the PDF file.

What I did on my summer vacation : GRIP 2017

This was my second year at the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). Last year I learned about being a family archivist. It was a great class, and the whole experience at GRIP was terrific.

When the class list for this year's sessions came out I knew I had to sign up for this one : 
Gateway to the Garden State : Sources and Strategies for New Jersey Research.

I'm so glad I did! For five whole days the class got what seemed like a never–ending list of great sources, repositories, organizations, and how–to's. We covered history, record groups, and the law. The presenters were Melissa A. Johnson, Michelle Tucker Chubenko, Karen Mauer Jones, and Judy Russell.  My classmates were a nice mix of professional researchers and seasoned enthusiasts. There was a lot of sharing of information, and some nice conversations.

I'm hoping to make use of the resources in the extensive syllabus to push my research along and discover some new stories for this blog. So many records, so little time...