Series 85110

DESCRIPTION: 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 copies of certificates of citizenship issued to newly naturalized United States citizens.

The volumes have preprinted forms which briefly summarize the naturalization hearing and contain blanks for the date, individual's name, previous country and kingdom, current county of residence, and the judge's signature as witness:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TERRITORY OF UTAH

Be it Remembered,That on the ________ day of ________ in the year of our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty ________, ________ late of ________, in the Kingdom of ________, at present of ________, in the Territory aforesaid, appeared in the Third District Courtof the United States, in and for Utah Territory, and applied to the said Court to be admitted to become a Citizen of the United States of America,pursuant to the directions and requirements of the several Acts of Congress in relation thereto. And the said having thereupon produced to the Court such evidence, made such declaration and renunciation, and taken such oath as are by the said Acts required; thereupon it was ordered by the said Court the the said ________ be admitted, and he was accordingly admitted by the said Court to be a Citizen of the United States of America.

By the Court: __________ Judge.

Someone has later gone through the volumes in conjunction with the creation of a card index and scribbled on the forms the names of the witnesses at each naturalization hearing. The witnesses names were obtained from the court's TERRITORIAL MINUTE BOOKS, series 1649. No card index is extant.

ARRANGEMENT: Volumes and their entries are chronological.

RELATED RECORDS: The DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION AND CERTIFICATES OF CITIZENSHIP RECORD BOOKS of the Supreme Court, series 3942, contain records for the Third District Court from 1859-1860 in the first volume. DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION RECORD BOOKS, series 85169, of the Fourth District Court have declarations of intention recorded in Ogden when Weber County was part of the 3rd District from 1878 through 1879. Series 85111, DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION RECORD BOOKS, contain declarations made by some of the individuals whose certificates are in this series. DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION RECORD BOOKS from the other district courts from this period might also contain declarations of some of these individuals: First District Court, series 85113; Second District Court, series 85174; and the Fourth District Court, series 85169. The TERRITORIAL MINUTE BOOKS, series 1649, of the Third District Court contain a summary of the naturalization hearings.

County probate courts held concurrent jurisdiction in citizenship cases during this time and records of these could also be checked. At statehood in 1896, the district courts began keeping separate series of naturalization records and declarations of intention in each county. For other possible sources consult the Research Guide to Naturalization records.

FINDING AIDS: The first volume has an index at the beginning. The other volumes are indexed in a separate volume. Entries are alphabetic by first letter of the new citizen's surname.

PROCESSING NOTE: The series was transferred to the Archives in 1989 and scheduled by Pat Scott. Archival processing by A.C. Cone was finished the same year. The series was microfilmed in 1998.

CONTAINER LIST