Series 85176

DISTRICT COURT (FIFTH DISTRICT : BEAVER COUNTY) [1683]

DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION RECORD BOOK, 1896-1940.
3 microfilm reels

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 recorded copies of the declarations of individuals' intentions to later become United States citizens and to renounce current citizenship. The first forms contain little more than the declarant's name and native country, but forms after 1906 contain more detailed information about both the individual and his family.

The first volume contains preprinted forms created by the court. The forms contain blanks for the individual's name, sovereign, date, and signatures of the individual and the court clerk witnessing the statement. There are two typed copies of a new form from the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization glued into the back of the first volume which record entries for December 26, 1906, and for February 18, 1907. An additional entry made on the old forms for March 13, 1930 is marked obsolete.

The subsequent two volumes of forms were furnished to the court clerks 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 declarations numbered consecutively beginning with number 1 in volume 1. Loose sheets were also furnished so the duplicate copy could be given to the declarant and the triplicate copy mailed to the Bureau of Naturalization. The forms contain blanks for the name and location of the court; the individual's name, age, occupation, color, complexion, height, weight, hair color, eye color, visible distinctive marks, birthplace, birthdate, and current residence; the location from which he emigrated to the United States and the vessel name; his last foreign residence; the name and title of the ruler to whom he would be renouncing allegiance; and the port and date of arrival in the United States.

By 1917, additional blanks were inserted to record his marital status, and if married, his wife's name (altered to "spouse's name" after 1922 when married women could seek citizenship on their own instead of automatically assuming the nationality of their husbands), birthplace and residence. He was to take an oath that he was not an anarchist or polygamist, and that it was his intention to become a United States citizen and make the country his permanent residence. Blanks were provided for his signature and for the date and signature of the court clerk who witnessed his oath. By the 1930s, more blanks were added for sex, race, present nationality; marriage date and place along with the spouse's birthdate and date and place of entrance to the United States; the number of children with their names, birthdate, birthplace, and residence; any previous declaration of intention, with number, location, and court; and his or her name at entry.

In 1941, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was moved to the U.S. Department of Justice. They also began limiting the number of courts hearing citizenship applications, and residents from Beaver county were henceforth to file in either Iron or Juab county district courts.

ARRANGEMENT: The series is arranged chronologically by filing date.

RELATED RECORDS: Records of admission to citizenship for Beaver County appear in CERTIFICATES OF CITIZENSHIP RECORD BOOKS, series 85177. By 1941, Beaver County residents were to file in Juab or Iron counties. Juab County DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION are series 85224; the location of Iron County declarations is unknown.

Prior to 1906, citizenship records of county residents could be in the records of any of the district courts, the Supreme Court, or the Beaver County Probate Court (or any other court in the country). Until statehood in 1896, except for a brief period in 1859, Beaver County was part of the Second District Court whose DECLARATIONS OF INTENTION RECORD BOOKS from 1874 to 1895 are found in series 85174.For other possible sources consult the Research Guide to Naturalization records.

FINDING AIDS: There is a name index at the beginning of each volume, alphabetized by the first letter of the individual's surname.

PROCESSING NOTE: Reel 1 was microfilmed by the LDS Genealogical Society in 1966. The other volumes were microfilmed at Southern Utah University under the direction of the State Archives in 2002. Archival processing was initially completed by A.C. Cone in 1989 and re-done in 2002 after the acquisition of additional film.

CONTAINER LIST

Reel	Description
1	1896, Jul 9-1907, Feb 18; 1930, Mar 13 (void)
2	1907, Nov 15-1926, Jul 9
3	1929, Sep 28-1940, Oct 4