Searching for Naturalization Papers

[jllaf]

I'm searching for US naturalization papers for my grandfather Giovanni LaFianza. He arrived in New York City in 1897 at age 17. According to the 1900 US Census he was listed as "AL". He made a return trip to Italy and according to the April 1903 manifest he was still an Italian citizen. He lived in New York City until around 1904 when he moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. According to the New Jersey State Census of June 1905 he was already naturalized at that time. I have checked the italiangen.org site with no luck. I have had the Hudson County NJ records office to check their records with no luck. The National Archives in Washington DC did not help. Are there any other sources for me to find any of these records - whether it be the application, petition, or actual naturalization papers themselves? Is it possible from a timing standpoint for him to be listed as "alien" in June 1900 and be naturalized by June 1905? Thank you for your help.

John LaFianza

[mler]

Yes, it's possible that he was an alien in 1900 and naturalized in 1905. It's also possible that the 1905 census information is incorrect, a not infrequent occurrence. The census was (and is) subject to errors. The census taker may have entered the wrong information or he may have self-reported himself as a citizen when he was not.

Since he also lived in New York, you may want to try their records. If there are no records in both states and at the federal level, he likely did not naturalize during that period.

Have you checked the census records post-1905?

[jllaf]

Thanks for your reply. All later census records state that he had been naturalized. By 1920 he had political connections and was highly regarded in jersey City, which leads me to believe all census records are accurate regarding his citizenship and that he would have applied as soon as he could, which appears to be the case. Other than searching for these records - likely filed in NYC - through the italiangen.Com site, how can I access NYS naturalization records? Thanks.

[adelfio]

U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 forJohn Lafianza says he was naturalized.
PG LINK TO RECORD
http://interactive.ancestry.com/6482/00 ... turnRecord

Marty

[jllaf]

That is the correct record. Based on the cumulative information on all the records I've been able to find, there is little doubt that he was naturalized sometime around 1902-1905 in New York City.

I've been told that the National Archives in NYC has a soundex index for naturalizations for those years on site. Would it be worth it to visit them in person and try that route? The last name has been misspelled more than it's been spelled correctly when I do find records. Thanks again.