FOIA request help please

[gennattasio]

I am unable to find any petition or declaration of intent for my grandfather or great grandfather. On the FOIA request form they require an alien registration number and a petition or claim receipt number. Where does the alien registration number come from? Is it a waste of time to file the request without them? Thanks for your assistance.

[lmegliol]

I don't think it is required. I think that field is there so that you can fill it out if you already know it.

[Poipuo4]

If they were in the US around WWII, they had to register as an "enemy alien." They were issued a card and that would have the no. on it. However, I did not have that, so I just put as much information as I had on the application. Also, I have been waiting since Feb. with no response to my FOIA request, just an acknowledgment letter. However, I was actually requesting the enemy registration paperwork and card for family history purposes.

You may be able to get the petition no. without having the petition itself if you look on the manifest. Sometimes they are annotated by hand with the petition number when you ancestor became a citizen...sometimes they are not. It is just luck.

[drovedo]

I would not worry, just give as much info as possible that you know and provide all documentation required and supplement with additional corresponding records.

If you truly believe that there should be a record, you might want to contact NARA and ask what court records do they have specifically.

However, don't wait on sending in letter to USCIS. They have many ways to search, however, there seems to be a waiting time for alot of people, not sure if this because of caseload or lack of documention or both.

Question? Did this occur before or after September 27, 1906?
USCIS only holds records from this date on. Still send letter, if before. Consulate will still want it.

[gennattasio]

Great Grandfather would probably be pre-1906 since he passed away somewhere between 1904-1910. I've not been able to locate his death or soc.sec. record. His wife is on the 1910 census as a widow and alien. Grandfather would be after 1906 since he was born in 1897. I have his draft registration card which says he was born in NJ which is not true, he was born in Italy. I

[drovedo]

Its good news that she is listed as alien. However, docs are still needed.
Before 1906, any court could conduct Naturalization hearings. That is going to complicate matters.

You probably will have to go to State Archives after contacting NARA via phone and email and getting results from them. Ask if there is any record of Naturalization for him in entire jurisdiction, giving all his known addresses, birthdates, AKA's, etc.

Depending on state, a death record may be located in State Archives, if Funeral home went out of business. I'd call and write. Oh, have you contacted the Funeral home for the death record (not death cert. issued by town)? Its their internal sheet they send to town and state. Was there an autopsy? That info might be in State Medical Examiner's files, Coroner's Office, which by this time, might reside in State Archives.

Cemetery, where he is buried? The parish in charge of cemetery should have record of who bought plot, who has title to it now, also death info and funeral home info in their books.

Ggf wouldnot have applied for ss as it went into effect in 1936.
Have you looked up port arrivals yet through ellis island yet?
This could pinpoint when he would even be eligible for applying.

Links:
www.nara.gov
www.ellisisland.org

[drovedo]

Oh forgot....Did you send for Italian Birth Cert for gf?

note: the US drafted those who were not citizens in WWI along with citizens.

[gennattasio]

I have my gf, Giuseppe, death cert but not birth cert. I just went through the the LDS microfilm for the town where I think he was born, Oppido M., Calabria. My lousy luck, all the records for births around his time and my ggf, Francesco, birth time are missing from the microfilm.
Francesco either died in NY or NJ. NY search by mail from 1906 to 1910 came up with nothing. I'm not certain of his exact birth date, think it was between 1860-1863, don't know where he was buried, don't know funeral home or where in Jersey he was. I haven't found any online archives for NJ to search so I'm filling out forms right now to do a by mail search.
Yes, I have found what I believe was Francesco's first arrival in 1892, headed for NJ, looks like he worked here for awhile, then went back and brought the family over in 1901. They brought over four kids from Italy, including my gf, and then they had 2 kids born in NJ, I'm sending for their NJ birth certs.
Is there no other way but to do a walk-in at the NARA?

[mler]

Why not call the NARA office in New York. They will do a search for you.

The NARA office in SF will not work because these are only regional offices, and they would not have records from NY or NJ.

I requested my grandfather's papers by mail and received them within a week. I did, however, have his petition number.

[gennattasio]

Thanks. I will try calling them.

[nuccia]

I've not been able to locate his death or soc.sec. record.

There more than likely not be a social security application or number since it wasn't required until 1963 (or there abouts) to have one. He died long before this.

[misbris]

Did you check the Ellis Island records to see if there is a handwritten notation as to when the naturalization process began? That might help to narrow down a date for you.

[BillieDeKid]

I believe this is the 1901 manifest. Lines 13 thru 16.

http://www.ellisisland.org/EIFile/popup ... &line=0015

[gennattasio]

That is my great grandmother's manifest. She is with my grandfather and his 2 sibs. My ggf is on a different ship with another sib. I've not seen any notations on any of the manifests that indicate citizenship. I still have not found a death cert, soc. sec. app., petition or dec. for ggf. I also still don't have an exact birthdate for him.