DO ALL NARA HAVE CENSUS RECORDS?

[sceaminmonkey]

I would like to walk in to the NARA center in nyc to obtain an official copy of a census record. can I do that? will it be available same day? will they even have it?

[johnnyonthespot]

I would like to walk in to the NARA center in nyc to obtain an official copy of a census record. can I do that? will it be available same day? will they even have it?

Yes and no. Many people have done just as you suggest and walked out in an hour or less with the sought-after documents.

However, do keep in mind that NARA does not hold all naturalization records. In general, NARA holds copies of records only for naturalizations which occurred in the federal court system. In the first half of the 1900's, half or more of all naturalizations took place in state and county courts. Both of my grandfathers naturalized in the "Supreme Court of the State of New York at White Plains" in the 1930's and 1940's. NARA did not have copies of the records, however the Westchester County Archives did.