Name and Date Discrepancy Advice

[priere]

I have what I would consider some minor discrepancies and I wanted to solicit advice from the good folks here as to what you would do in my case.

This concerns my great grandparents but mostly my great grandmother. It should be noted the ascendant is my great grandfather.

The one item for him that doesn't match up is his death certificate. It has his birthday two days off.

My great grandmother has her last name spelled one letter off (Minafri instead of Minafra) on my grandfathers (my second ascendant) birth certificate and then on his marriage license/certificate it was written: M'Onofrio. Then on her death certificate it's correct but they have her birthday off by a year and three days.

Now, my great grandparents and grandfather all have the same exact address on their certificates except my great grandmothers death certificate (as she had moved in with her daughter after my great grandfathers death). To me, that's a pretty solid indicator they're all the same people to someone outside looking in. That's why I don't think my great grandfathers death certificate will be a problem but I wanted to see what everyone else thought about my great grandmothers last name misspellings and death cert birthday error?

[johnnyonthespot]

Which consulate? Some consulates demand that you obtain documents for both sides of the family, but when you actually sit down with them to go over your application they are only interested in direct-line documents. That was the case when I submitted in NYC in mid-2008.

The date discrepancy will probably not be an issue. The only reason for death certificates at all is to prove that the person is deceased and therefore cannot speak for himself. I presume that your great-grandparents would be of such an age that they are unlikely to be alive today?

[priere]

Which consulate? Some consulates demand that you obtain documents for both sides of the family, but when you actually sit down with them to go over your application they are only interested in direct-line documents. That was the case when I submitted in NYC in mid-2008.

The date discrepancy will probably not be an issue. The only reason for death certificates at all is to prove that the person is deceased and therefore cannot speak for himself. I presume that your great-grandparents would be of such an age that they are unlikely to be alive today?

Boston consulate, and yes both have been deceased for many years.

So the death certificates isn't something I'll worry about correcting unless the consulate specifically tells me otherwise. Thank you for explaining why they want the death certs. I haven't come across that in all my reading on this subject and now that makes a lot more sense.

Your take on the misspelling of my great grandmothers last name on my grandfathers certificates would be appreciated. I think, in the long run, it's something I do want to have corrected. It's weird, but seeing it incorrect doesn't sit well with me.

Something else I saw in other threads may be a problem; my grandfather adopted a middle name from his marriage certificate on. He's in my direct line and this middle name that doesn't appear on his birth certificate shows on his marriage and death cert and my fathers birth cert.

[investorscooter]

Johnnyonthespot:

You are so helpful! I have the following situation which I have no idea how to handle. Our consulate will be Miami.

1. GGrandfather's birth cert from Tarquinia states dob as Oct. 19, 1882
2. US Declaration of Intention AND Petition for Citizenship state dob as Oct. 18, 1883 - and born in ROME, not Tarquinia (both are in Lazio)
3. State of FL death cert states dob as Oct. 22, 1880

I totally understand that nobody in Miami had his birth certificate or any real knowledge of his true birthday in 1953 when he died. I suppose that the consulate will let that go. But what about the date and place discrepancies on the Declaration of Intention and the Petition for Citizenship?

They may need to be produced in the absence of a Certificate of Naturalization, right? I have a copy of the Oath of Allegiance (which doesn't have any date info as to birth), but no official Certificate of Naturalization.

NARA in Atlanta sent me the Declaration of Intention he signed in 1929, the Petition for Citizenship and the Oath of Allegiance he signed in 1936. I suppose if they had the Certificate of Naturalization, they would have sent that, too. I sent a request to USCIS but they did not produce anything. I will check with NARA but still need to know about the date discrepancies. Thanks!!

[johnnyonthespot]

Copies of actual Certificate of Naturalization documents can be obtained only from USCIS.

Since you already have the Oath of Allegiance (which is actually the backside of the pre-printed Petition for Naturalization form), you also have the certificate number which was issued to him. Should be a seven-digit number written or typed below the Oath. If you go back to the USCIS site, you can place a Records Request (skip the Index Search; you don't need it now). On the request form, check the item that says you have a "C File Number" and then put the letter "C" followed by the seven digit certificate number in the box.

Here is a typical Certificate of Naturalization. As you can see, the applicant's date of birth does not appear on the certificate which is why it is not sufficient on its own for the consulate's purposes.