USCIS vs. NARA

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ncaprio
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USCIS vs. NARA

Post by ncaprio »

Hey guys... In terms of finding records... or getting a certification of NO RECORD... what is the difference between the The USCIS and the National Archives...

When I was ordering a copy of my Grandfather's WWI draft registration card... I noticed that the National Archive has records for Naturalization as well... but I had just ordered from the USCIS... should I look at both places?

:roll:

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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by PeterTimber »

Why not call the USCIS military assist office at 1-877-247-4645 since you asked for a ww1 draft card . Perhaps they can readily answer your question or redirect you to the right office. =Peter=
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ncaprio
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by ncaprio »

Hey Peter... actually the WWI card isn't the problem... I ordered that... I'm wondering if I need to order the Nationalization records.. or do a search for the Nationalization records through the National Archives as well as the USCIS? Or are they Two halves of the same coin? Make sense?
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

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Sorry i cannot answer that with any certainty. Perhaps if you consult the website www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis you might elicit and answer to your inquiry. =Peter=
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

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Each has advantages and disadvantages.

First, if your ancestor did not naturalize, you will need multiple layers of proof in order to convince the consulate. These will include letters from USICS, NARA, and the local courts from each area in which he is known to have resided. We have at least a few members here who have gone through h-e-double hockey sticks trying to satisfy consulate requirements in this regard. Here is but one of several threads on the subject: http://italiangenealogy.tardio.com/Foru ... 15627.html

If your ancestor did naturalize, then you have a different set of problems.

One, some consulates (I believe Miami is one, for example) now insist on seeing the actual naturalization certificate. This document can be obtained only from USCIS; it is not a part of local court files or NARA archives.

Two, NARA does not hold copies of all naturalization records. Generally speaking, they hold only records of persons who naturalized in the federal court system - probably far less than 50% of all naturalizations prior to the 1950's.
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ncaprio
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by ncaprio »

WOW!

The NARA has already come back with my search... unfortunately... no results... but I kind of expected that... I'm just really surprised at how quickly they came back!!

To be thorough I wrote to the Archivist in NJ to check the county courts... The Court of Common pleas... they directed me back to the National Archives I was told...

"It is our understanding that since there was a U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark, they stopped handling naturalizations in the county courts, and all naturalizations were done in the U. S. District Court in Newark. We believe that this was also true for Mercer County, since there was a U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Trenton.â€
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by johnnyonthespot »

Nicholas,

See http://www.njarchives.org/links/webcat/ ... atura.html

The New Jersey State Archives holds records for Court of Common Pleas naturalization filings.

What years would you be researching?
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by ncaprio »

Hey Carmine - 1929 forward...
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by sforza »

johnnyonthespot wrote:Nicholas,

See http://www.njarchives.org/links/webcat/ ... atura.html

The New Jersey State Archives holds records for Court of Common Pleas naturalization filings.

What years would you be researching?
Carmine, how would one go about getting a "no records" certification from Jersey? Will the archives do this? I called the Essex County (Newark) clerk and they had no idea.
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by johnnyonthespot »

sforza wrote:Carmine, how would one go about getting a "no records" certification from Jersey? Will the archives do this? I called the Essex County (Newark) clerk and they had no idea.
The certification is not some specific document or such, it is merely a written and properly signed "letter" stating that they searched their records and could not find anything relating to the naturalization of your ancestor.

Lately, it seems that a few consulates have been getting very particular about the wording of the no records certification. I believe New York is one of these, for example.

You might do well to contact your consulate and ask if they have any specific requirements for a "no records" letter and then you can pass that info along to the Essex County clerk. In the past I have seen references that the letter must include:

* verbiage to clearly indicate that the search was for records pertaining to the naturalization and/or renunciation of Italian citizenshipof the specified person

* that a range of years was searched beginning with the time the immigant entered the US and extending beyond the birth of the next-in-line ancestor

* that multiple attempts were made concerning the spelling of the ancestor's surname and that all predicable given names were checked (Giuseppe, Joseph, Joe, ...)

and so on.
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by carmine1917 »

I just posted about this. I went to NARA in NYC and my friend went a few weeks ago. The person at the desk looks at the databases on the interent and than has you go to the computer and look on ancestry. Obviously, this can be done at home. There has to be something more at NARA, someone told me there is another way to look, I wish I wrote it down :( but the gatekeeper is impossible.
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Re: USCIS vs. NARA

Post by sforza »

johnnyonthespot wrote:
sforza wrote:Carmine, how would one go about getting a "no records" certification from Jersey? Will the archives do this? I called the Essex County (Newark) clerk and they had no idea.
The certification is not some specific document or such, it is merely a written and properly signed "letter" stating that they searched their records and could not find anything relating to the naturalization of your ancestor.

Lately, it seems that a few consulates have been getting very particular about the wording of the no records certification. I believe New York is one of these, for example.

You might do well to contact your consulate and ask if they have any specific requirements for a "no records" letter and then you can pass that info along to the Essex County clerk. In the past I have seen references that the letter must include:

* verbiage to clearly indicate that the search was for records pertaining to the naturalization and/or renunciation of Italian citizenshipof the specified person

* that a range of years was searched beginning with the time the immigant entered the US and extending beyond the birth of the next-in-line ancestor

* that multiple attempts were made concerning the spelling of the ancestor's surname and that all predicable given names were checked (Giuseppe, Joseph, Joe, ...)

and so on.
Brilliant. Thanks, Carmine.
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