naturalization

Over 25 million Italians have emigrated between 1861 and 1960 with a migration boom between 1871 and 1915 when over 13,5 million emigrants left the country for European and overseas destinations.
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heritage58
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naturalization

Post by heritage58 »

Do I understand that key to my obtaining an Italian passport is my grandfather not renouncing his citizenship prior to my father's birth? His name was Guiseppe De Bernardo (spelling is an issue) according to US 1920 census,district 20, NYC, wife Nicolette, soon to be deceased. Year of immigration-1912. Draft card issued states DOB 13Oct1885, Naples. 1930 census, I believe, had him as a declarant?, age 33, residing 343 E. 122st, NYC, nearest relative second wife Mary De Bernardo. My father and I spelled our name Di Bernardo, Anthony. Variant includes Guiseppe Bernardo. Any help much appreciated.
Paula7928
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Re: naturalization

Post by Paula7928 »

Yes, that is correct. Your grandfather would have needed to be an Italian citizen at the time of your fathers birth.
heritage58
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Re: naturalization

Post by heritage58 »

Please explain to an old fool such as myself how to determine if the old man was naturalized.
James Graham
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Re: naturalization

Post by James Graham »

I believe I found Giuseppe in the 1920 Census.
Wife - Nicolette
Daughter - Palmina
Daughter - Tessie
Son - Anthony
Daughter - Brodamato

Papers Submitted is listed
122nd St, NYC

Do you have more information?
heritage58
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Re: naturalization

Post by heritage58 »

All correct. Son, Anthony was my dad. What is a declarant?
James Graham
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Re: naturalization

Post by James Graham »

Declarant is someone who has declared they would like to become an American and has started the process of citizenship.

Is this him as it is the same DOB?
https://familysearch.org/search/record/ ... A1920-1940~

Possible?
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Giuseppe Di Bernardo.tiff
Giuseppe Di Bernardo.tiff (156.18 KiB) Viewed 6802 times
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Tessa78
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Re: naturalization

Post by Tessa78 »

The process of naturalization begins with a Declaration of Intent [to become a US citizen]. Also called "first papers."
So Giuseppe was the declarant... and a Declaration of Intent would have been filed by him.
On this declaration Giuseppe would have indicated his date and place of arrival into the US. A search and verification of this arrival would have been made and, if found, would result in the issuance of a Certificate of Arrival to accompany his Declaration of Intent to the next phase of naturalization...
NOTE: If a certificate of arrival is issued, there is a notation made on the actual arrival manifest.

So... I located this manifest for a Giuseppe de Bernardo, traveling with brother, Raffaele de Bernardo in Oct 1911. Raffaele is married, age 31; Giuseppe is single, age 25. Their last place of residence was Marano. Marano di Napoli is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 9 kilometres northwest of Naples.

IF this is your grandfather's manifest... there is a very good possibility that he did not naturalize, since there are no notations on his passenger line of the manifest.
Name: Guiseppe De Bernardo
Arrival Date: 6 Oct 1911
Birth Date: abt 1886
Birth Location: Italy
Birth Location Other: marano
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Ethnicity/ Nationality: Italian (South) (Italian)
Port of Departure: Marseille, France
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Ship Name: Germania

The image... click once to enlarge and again to magnify. They are on lines 8 and 9 :-)
Image

This NYC marriage index confirms that Giuseppe was single when he arrived in US? Yes?
From the NYC marriage index
Name: Giuseppe DiBernardo
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 18 Dec 1913
Marriage Place: Kings, New York, USA
Spouse: Nicoletta Salamini
Certificate Number: 13433

and this ???

Name: Giuseppe DiBernardo
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 11 Jan 1914
Marriage Place: Kings, New York, USA
Spouse: Nicoletta Salvanini
Certificate Number: 666

T.
James Graham
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Re: naturalization

Post by James Graham »

This matches in name and address.
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Giuseppe Di Bernardo Natuaralization 10 February 1922.tiff
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Tessa78
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Re: naturalization

Post by Tessa78 »

Yes, it does, James :-) Great find!

Looks like it was the Declaration of Intent...

Giuseppe Di Bernardo
New York, County Naturalization Records
Name Giuseppe Di Bernardo
Event Type Naturalization
Event Date 1922
Event Place New York, New York, United States
Volume Declaration of intention index 1912-1924 Cuti, Vito-Dirken, Isidore

T.
heritage58
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Re: naturalization

Post by heritage58 »

Outstanding. The help I am receiving is truly impressive, and I am grateful.The address on his WW11 draft card matches on of my earliest memories of my youth. 349 E. 119th St. (in the neighborhood it was called ahun nineteenth). If my father was born (1917) prior to Giuseppe's naturalization (1922), would I be on track for Jure Sanguinis citizenship? As an aside, he returned permanently to Italy, I think in the 1950's, having made his "fortune." He was a proud man and I am proud of him. He surely missed the beauty of his native country and who wouldn't?
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Re: naturalization

Post by jennabet »

[quote="Tessa78"]

IF this is your grandfather's manifest... there is a very good possibility that he did not naturalize, since there are no notations on his passenger line of the manifest.
Name: Guiseppe De Bernardo
Arrival Date: 6 Oct 1911
Birth Date: abt 1886
Birth Location: Italy
Birth Location Other: marano
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Ethnicity/ Nationality: Italian (South) (Italian)
Port of Departure: Marseille, France
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Ship Name: Germania

The image... click once to enlarge and again to magnify. They are on lines 8 and 9 :-)
Image

In this case, I doubt the absence of notification on passenger line of the manifest had anything to do with whether or not this person was naturalized and I would refrain from suggesting it because it could deter candidates from searching further, the ship manifest, in many cases being the first document they try to find.

In fact, Marano near Naples in the Province of Campagna , is quite a distance from the port of Marseille in France and this immigrant could have traveled all the way to France because this is where a lot of clandestine (illegal) emigration for Italians was taking place. For a cash payment up front of 10,000 lire (a lire at the time was roughly equal to a dollar), one could board ship at French ports as a seaman on ships that were bound for the United States.

Italian immigrants who couldn't qualify, for whatever reason, to enter the US legally often took advantage of some phantom travel agencies that had mysterious links to Marseilles. Everything was done in great secrecy and even a primitive code was set up. For example, to let those interested know that important developments had taken place, a large, white bed sheet would be hung from the balcony of the travel agency. The correspondence between the headquarters in Marseilles and the travel agency was sent to a fake address. The telegram always bore the same message: "Carbonari essere arrivati" meaning there had been a safe arrival of clandestine, Italian immigrants posing as Seamen in New York.
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Re: naturalization

Post by James Graham »

heritage58 wrote:If my father was born (1917) prior to Giuseppe's naturalization (1922), would I be on track for Jure Sanguinis citizenship?
Yes, it sure seems that you have a case.
Time to gather some documents.
heritage58 wrote:As an aside, he returned permanently to Italy, I think in the 1950's, having made his "fortune." He was a proud man and I am proud of him. He surely missed the beauty of his native country and who wouldn't?
Agreed
heritage58
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Re: naturalization

Post by heritage58 »

I would be interested to know how many Italian immigrants returned to their home country.
heritage58
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Re: naturalization

Post by heritage58 »

If it is permitted, might I tell of an experience of my first and only experience in Italy? My wife and I were walking a street in Rome. There was a beautiful woman pushing a baby carriage. An ambulance, sirens, she made the sign of the cross. Being "when in Rome"...later in a taxi, I heard a siren. Of course, I made the sign,half in jest, the driver saw me in the mirror, smiled,what a dope he saw! I love Italy
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