Status based on 1930 Census

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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BillieDeKid
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Status based on 1930 Census

Post by BillieDeKid »

Hi

In the 1930 census that I have it shows the naturalization status for my grandfather as AL also for my grandmother and uncle - they are listed as AL too.

What does AL stand for and what exactly does it mean.

I also have my grandfathers WWI draft registration from 1917 and I thought that automatically naturalized him (officially) and since my grandmother and uncle didn't join him until 1921 I thought that him being in the military automatically naturalized them.

Can someone please straighten this out for me?

Thanks in advance
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BillieDeKid
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by BillieDeKid »

Never mind all. I went to another site that had the abbreviations listed. Just in case anyone is interested here is the info.

AL Alien (not naturalized and had not filed first papers)
PA First papers filed (declaration of intent)
NA Naturalized
NR Not recorded
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mler
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by mler »

Also, keep in mind that serving in the U.S. military did not automatically confer naturalization. In addition, by 1917, WWI was pretty much over. He may have been registered for the draft, but that does not mean he actually served.
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pastasugo
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by pastasugo »

by 1917, WWI was pretty much over.
The US did not enter the war until April 1917. After that date, 2 million US soldiers fought in Europe, the US lost 116,000 men, and had 205,000 wounded. The war ended in November 1918.

It was hardly almost over in 1917.
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by mler »

I wasn't a history major, and it appears I was off by one year (I was probably thinking of the Russian Revolution).

I still maintain that a draft card is not a definite indication of service. My husband has a draft card too, but he was never actually drafted and never served although we were fighting a war at the time. Both my grandfathers also had draft cards but never served in the U.S. military during WW I.

My point was that a draft card is not an indication of service, and service is not an indication of naturalization, although many who did serve had an easy path to citizenship.
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by BillieDeKid »

Thanks for the info Pastasugo and Mler. I have another question, maybe you'll know the answer or least get me on the right path.

I know for sure that my grandfather actually served in the military, we have pictures of him in uniform and he died in the Vet. Hosp. in Madison, WI in 1959. My question is this - he served in the military for the U.S., brougth his wife (my grandmother) and my uncle to the U.S. in 1920 or 21 and I know for a fact that my uncle naturalized (my cousin has his papers) but not until years later. Do you think it is likely that my grandmother naturalized? She died in 1934 (so she had only been here about 14 years) and she spoke absolutely no english.
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pastasugo
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by pastasugo »

I wasn't a history major, and it appears I was off by one year (I was probably thinking of the Russian Revolution).
I wasn't a history major either. But I believe Americans (especially educators) should make an effort to know the sacrifices their forefathers made to keep the world free.
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by mler »

Pastasugo, I am well aware of the sacrifices made by my forefathers, and being off by ONE year (actually 10 months-early November, 1918--a 1 1/2 year "war to end all wars" :roll: ) does not negate that fact. Did my post in any way imply that our forefathers did not make sacrifices during the various wars in this country???? I think not.

May I suggest that you refrain from providing history lessons and stick to the topic--which is, I remind you, "Emigration, Immigration, Naturalization and Italian citizenship," not "significant dates in American history. Your post was rude and condescending in a forum that prides itself on the civility and respect usually shown by its members.

Billie, to return to the topic at hand, yours is a difficult question to answer. There were certain periods in the twentieth century (see hellosquire's post) during which wives were considered by Italy to have lost their citizenship when their husbands naturalized. I don't know enough about that Italian law to give you an answer regarding your grandmother. However, it does appear that if your grandfather did naturalize when he served in the miliary (not a foregone conclusion) it was before he married, so I think this ruling would not apply to your grandmother.

I do know, however, that before 1922 (the year the Cable Act was in place) wives were considered to be citizens of the country in which their husbands were citizens. If this happened with your grandmother, there are likely no naturalization records for her, and I think it may well work for you. If the U.S. assumed that your grandmother obtained citizenship automatically through a naturalized American husband, it does not mean that Italy made the same assumption.

I would definitely suggest doing a search. There is a good chance that there are no naturalization records for your grandmother. Why not post in the "genealogy" section of the forum. Perhaps someone can help you find the information you need.
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by pastasugo »

If grandfather naturalized and grandmother naturalized with him, her name will be included on his naturalization certificate. I would send a G-639 to USCIS requesting a search for the naturalization certificate for your grandfather.
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by mler »

pastasugo wrote:If grandfather naturalized and grandmother naturalized with him, her name will be included on his naturalization certificate. I would send a G-639 to USCIS requesting a search for the naturalization certificate for your grandfather.
This will give you a definitive answer. Obtaining information from a G-639 request, however, is often slow. Submit your request as soon as possible because if your grandmother did not naturalize, you will ultimately need a "no record" letter from USCIS. (I am assuming you want this information for dual citizenship purposes.)

In the meantime, however, explore other sources including www.ancestry.com And don't hesitate to ask the genealogy experts who post on this site for help. This will help you get a sense of what USCIS will come up with.

Best of luck.
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by BillieDeKid »

I would like to thank both of you for all the help you've given me. I will first post on the genealogy forum and ask for help and I will also prepare a G-639 request.

Through ancestry.com, I don't have a subscription - will the experts actually be able to find my grandfathers papers for naturalization if they exist?

Thanks again for all of your help pastasugo and mler.
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by mler »

Billie, many posters on the genealogy forum have access to ancestry, but you can too with a trial membership. If, after two weeks (I think that's the length of the trial), you no longer will benefit from the service, you can call them and cancel. They will not make things difficult.

I used their trial membership option and would have continued with a paid membership, but they did not seem to have the additional information I needed. I called them, explained that the rest of my research had to be done through Italian sources, and cancelled. No problem.
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Re: Status based on 1930 Census

Post by BillieDeKid »

Thank you Mler. I appreciate all your help.
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