Alien status of wife and kids after GGF naturalized?

JB5150 · Explorer Joined: Sep 13, 2007 Posts: 78 Location: Florida

Hi everyone!

After a bit of an absence, just thought I would pop in and say hi. I kind of took a break from researching stuff for a while.....I'm afraid my local family history center probably thinks I died or something...

Anyway, I'm back at it, and I recently obtained my GGF's naturalization papers (my father's mother's father). He had gone back and forth between Italy and the US several times, and when he came in 1920, he filed his declaration of intention (I believe that is the proper name for it). After living in the US for the designated 5 year period, he finally took the oath of citizenship in February of 1926. He then brought his wife and 4 kids over to the US that August.

My question is this-- what would the citizenship status of his wife and kids be? Would they have become citizens by default? I never found any naturalization paperwork for them.

-Jill

stevenspringer

If im not mistaken, They would still be aliens. My great great grandfathers nat was finalized in 1917 and the paper had the WHOLE family on it (children and wife) 2 children were born in italy and the rest were born here.

here is what my paper looks like
i234.photobucket.com/a...ure045.jpg

nuccia

Hi Jill,

Great to have you back! Smile

I was under the impression that the wife and children automatically naturalized when the Husband/Father did back then but I would need to check and make sure. Meanwhile, could you post the record of your ancestor, or at least his information so that we can check a few more things? The 1930 census may have the information on it? Have you checked that?

JB5150 · Explorer Joined: Sep 13, 2007 Posts: 78 Location: Florida

Thanks for the replies--

I will try to scan the docs and post them this weekend. The declaration of intention has the names of my GGF's wife and kids, but I don't believe that any of the other documents mention them. Would this be enough to include them, even if they were still living in Italy the whole time? As for the 1930 census, I couldn't locate the family through Ancestry's search, but I am going to see if I might be able to find them by the address I think they may have been living at at the time.

-Jill

JB5150 · Explorer Joined: Sep 13, 2007 Posts: 78 Location: Florida

Ok, here's an update-- I was actually able to find my family in the 1930 census. I had to look through quite a few census districts before I found them, though. Strange that they aren't included in Ancestry's index, because the writing on the document was quite clear-- there was no confusion as to the names.

Anyway, my GGF was listed as "Na," but the rest of the family was shown as "Al," so I guess that they did not automatically become citizens. I can't seem to find them in Ancestry's naturalization index, but given the results of my census search, it may just be an error. I may put in a request to NARA just to see if they find anything...

mler · New Member Joined: Jul 22, 2007 Posts: 15

If he naturalized after 1922, which it appears he did, his wife would not automatically naturalize with him. She would have to do so on her own behalf. It was my understanding, though, that the minor children would be naturalized. Does his petition list their names?

Poipu04

My gf naturalized in 1929 and like mler said, the wife is not included. My gm's papers are from several years later, showing her naturalization.