ITALIAN CITIZENSHIP FOR AMERICANS OF ITALIAN ANCESTRY / DUAL CITIZENSHIP #4 UNITED STATES DOCUMENTS

You may know, because you already have some documents, where the ancestor you wish to claim as qualifying you for Italian citizenship was born.  However, sometimes family stories or genealogy quests are confused by not reading the fine print, so to speak.

For instance, a ship record may ask where the person was LAST LIVING or WHERE THEY LEFT, which could be a seaport.  That does not mean that they were BORN at this same location.  Some immigrants got to the seaport and lived and worked there a while to earn their tickets for the ship.  And as many Italian men were seasonal workers in America before deciding to remain and claim citizenship, you  might find the same person going back and forth and information differing from one ship record to the next. Of course these records can be valuable.  They may be consistent.  One might mention a large city.  Another a village near that large city.  So get your maps out and look.

There may be a mention of relatives such as a cousin on the ship or a wife left behind.

Once the decision was made to become a citizen, a DECLARATION OF INTENT will have been filed.  For naturalization, to become an American, the clock starts ticking with these "first papers."

Perhaps  you have their NATURALIZATION / American Citizenship papers which give more details.  With the realization that these are official and governmental papers, immigrants are more likely to record accurately where they were born.  The naturalization papers might say that they renounce Austria - which could mean they were born in what is now Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, or Italy. But they should still give the name of a village, town, or city.

Do some research on that region.  What is it's history?  When did it become part of Italy?  Were there any changes in borders and when?  At the time that your qualifying ancestor was born, was that place Italy?

Even if it was not, you may still qualify for Italian Citizenship.  You'll just have to keep doing your research. 

C 2020 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot

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As a side, years ago while doing some Italian genealogy for a client, I came across an odd situation.  Knowing that Italian men sometimes came and went as seasonal workers in the United States, I felt pretty sure that the ancestor had come over three times before settling in Brooklyn.  The man, with same name, first and last, the same height, left the same town, left the same port, on the same ship line.  On trip one and two, about a year apart, I felt sure this was the same man.  On trip three, another year later, it seemed to be the same man but for one detail.  This man was noted to have a massive scar on his forehead.  The client said there was no way that man was from their family.  But before it was all over, they admitted their family had been in organized crime in Italy and in America. 

STEAMSHIP POSTCARDS - HOLLAND AMERICA LINE - WHITE STAR LINE

GGARCHIVES - HOLLAND AMERICA LINE

 

 

STEAMSHIP POSTCARDS - RED STAR LINE and GG ARCHIVES LINK

Images from Dover Publications

 

(Search this blog for posts using the subject IMMIGRATION!)

 

FOUND AN INTERESTING NEW RESEARCH RESOURCE CALLED GG ARCHIVES

 

Here is the link to RED STAR information

GG ARCHIVES - STEAMSHIPS - RED STAR LINE

ARE YOU SPINNING YOUR WHEELS LOOKING FOR NATURALIZATION PAPERS THAT DON'T EXIST?

If you've been spinning your wheels looking for naturalization papers for an ancestor who came before 1906 I may be able to help you. 

Here is the NARA LINK TO EXPLAIN IT http://www.archives.gov/research/naturalization/naturalization.html 


HERE IS THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT NATURALIZATION THAT MAY HELP YOU EITHER STOP YOUR SEARCH or LOOK IN FEDERAL or CIRCUIT COURT PAPERS!

EXCERPT:

Exceptions to the General Rule (*of having to live in the U.S. for two years, make a Declaration of Intent, then live for another 5 years proving yourself worthy and begin the process!)


Having stated this "two-step, 5-year" general rule, it is necessary to note several exceptions.
The first major exception was that "derivative" citizenship was granted to wives and minor children of naturalized men. From 1790 to 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens. This also meant that an alien woman who married a U.S. citizen automatically became a citizen. (Conversely, an American woman who married an alien lost her U.S. citizenship, even if she never left the United States.) From 1790 to 1940, children under the age of 21 automatically became naturalized citizens upon the naturalization of their father. Unfortunately, however, names and biographical information about wives and children are rarely included in declarations or petitions filed before September 1906. ...

(*So look at those birth dates everyone!)

The second major exception to the general rule was that, from 1824 to 1906, minor aliens who had lived in the United States 5 years before their 23rd birthday could file both their declarations and petitions at the same time. ...  (*that means they could arrive at the age of 18 or less and just do it!)
 
The third major exception to the general rule was the special consideration given to veterans. An 1862 law allowed honorably discharged Army veterans of any war to petition for naturalization--without previously having filed a declaration of intent--after only 1 year of residence in the United States. An 1894 law extended the same no-previous-declaration privilege to honorably discharged 5-year veterans of the Navy or Marine Corps. Over 192,000 aliens were naturalized between May 9, 1918, and June 30, 1919, under an act of May 9, 1918, that allowed aliens serving in the U.S. armed forces during "the present war" to file a petition for naturalization without making a declaration of intent or proving 5 years' residence. Laws enacted in 1919, 1926, 1940, and 1952 continued various preferential treatment provisions for veterans.

* my notes and THANKS TO BETTY at NARA New York City

ARISTOCRACY AND ROYALTY - A COUPLE INTERESTING LINKS! - ROYAL COORESPONDENT and ROYAL MUSINGS

Seems to me I've met several people now who say their line goes to ROBERT THE BRUCE of SCOTLAND, but I'm not sure their research proves this.  By now  Robert must have many thousands of descendants though. 

Hey, I'm like you.  I may or may not be related to some aristocrats or extinguished royal personages, but I'm interested in those who do and are alive today.  What do they look like?  Are they still rich?  Do they all know each other?  Will any of them in line for lost power get it back?  Are they all marrying commoners?

Over the holidays I found some notes to myself about a couple sites that I've enjoyed reading.  I'm posting the links here and on my side bar!

They are ROYAL CORRESPONDENT

and ROYAL MUSINGS

Both impress me!  Check them out!

THE JEWISH AMERICANS : A SERIES BY DAVID RUBIN : PBS DVD

I think COLONIAL JEWISH HISTORY, because it is most obscure, is of most interest to me these days. (That's one of the reasons I was so fascinated with the work being done to understand the Melungeons from multiple points of view - DNA, genealogy research, and family history stories. See my past posts on them!)

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The JEWISH AMERICANS is a two set so this film series can be an evening of learning.  Here is what I learned:

The first Jewish synagogue was in New York City (New Amsterdam) long before the United States was formed, in the 17th century.

Charleston South Carolina had the largest Jewish community during slave times.

There were only about 2000 Jews in the US in 1776, at Declaration of Independence time.

Jews fought in the Civil War on both sides.

Among the many early business people and entrepreneurs was Joseph Speigel who eventually owned the catalogue company of the same name. Peddlers traveled on foot visiting farmsteads until they could afford a wagon until the catalogue went door to door through the mail.

The Ten Gallon hat, so associated with the Old West was created manufactured and sold by Jewish people.

By 1870 there were a quarter of a million Jews in the United States. Colonial Jews had a difficult time finding marriage partners and keeping their faith with no synagogues. This became the time of great synagogue building. Some of these synagogues are the most fantastic in architecture and ornamentation. Some communities however, created plain buildings that would not obviously be synagogues.

Rabbi Weis introduced organs, family pews (rather than separation of the sexes)... This was the founding of Reform Judaism, attributed to the German Jews.

German Jews were citizens and thought Russian and Polish Jews from the old country in the Industrial Revolution needed some help to become more American.

DVD put out by C 2008 Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association.