How to find naturalization records and passenger records
I have been trying, for a long time, to find out more about my 2nd GGfather, Christian Andersen LZZH-RR9 and when he came into the country. I am not having much luck because he disappeared between the 1870 Census and the 1880 Census, because his name is so common etc. (I have not found a death record either.) Therefore, I have been looking for records of his children. I have found a lot more on Fritz Marinius Christiansen (Anderson in the US) KDWJ-YP3. This record is him, because he is on the same street as on the 1880 Census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9TW9-NKV
That one led me to this one: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PQ7-7ZDY?i=237&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXKL8-37R I don't know if this will lead me to anything about the family's immigration, because it isn't listed on this index, but I would like to find the actual record that this index is for. How do I find Vol. 4? I don't know what that is referring to. I also don't know what the Minor 5 years is referring to, because he was 29 in 1880 according to the first record. Maybe that he was a minor 5 years previous to this in 1870, at age 19?
I have not found anything useful for the oldest brother, Oscar Christian Christiansen L4BC-GGS or my great grandmother, Marie Christiane Christiansdatter L4BC-GTT or the other women. Am I correct that you don't find naturalization records for women in the 1870s or 1880s?
Any suggestions as to where to go from here would be greatly appreciated.
Answers
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It is rare to find a naturalization record for a woman in that time. Women and minor children received derivative citizenship from the naturalization of the husband or father. Since women did not have the right to vote, they rarely naturalized even if they did not marry. Some courts would not even permit a woman to pursue the process in that time.
Usually the full record will read something like - resident for 5 years, including 3 years as a minor. The person had to be of full age (21) to naturalize, but residency before majority counted toward the residency requirement.
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If that index card is your person of interest, it is probable that his father did not naturalize. Fritz would not have needed to go through this process if his father naturalized before he (Fritz) reached his majority.
To the best of my knowledge, Illinois naturalizations for that time are not (yet) available online. I used to know someone from Cook County who would retrieve the records from the local repository, but he no longer lives in the area. IOW, I don't have a resource to suggest.
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Here's the wording on the minority/majority from the 1875 naturalization record of my great grandfather. My GGF was about 17 when he arrived.
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Thank you for the helpful information.
I suspect that his father died sometime between 1870 and 1880 because he was not on the 1880 Census with his family. If Fritz wouldn't have needed to naturalize if his father had, then the father probably died between 1870 and 1872. The Chicago Fire was in 1871, so that is a possibility.
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Then again, Christian Anderson's wife is not listed as a widow in 1880, so maybe he just wasn't with the family. It's possible that Fritz was naturalized sooner than his father because he knew the language better or something. I have found a couple of naturalization references that could be Christian, but with such a common name, it is hard to know. The most concrete thing I have is still for Fritz. Is there any way to order copies of naturalization records for Cook County, Illinois? I went to the Research Wiki and found this article: Cook County, Illinois Genealogy. There is a link under the heading of Naturalization and Citizenship “Cook County Clerk of Circuit Court has posted an index to their Naturalization Declaration of Intentions.” I get the message, “Sorry. We couldn't find that page.” I am not figuring out where to go on their site. Is anybody familiar with this?
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That site says it has records after 1906. Another place on the site said after 1893. Are the earlier records obtained through the state instead of the National Archives?
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How much before the naturalization is a declaration of intention? And what is the difference between that and a petition? I think I am not understanding the terminology.
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I went to the beginning of the microfilm of the index that has the person I want. It says M1285, so that is the index they are speaking of on that page. Is the Superior Court, Cook Co., Ill the federal court they are talking about? That is what it says on the index card.
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Just because Christian is missing from the 1880 census, doesn't mean he is dead. You need to follow the breadcrumbs.
I have found Mary Anderson in the the 1880 Census for San Francisco, CA, ED 152 page (not image) 16. That is attached to Marie's record, but there is a suggestion of where he is in that record. Her son Fritz, 28, is married with 2 daughters. His mother Mary, 56, is married (not widowed), and is working as a nurse. Otto, age 14 is there too, listed as brother of head (Fritz). Of note, their neighbor is listed as having consumption.
It may be that Christian was alive in 1880, had consumption and was in a nearby institution for treatment, (where the neighbor could easily go for treatment as well) which may be why Mary got a job there. She wanted to visit him and be with him. I suspect visitors were prohibited in those days. Her job would have been lovely. Very likely carrying the slop buckets all day. I couldn't find any institutions which participated in the 1880 census for the San Francisco area. I have found 2 sick and institutionalized ancestors in the 1910 census, but perhaps 1880 was too early for that.
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Thank you for that idea. It is a very interesting thought. Did people recover from consumption? I had already found a voter registration that looks like my Christian Anderson. The birth year is correct; it shows him as a painter, which he was on the 1870 Census; and he was in Alameda, which is where my grandfather, Henry Cooper Pitney Watkins was born in 1887: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6230268:2221?tid=&pid=&queryId=0e7a60073c4d52a98603ea375e3966d9&_phsrc=VoC255&_phstart=successSource
I don't have death records for either Christian or his wife and this is during that period with the missing 1890 Census where people are hard to track down.
I will have to find that naturalization record. It looks like it is available online, but I don't have time to do it right now. I am excited. Thanks again!
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Just a reminder that naturalization records from that time will contain very little information. My great grandfather was naturalized, in NYC, in 1875. His record does not even contain the name of his country of birth. The only useful piece of information is the name of his witness who - it turned out - was his brother-in-law.
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OK. Thanks. The naturalization record for Christian Anderson, if it is the one I want, is in 1887, so may be more likely to have what I need than the one for Fritz in 1875 that I would have to pay for.
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I found the record and it could be him, because he did live in Chicago, but there isn't enough information to know for sure and it doesn't have anything about immigration or family members: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9T3-TQXN-J?cc=2125028&cat=616178
I also found this, which could be him because the birthday is correct, but it is two years off. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/192722881/christian-anderson
From that, I found this record: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1321112:60722?tid=&pid=&queryId=aef98ec1be66efcebb58418ebcc65cbd&_phsrc=VoC297&_phstart=successSource He is on line 4. He was born near, but not in Christiania. I am unsure about the part on the second page. I guess that is in Norwegian? It gives an address, which is not familiar. If that is the wife's name, it doesn't quite look right, but I think it says wife and 5 children, which would be right.
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