Connecticut Naturalization records possibly incomplete? (Fairfield County)
I'm looking through Naturalization records (Fairfield County, Connecticut), [National Archives and Records Administration Record Group (RG) 200, RG 21] 1839-1955.
Within that collection under 'Petitions index 1839-1955: cert. 6426994 (cont.) Lukak, Andro - cert. 2774257 McKee, James' (Film 2369168, Image Group Number 7778552) There is an index entry for Alexander MacDonald which says his petition is in vol.8 page. 324. This entry has also been indexed in New England naturalization petitions…etc with the same information.
However, when I look at 'Petition for naturalization, v. 7, page 108, petition no. 1409, William Braatz, 2 Sept. 1913 - v. 9, page 112, petition no. 1912, Louis Hron, 19 Nov. 1914' (Film 2417572, DGS 7766264), volume 8 ends on page 251 and after the next slate volume 9 begins.
The microfiche slates are continuous going from item 2 to 3 so it doesn't look like a section was missed in digitisation. But I'm wondering if the back half of volume 8 was missed when it was originally filmed? I've looked at the preceding and following films to see if it was scanned out of sequence but that doesn't appear to be the case either.
I keep going backwards and forwards on this and cannot reconcile it. Is this a known issue or am I completely turned around and looking in the wrong place?
Answers
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@RaniM This description from the collection may help -
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Thanks @Áine Ní Donnghaile, I did see that and wondered if it had some bearing. However, in this case the alphabetical index card does exist, but the volume/page it directs me to doesn’t seem to.
Obviously it must be somewhere, otherwise it couldn’t have been indexed, but that section appears not to have been scanned.
The certificate stubs begin in 1906 after the date in question (1896) and the alphabetical index entry doesn’t include a certificate number so I can’t cross check that way.
Where it mentions “gaps in the sequence” I read that as referring to gaps in the sequence of certificate numbers themselves. For example it might jump from certificate 1234 to 1239. Whilst it might appear that 1235-1238 are missing they were never in the collection. Which is a slightly different issue to mine…. I think.
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As I read it, the cards were created from the originals, but not all originals are in the batches that are available at FS.
@SerraNola Can you confirm my interpretation, or am I off base? Thanks.
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Oh! You know what, I've just looked at it with fresh eyes and I've figured it out. The Petitions for Naturalisation Volumes don't directly correlate to the alphabetical Petitions Index. The index runs 1839 to 1955, whilst the Petitions volumes begin in 1906. So the vol.8 that the index refers to is not the vol.8 in this collection. I guess I was too focused on the volume number and looked right past the date. Oops! Feeling a little sheepish now, haha.
Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for your help @Áine Ní Donnghaile.
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