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American naturalization records.

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  • 18-10-2014 9:09pm
    #1
    christmas2010
    Registered Users Posts: 148 ✭✭


    Hi, just looking for a bit of help. I've been searching to find naturalization records for my grandfather. He first emigrated to America in 1900. However he seems to have come back to Ireland for a visit. I've found him on a passenger manifest returning to New York in 1909. There is a stamp on the manifest to say that he is a non immigrant alien. My question is what does this term mean?
    Am I correct in thinking that he hadn't been naturalized at this stage? He later returned to Ireland in 1927 and remained here until his death but I know he had an American passport. So I'm thinking he must have been naturalized sometime between 1909 and 1927. I've tried Ancestry and Family search but so far haven't found anything.


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    #2
    christmas2010
    Registered Users Posts: 148 ✭✭christmas2010


    Think I've partly answered my own question but just in case anyone else is interested I went back and had a look at the 1920 census. One of the questions on this is year of naturalization. He gave his year as 1910 which is when he was living in New York. Trawling through ancestry again but no luck yet. Unfortunately he has quite a common name.


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    #3
    Coolnabacky1873
    Registered Users Posts: 556 ✭✭✭Coolnabacky1873


    If you can't find it on the commercial websites, you can apply directly to US Citizenship and Immigration Services for the files of anyone naturalized after Sept 1906.

    http://www.uscis.gov/genealogy


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    #4
    Coolnabacky1873
    Registered Users Posts: 556 ✭✭✭Coolnabacky1873


    If you can't find it on the commercial websites, you can apply directly to US Citizenship and Immigration Services for the files of anyone naturalized after Sept 1906.

    http://www.uscis.gov/genealogy


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    #5
    pedroeibar1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,108 ✭✭✭pedroeibar1


    christmas2010 wrote: »
    There is a stamp on the manifest to say that he is a non immigrant alien. My question is what does this term mean?
    Am I correct in thinking that he hadn't been naturalized at this stage?

    Correct. Any foreigner who is legally resident in the US is a non-immigrant alien. I was one, with a L1 visa. I had a Soc Sec number, driver's license, paid taxes, could buy property, etc. and had many rights but there are some exclusions, I recall I could not buy a gun or serve on a jury.


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    #6
    Coolnabacky1873
    Registered Users Posts: 556 ✭✭✭Coolnabacky1873


    pedroeibar1 wrote: »
    Any foreigner who is legally resident in the US is a non-immigrant alien.

    I apologize in advance for being a pedant (and for not actually answering the question that the OP asked), but that's not strictly true, as lawful permanent residents (green card holders) are foreigners who are legally resident but are not non-immigrant aliens. Non-immigrant aliens are allowed to enter and stay in the U.S. for a defined period of time and have conditions on their stay.

    Anyway, it a bit of a moot point as immigration law was different in the early years of the 20th C.


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    #7
    christmas2010
    Registered Users Posts: 148 ✭✭christmas2010


    Coolnabacky1873 wrote: »
    If you can't find it on the commercial websites, you can apply directly to US Citizenship and Immigration Services for the files of anyone naturalized after Sept 1906.

    http://www.uscis.gov/genealogy

    Thanks for that Coolnabacky. I hadn't come across that before. I've submitted a request, looking forward to seeing if anything is found.:)


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    #8
    pedroeibar1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,108 ✭✭✭pedroeibar1


    Coolnabacky1873 wrote: »
    I apologize in advance for being a pedant (and for not actually answering the question that the OP asked), but that's not strictly true, as lawful permanent residents (green card holders) are foreigners who are legally resident but are not non-immigrant aliens. Non-immigrant aliens are allowed to enter and stay in the U.S. for a defined period of time and have conditions on their stay.

    Anyway, it a bit of a moot point as immigration law was different in the early years of the 20th C.

    No probs Cbky. Glad to be put right, that's how we learn. I just remember the fun some people had in introducing me as "Have you met my Dad the Alien?" Back then the daft thing was that OH who has a post-grad from a 'little' uni in South Bend could not work with an L2.


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