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POL-AM NEWSPolish-AmericanGenealogyNaturalization RecordsWishing all readers a Happy New Year 2010!Let’s get back to some of the basics. Many family researchers wish to make the jump from NorthAmerica to Poland, or somewhere in Europe. Some of us are fortunate our families told us wherethey were from, but many others kept their origins a “secret”. The “secret” may be for a number ofreasons.1. Our ancestors left in a hurry. Trying to avoid military conscription, harassment from occupyingpowers, or simply, a war. Thus they considered themselves “fugitives” from the government and didn’twant anyone left behind in the home country to be burdened with the knowledge of where theirfamily fled to.2. Many times I have heard that once immigrants landed on the shores of the US, they wanted nofurther dealings with the old country. Let’s face it; they left for many reasons, many of which werenot friendly. Happy and wealthy people don’t drop all their belongings and leave home for good.3. They simply didn’t want to tell others where they were from. Sometimes, it just can’t be explainedwhy there was so much secrecy, but many people do not want others to know their personaldata.4. Some immigrants were simply uneducated and really could not go into details about their origins,All they may have known was that they were from a small hamlet somewhere near Lublin, andthus, said they were from the city of Lublin, when it reality they may have been from Stary Zamosc,100 km away.5. The recent immigrant felt it was neither needed nor beneficial to relive their past, so they simply“started” out with a new life.All of this is fine for them, but we as researchers need that vital bit of information to pursue ourfamily heritage.One very important source would be naturalization paperwork generated in the US. Of course,this meant that our ancestor became a US citizen, or at least filled out preliminary paperwork to becomeone. Normally, it required living here for at least 5 years, BUT there were exceptions to therule. Some men who volunteered to serve in the US military received a shortcut to citizenship, muchas is sometimes done even today. Being from Chicago, I can fully also understand that at differenttimes, for different reasons, a naturalization could be “pushed” through the courts faster. As they stillsay here, “Vote early and often!” More citizens meant more votes and more votes meant obtaining apublic office, so a vote was crucial no matter where it came from.To go through the process in a simplistic method, let’s see what is required.1. Our ancestor first of all considered becoming a citizen.2. He or she filled out the application for citizenship, the Declaration of Intention also known asthe First Papers, assuming the residency requirement was met.3. They later filled out a Petition for Naturalization which meant that they were serious about thisprocess and wished to continue. This could be years later from the Declaration of Intention andmost important, may be located in a totally different court in a new place, often many states awayfrom the first papers.4. They filled out forms which are what we are searching for, BUT many times, the answers canbe quite confusing and downright incorrect. Often, little or no verification was provided that what theimmigrant was stating was accurate.5. Upon successful completion of all paperwork, and taking a simple test, if all was in order,there was a swearing in ceremony in a court and a certificate of proof of citizenship was issued.These citizenship papers should be in the hands of some family member, but many times, they arelong gone.6. There were at least 2 witnesses required to swear knowledge of the petitioner. Many times,these witnesses were either family members business acquaintances, fellow workers, or neighborswho had gone through the process already.For more information, take a look at:www.genealogybranches.com/naturalization.htmlThere are some vital bits of information which need to be discussed here. The initial Declarationof Intention form was shorter and had less information on it (before 1906, it was very limited in information).Even if this is the only form found, it may help us out. It was the first paper to be completedand may be filed in any form of a court, whether Federal, state, county, city, even a police court.Every case is dependant upon the applicant and his/ her own personal story. Most forms I haveseen are either in the Federal Court system or a Circuit Court in a local office. There was no advantageif any of the courts were used, BUT it makes a huge difference where they were filed as that isthe location we will need to search. There is no index for all filings in all courts in one location. Ifyour ancestor filled out paperwork say in the Will County Court of Joliet, Illinois, his paperwork willnot be in the National Archives branch located in Chicago (Federal Records) nor in the CookCounty Court Archives, nor in the Circuit court of Illinois covering Will County. The papers will be actuallyin the Will County court house located in Joliet Illinois. Copies are available and should be obtainedfor every member of our family who became a citizen.to be continued…….Paul S. ValasekHallersarmy@aol.compolish your PolishFISHANIMALS IIIZwierzę IIIRYBYm, n, f denotes male, neuter,female; hh is like ch in lochokoń (OH-koyn) m perchpstrąg (pstrohnk) m troutszczupak(SHCHUH-pahk) mpikeśledź (shlehdj) m herringwęgorz (VEHN-gohsh) mINSECTSOWADYpluskwa (PLUHS-kfah) fmrówka(MRUHF-kah) fpszczoła (PSHCHOH-wah) feelbugantbeemotyl (MOH-tihl) m butterflymucha (MUH-hhah) fPrepared and distributed by the Polonia Media Networkflypająk (PI-yohnk) m spiderkomar (KOH-mahr) m mosquitoosa (OH-sah) f waspkaraluch (kah-RAH-luhh) mCost: $40(includes $5.00 S/H)cockroachHaller'sPolishArmy inFranceAn essential publication forAnyone interested in the historyof the Polish Armed Forces,Particularly the involvement ofPolonia and Polish-AmericansFighting in the Allied EffortIn World War I.Order from:Dr. Paul S. Valasek2643 W. 51st StreetChicago, IL 60632-1559hallersarmy@aol.comSOKÓŁ POLSKI—POLISH FALCON JANUARY 2010 PAGE 23