Naturalization was not a one-step process in the United States. An alien, or unnaturalized immigrant resident of the United States, would file his declaration with a local court. Then, when the appropriate amount of time had passed, the individual would petition to become a citizen. The declaration of intent may contain more information than the final naturalization and may have been filed in a different jurisdiction than the final naturalization.
Before 1906, any local court of record could process naturalizations. Federal legislation in 1906, the “Naturalization Act of 1906,” changed that and began the era of more direct federal oversight of naturalization.
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