Naturalization Record Types
Naturalization occurred in the courts, and the court clerks jotted down notes of the naturalization proceeding in the court order books. How this worked is worked is explained in the foreword to An Index to Naturalization Records In pre-1907 Order Books of Indiana County Courts. These notes are called a filing or a pleaing if the immigrant files a declaration of intention (to become a citizen) or a petition for naturalization. The note is called a final order if the judge offically ordered that the immigrant is now a legal citizen.
Each time a immigrant took a step in the naturalization proces, a court clerk made a notation in an order book of the court for which he or she served. The note is called a "filing" or a "pleading" if it states that an immigrant files a delcaration of intention to become a citizen or a petition for naturalization; the note is called a "final order" if it states that a judge officially ordered that an immigrant is a legal citizen. Clerks of the circuit courts in Indiana counties retain the order books that contain these filings, pleadings, and final orders.
How do you go about locating copies of these naturaliation filings, pleadings and final orders? As further explained, one must consult the volume An Index to Naturalization Record in pre-1907 Order Books of Indiana County Courts, locate the county, the type of court order book and its page number.
In order to obtain a copy of one of the notes, a researcher must know which county to contact. The easiest way to begin this research is to consult the index in this volume, "An Index to Naturalization Records in Pre-1907 Order Books of Indiana County Courts."…Next to each immigrant’s name is the county where the immigrant completed a step of the naturalization process, the type of court order book (superior, common pleas, probate, or circuit) that contains the filing, pleading or final order, the volume(s) and year(s) of the order book and the page(s) where the note is located in the order book. If a researcher finds a ancestor listed in this index, he or she should call or visit the circuit court for the county indicated and **ask the circuit court clerk to check both the Civil AND Probate order books for the type of the court listed (Superior, Common Pleas, Probate or Circuit). State the volume and year(s) of the order book and the page(s) or the filing, pleading or final order. (In order to avoid confusion, DO NOT ask for "naturalization records.")