Naturalization Research Plan

See the background on naturalization.

We know that the Work Progress Administation’s Historical Records Survery included the creation of a naturalization index derived from examination of court Order Books. This index included:

the individual’s name
the court of filing
the Order Book where the filing is recorded
the page in the Order Book

In Indiana, the sponsoring entity for the History Records Survery was the Indiana State Library, Archives Division.

In 1981 the Society of American Archivists created a working group to ascertain where in each state the WPA’s Historical Records Survery results resided. It can be downloaded here.

We know that the Indiana Historical Society’s, Family History Section, used the information in the WPA’s naturalization index to produce the volume An Index to Naturalization Records In pre-1907 Order Books of Indiana County Courts, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, 2001. This was the 2^nd edition of an earlier volume produced 1981 under a similiar title.

Scan using my phone app these documents in the Genealogy Center:

Volumes to Scan
Name	Call #
An Index to Naturalization Records In pre-1907 Order Books of Indiana County Courts Note: Allen and Adams Counties	977.2 IN1015A
Adams CO Trumpeter, October 1988	977.201 Ad1hs
Research in Indiana courthouses: judicial and other records	Call #: 977.2 N46r

We know that the U.S. Censuses in these years asked these naturalization questions:

naturalization: U.S. Censuses Naturalization Questions
Year of Census	Naturalization Questions
1870	First census to ask if the individual’s father and mother were foreign-born. It asked: "Male Citizen of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards".
1900	Included questions about year of immigration and naturalization status. Asked if the individual was naturalized or still an alien, with codes like AL (Alien), Pa (Papers filed), or Na (Naturalized).
1910	Continued to ask about father’s and mother’s country of birth, year of immigration and naturalization status using the same coding system as 1900. Also asked about the mother tongue.
1920	Added questions about naturalization year, providing more precise data on when naturalization occurred.
1930	Similar to previous censuses, it asked about year of immigration and naturalization status. Asked for the language spoken at home before coming to the U.S.
1940	Asked year of immigration and naturalization status. Also included questions about the individual’s place of birth and citizenship status.
1950 and Beyond	The 1950 Census asked about naturalization but did not specify detailed statuses. Subsequent censuses focused less on detailed naturalization questions, and newer ones relied more on specialized surveys like the American Community Survey (ACS).

Carl Heinrich Wilhelm Krückeberg’s responses to Citizenship questions on U.S. Censuses
Census year	Question	Response
1870	"Male Citizen of U.S. of 21 years of age and upwards."	Box checked, affirming he is
1900	Immigration Year	1850
1900	Years in the U.S.	50
1900	Naturalized	"Na"=Naturalized

Plan

Correlate the information in the U.S. Censuses from 1870 to 1910 with the individual’s named in An Index to Naturalization Records In pre-1907 Order Books of Indiana County Courts who are my ancestors in Adams county, Indiana.
Determine if the minor children of Carl Friedrich Krueckeberg needed to apply for citizenship and how long they had to wait, after reaching age 21 (when they were no longer) minors
Read the volume on Research in Indiana courthouses: judicial and other records.