AGENCY: Supreme Court
SERIES: 3942
TITLE: Declarations of intention and certificate of citizenship record books
DATES: i 1851-1895.
ARRANGEMENT: Chronological by date.
DESCRIPTION: To become a citizen of the United States, an individual normally filed a "declaration of intention to become a citizen" at least two years prior to applying for citizenship. The next step was the naturalization hearing, where if the judge found the applicant eligible to become a citizen, a loyalty oath was administered and a certificate of citizenship was issued. These books contain copies, or rarely originals, of the signed statements of individuals' intentions to become citizens (1851-1895) . The first volume also contains a record of certificates of citizenship to newly naturalized citizens (1851-1869) .
The records were kept by the court clerk in volumes of preprinted forms.__The declarations of intention have blanks for the insertion of the individual's name, his former sovereign, date, and signatures of the individual and/or the court clerk witnessing the statement.
The certificates of citizenship which constitute the second half of volume A document aliens' applications for citizenship. Each form gives the date, applicant's name, ruler's name, names of those testifying in his behalf, and a standardized summary of the procedures. The court clerk served as witness to the proceedings and the applicant's loyalty oath. In the first volume, interspersed among the declarations and certificates recorded by the Supreme Court, are those recorded by the First District Court (1852-1856) and the Third District Court (1859-1860).__After statehood in 1896, district courts began keeping records separately in each county.
RETENTION
DISPOSITION
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION
These records are in Archives' permanent custody.
FORMAT MANAGEMENT
Paper: Retain in State Archives permanently and then microfilm.
Microfilm duplicate: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
Microfilm master: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
APPRAISAL
Historical
This disposition is based on the record's secondary informational value to researchers. These naturalization records are important sources for both the family historian and historical scholar studying immigration and ethnic settlement in Utah.
PRIMARY DESIGNATION
Public