New York (State). Supreme Court Naturalization Records ... · After the 1790 Naturalization Act,...

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Finding Aid

New York (State). Supreme Court Naturalization Records, 1795-1868

Catalog Number CACL 285

National Park Service Manhattan Sites

Castle Clinton National Monument

Jenny Beard January 2013

This finding aid may be accessed electronically from the National Park Service Manhattan Historic Sites Archive

http://www.mhsarchive.org

Processing was funded by a generous donation from the Leon Levy Foundation

to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy.

Finding Aid New York (State). Supreme Court Naturalization Records – Catalog Number CACL 285 Page 1

National Park Service: Manhattan Sites

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

COPYRIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS ................................................................................................................... 4

PROVENANCE NOTE ...................................................................................................................................... 5

HISTORICAL NOTE ......................................................................................................................................... 6

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE ......................................................................................................................... 8

ARRANGEMENT NOTE ................................................................................................................................... 9

CONTENTS LIST.............................................................................................................................................. 9

RELATED MATERIALS NOTE......................................................................................................................... 15

SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................... 15

ADDED ENTRIES/ACCESS POINTS ................................................................................................................ 15



SUMMARY

Creator: New York (State). Supreme Court

Title: New York (State). Supreme Court Naturalization Records

Dates: 1795-1868, undated (bulk 1868)

Extent: 0.8 linear feet

National Park Service Accession Number: CACL-00080

National Park Service Catalog Number: CACL 285

Historical Statement:

Naturalization is a voluntary act in which an alien becomes a citizen of the United States,

renouncing all allegiance to other countries. Naturalization records for the City of New York

could be filed at state, county or federal courts. There are three primary documents found in a

naturalization file: the declaration of intention, the witness affidavit and the petition for

naturalization. Witness affidavits provide testimony by a United States citizens vouching for a

petitioner’s morality and loyalty to the United States. Declarations of intention record the

petitioner’s name, country of previous allegiance, and the date the intention was sworn. A

petition for naturalization lists a petitioner’s country of origin, length of residence, provides an

affidavit of a witness, and an oath of allegiance sworn by the petitioner. The form of

naturalization documentation was not standardized until the late 19th century; a valid record

could consist of a handwritten document or a form created by the courts.

Scope and Content Statement:

Naturalization Records, 1795-1868, comprise witness affidavits, declarations of intent and

petitions for naturalization. Records in the collection are apparently a fragment of what was

once a much larger series; these records are limited to applicants for citizenship with last names

beginning with “A” from Abbey to Ayres, dated from January 26, 1795 to October 23, 1868, filed

in the City of New York.

Processing Information:

This collection was processed as part of the Manhattan Sites Archives Project in 2013 by Assistant Archivist Jenny Beard, with the assistance of Project Archivist, Tobi Adler and Lead Archivist, Mimi Bowling.



Funding Source:

Processing of this collection was made possible by a generous donation from the Leon Levy

Foundation to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy.

Contact Information:

Chief of Cultural Resources, National Park Service, Manhattan Sites Federal Hall National Memorial 26 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005 (212) 825-6883



COPYRIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The various state privacy acts govern the use of materials that document private individuals, groups, and corporations. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction if the document does not infringe the privacy rights of an individual, group, or corporation. These specified conditions of authorized use include:

• non-commercial and non-profit study, scholarship, or research, or teaching • criticism, commentary, or news reporting • as a NPS preservation or security copy • as a research copy for deposit in another institution

If a user later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," the user may be personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement. This institution's permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital, or other copy of a document doesn't indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute, or prepare derivative works from this document without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded. Permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, prepare derivative works from, sell, or otherwise distribute the item must be obtained by the user separately in writing from the holder of the original copyright (or if the creator is dead from his/her heirs) as well as from any individual(s), groups, or corporations whose name, image, recorded words, or private information (e.g., employment information) may be reproduced in the source material. The holder of the original copyright isn't necessarily the National Park Service. The National Park Service is not legally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement when materials are wrongfully used after being provided to researchers for "fair use." This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order is judged

in violation of copyright or federal or state privacy or publicity law.



PROVENANCE NOTE

This collection comprises items found at Castle Clinton National Monument in 2002 and relocated to the National Park Service Manhattan Sites collections, now housed at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, New York. These documents are thought to have originated at the New York State Supreme Court where these cases were recorded. The records were found with a wood and canvas document organizer that accommodates these records as they were quarter folded, on their side. It has one pocket which accordions vertically. The document organizer is labeled with the name of Henry D. Purroy, who became County Clerk in 1893. How the documents came to be at Castle Clinton is unknown.

Naturalization petitions could be filed at the county, state or federal court. Because these records were

filed at the New York State Supreme Court, other records from this series may be found at the New York

County Clerk’s office in New York City.1 It is unknown whether these records constitute a unique group

of records, or are part of a larger whole.

1Index (Soundex) to Naturalization Petitions Filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts in New York, New York,

including New York, Kings, Queens, and Richmond Counties, 1792-1906 (294 rolls). M1674. Accessed January 28, 2013, http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m1674.pdf

http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m1674.pdf



HISTORICAL NOTE

After the 1790 Naturalization Act, noncitizens could make a declaration of intention (first papers) stating

a desire to become a U.S. citizen two years into their residency in the U.S. Three years later they were

eligible to file their second papers, the petition for naturalization. The declaration of intention states an

alien’s intent to renounce allegiance to a foreign state and become a citizen of the United States. The

petition for naturalization lists an alien’s country of origin, length of residence, provides an affidavit of

witness attesting to good character, and an oath of allegiance sworn by the petitioner. Any court of

record, whether on the local, state or federal level, could file these documents. The local courts, at

different times, included county supreme, circuit, district, equity, chancery, probate, or common pleas

courts. The state courts could include a supreme court and the federal court might be a district court or

circuit court. Not all documents were required to be filed at the same court.

There were several exceptions to the five year residency requirement. Wives and children of men

granted citizenship were granted derivative citizenship. From 1824 to 1906, minors could file both their

declarations and petitions at the same time if they had been U.S. residents for 5 years before their 23rd

birthday. After 1862, Army veterans of any war could petition for naturalization without filing a

declaration of intent after residing in the United States for only one year.2

In the 1905 Report to the President of the Commission on Naturalization, it was noted that naturalization

records and procedures in Federal and State courts of record were notoriously inconsistent: “The

methods of making and keeping the naturalization records in both the Federal and State courts are as

various as the procedure in such cases. Thus the declaration of intention in some courts consists merely

of the bare statement of the intention and the name and allegiance of the alien, while in other courts it

also includes a history of the alien.... In a majority of courts alien applicants are not required to make the

declaration of intention required by law ... and in other courts he is. Previous to 1903 a majority of

courts did not require petitions or affidavits; other courts did. Some courts keep a naturalization record

separate from the other records; other courts include the naturalization record in the regular minutes of

the court. Some records contain full histories of the aliens, but a majority of the records show only the

name, nationality, oath of allegiance, and date of admission.”3

The Supreme Court was established in 1691. By New York’s first state constitution in 1777, the courts

were still hearing criminal and civil pleas as they did in the Colonial period with the exception of the

necessary establishment of a local appeals system. The growth experienced by the population had an

equivalent effect on the courts on the state and city level, requiring the enlargement of the Supreme

Court. The new system brought an end to the circuit court system and made the new Supreme Court

2 U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. “Naturalization Records.” Accessed January 29, 2013.

http://www.archives.gov/research/naturalization/naturalization.html 3 Ibid



the state's highest court of original, unlimited jurisdiction.4 Currently, the Civil Branch of the New York

State Supreme Court records sit in the County Clerk’s offices for New York County.

The document were originally contained in an organizer which is included in this collection and is

labeled with the name of Henry D. Purroy, who became County Clerk in 1893. Purroy’s New York Times

obituary noted that he had at times been a mercurial ally of Tammany Hall, yet he supported Theodore

Roosevelt for Governor in 1898. Purroy served New York also as Alderman, President of the Board of

Alderman, and Fire Commissioner.5 In 1879, while he was serving as Alderman for the city, Purroy was

mentioned in the Congressional Investigation of John I. Davenport concerning illegal naturalization

documents filed in 1868.6

The National Archives website has a thorough introduction to naturalization records, which may prove

helpful to the researcher.7

4 Office of Court Administration, the New York State Unified Court System. “New York Supreme Court- Civil

Branch.” Accessed January 31, 2013, http://www.nycourts.gov/supctmanh/Court%20History.htm 5 The New York Times. “Death of H. D. Purroy,” August 23, 1903. Accessed January 31, 2013.

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F40C16FA34591B728DDDAA0A94D0405B838CF1D3 6 Index to the miscellaneous documents of the House of Representatives for the third session of the Forty-fifth

Congress, 1878-79. 1879. Washington: G.P.O. Accessed January 31, 2013 http://books.google.com/ebooks. 7 http://www.archives.gov/research/naturalization/naturalization.html


SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Naturalization records in this collection include declarations of intention, witness affidavits, and

petitions for naturalization from citizens of Britain, Prussia, Bavaria, Germany, Belgium and other

countries.

The earliest records in the collection (1795-1796) are hand-written witness statements not accompanied

by a declaration of intention (as in code number 201 for Edward Atkinson). These early documents are

labeled “Naturalization”, or “Naturalization by Affidavit.” Some are labeled “Naturalization Certificate,”

(as in code number 200). Forms from the 1796-1797 New York State Supreme Court combine the

witness statement with the declaration of intent.

The bulk of the documents, code numbered 1 through 193 are form declarations of intention from the

New York State Supreme Court which met in New York City’s City Hall. These forms standardize the

recording of the applicant’s name and address, the witness’s (deponent) name and address, the resident

status of the petitioner (that he has resided within the United States for five years, and the state of New

York for one year), the renunciation for an petitioner’s past country and ruler, and intention to become

a citizen of the United States. The reverse of the document notes the presiding judge, and the language

“IT IS ORDERED by the said Court, that the said applicant be admitted to be a Citizen of the United States

of America.” This document is quarter-folded with the code number, and “Supreme Court In the matter

of (applicant’s name) On His Naturalization. Filed in open Court, (date).” There are a few variations.

Code number 134 is a form from New York Superior Court that has been adapted for use in the Supreme

Court. This affidavit is accompanied by a form letter declaring an intention to become a citizen, and

alleging that a previous declaration of intention has been destroyed or lost. Code number 91 comprises

two documents with the standard Supreme Court form and the lost declaration form.

Code number 88 is notable for a doodle of a man’s face.



ARRANGEMENT NOTE

Items in the Naturalization Records collection have been arranged in what appears to be the original order established by the county clerks of the Supreme Court of New York State. The Index (Soundex) to Naturalization Petitions found on the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration website refers to the numeric labeling on the naturalization petitions as codes, and arranges records by this method.8 Each document has been numerically coded in a blue stamp (in some cases twice, with the earlier code number crossed out) and re-coded with the same number in iron gall ink. Some code numbers are unaccounted for. Each record, found quarter-folded has been opened and placed in Mylar to allow for access and preservation. Documents are stored flat in oversize boxes; records that contain two documents have been placed in interior folders.

CONTENTS LIST

Code Box Name Date

1 1 Ahearn, Timothy 1868 October 8

2 1 Ahearn, Timothy 1868 October 8

3 1 Aspen, Bernard 1868 October 8

4 1 Aspen, John 1868 October 8

5 1 Archbold, Thomas 1868 October 8

6 1 Ayres, Martin 1868 October 8

8 1 Alcock, Alfred 1868 October 8

9 1 Albers, John 1868 October 8

10 1 Aikins, Henry 1868 October 8

11 1 Allen, Henry Arthur 1868 October 8

12 1 Ambron, Christopher 1868 October 9

13 1 Apps, William 1868 October 9

14 1 Askins, William Burton 1868 October 9

15 1 Asshaur, William 1868 October 9

16 1 Adatte, Joseph 1868 October 9

17 1 Aiken, James 1868 October 9

19 1 Askins, John 1868 October 9

20 1 Axtmann, Anton 1868 October 9

21 1 Apollock, Andrew 1868 October 9

22 1 Ayers, Peter 1868 October 10

23 1 Adler, Aaron 1868 October 10

24 1 Armstrong, Thomas 1868 October 12

25 1 Altschul, Isidor 1868 October 12

8 Ibid



Code Box Name Date

26 1 Allen, Thomas 1868 October 13

27 1 Anglime, Thomas 1868 October 13

28 1 Adams, Henry 1868 October 13

29 1 Abraham, William 1868 October 13

30 1 Allen, George 1868 October 13

31 1 Allen, Jeremiah 1868 October 13

32 1 Armstrong, George Victor 1868 October 13

33 1 Ahrens, Henry M. 1868 October 13

34 1 Arthur, James 1868 October 13

36 1 Adlum, Joseph 1868 October 13

37 1 Albrecht, Louis 1868 October 13

38 1 Arns, Max 1868 October 13

40 1 Astfalk, John 1868 October 13

41 1 Apemmaches, Valentine 1868 October 12

42 1 Almirall, Jose J. 1868 October 12

43 1 Adams, John 1868 October 12

44 1 Alexander, John 1868 October 12

45 1 Alexander, Williams 1868 October 12

46 1 Anderegg, Charles 1868 October 12

47 1 Anderson, James 1868 October 12

48 1 Armstrong, William 1868 October 12

49 1 Anderson, Julius 1868 October 12

50 1 Ahearn, Patrick 1868 October 13

51 1 Abrahams, Harris 1868 October 13


53 1 Adolph, Lancleve 1868 October 13


55 1 Abrams, Harris 1868 October 14

56 1 Armstrong, James 1868 October 14

57 1 Adams, Charles 1868 October 14

59 1 Abrams, Joseph 1868 October 14

60 1 Abraham, Louis 1868 October 14

62 1 Arthur, James 1868 October 14

64 1 Arnold, Thomas 1868 October 14

65 1 Anthony, Michael 1868 October 15

66 1 Arfmann, Henry 1868 October 15

67 1 Aukanfs, Frederick 1868 October 15

68 1 Arnold, Samuel 1868 October 15

71 1 Austin, Robert H. 1868 October 15

72 1 Alwell, John 1868 October 15

73 1 Ayres, David 1868 October 15

74 1 Abbott, Ulysses 1868 October 15



Code Box Name Date

75 1 Aughney, Patrick 1868 October 15

76 1 Asterman, Abraham 1868 October 15

77 1 Ahearn, Michael 1868 October 15

78 1 Aufenanger, John 1868 October 15

79 1 Abbey, David 1868 October 15

80 1 Abbott, Bernard 1868 October 15

81 1 Averitt, Robert 1868 October 15

82 1 Adams, Francis 1868 October 15

83 1 Ahern, Daniel 1868 October 15

84 1 Alone, Andrew 1868 October 15

85 1 Anderson, William 1868 October 15

86 1 Allen, Webb 1868 October 15

87 1 Ansona, Andrew 1868 October 15

88 1 Auliffe, Florance 1868 October 15

89 1 Astin, William 1868 October 15

90 1 Aikens, William 1868 October 16

91 1 Ahearn, William 1868 October 16

93 1 Andersen, William 1868 October 16

95 1 Arenheim, Gustav 1868 October 16

96 1 Anderson, Thomas 1868 October 16

98 1 Auerheim, John 1868 October 16

100 1 Ahearn, Henry 1868 October 16

101 1 Albert, Jacob 1868 October 16

102 1 Aydt, Cairk 1868 October 16

103 1 Adler, Julius 1868 October 16

104 1 Arnold, Joseph 1868 October 16

105 1 Appleton, William 1868 October 16

106 1 Asher, Gabriel 1868 October 16

107 1 Ahern, Thomas 1868 October 16

108 1 Asher, Gabriel 1868 October 16

109 1 Archdeacon, John 1868 October 16

110 1 Adams, Charles 1868 October 16

111 1 Anderson, Andrew 1868 October 17

112 1 Auguste, Boiteux 1868 October 17

113 1 Ahern, Thomas 1868 October 17

114 1 Ambron, Heinrich 1868 October 19

115 1 Arnold, Joseph 1868 October 19

116 1 Appelhaus, Andreas 1868 October 19

117 1 Arenth, Nicholas 1868 October 19

118 1 Augustowski, August 1868 October 19

119 1 Ambrose, Edward 1868 October 19

120 1 Anderson, John 1868 October 19



Code Box Name Date


122 1 Ahain, David 1868 October 19

123 1 Arnold, Ferdinand 1868 October 19

124 1 Ahern, Patrick 1868 October 19

125 1 Aylward, James 1868 October 19

127 1 Amster, Arnold 1868 October 19

128 1 Abrams, Henry 1868 October 19

129 1 Aschermann, August 1868 October 20

131 1 Aumann, Henry 1868 October 20

132 2 Anstall, Henry 1868 October 20

133 2 Aumann, Louis 1868 October 20

134 2 Ackermann, George 1868 October 20

135 2 Attenburgh, August 1868 October 20

136 2 Amend, George 1868 October 20

137 2 Abel, Henry 1868 October 20

138 2 Antz, George 1868 October 21


140 2 Allebrandt, John 1868 October 21

141 2 Abeling, Frederick 1868 October 21

142 2 Adams, Joseph 1868 October 22

143 2 Appel, Selegman 1868 October 22

144 2 Adricks, John 1868 October 22

145 2 Aikens, Patrick 1868 October 22

146 2 Adams, Richard 1868 October 22


148 2 Aherne, Dennis 1868 October 22

149 2 Albert, John 1868 October 22

150 2 Adler, Leopold 1868 October 23

151 2 Abbott, James 1868 October 23

152 2 Aurbach, Marcus 1868 October 23

153 2 Austin, Peter 1868 October 23

154 2 Ayala, Augustus 1868 October 23

155 2 Archbold, Bernard 1868 October 8

156 2 Archbold, John 1868 October 8

157 2 Auerbach, Solomon 1868 October 9

158 2 Angelo, Achille D. 1868 October 10

159 2 Abraham, Nathan 1868 October 10

160 2 Arald, Henry 1868 October 10

161 2 Abbott, Thomas 1868 October 10

162 2 Aikens, Michael 1868 October 10

163 2 Ashman, Edward 1868 October 10

164 2 Aenberry, Henry 1868 October 10



Code Box Name Date

165 2 Ambrose, Robert 1868 October 12

166 2 Althon, George 1868 October 12

167 2 Aikens, John 1868 October 12

168 2 Appleton, William 1868 October 12

169 2 Aikens, John 1868 October 12

170 2 Ashley, Cornelius 1868 October 12

171 2 Allen, James 1868 October 12

172 2 Austin, James 1868 October 16

173 2 Anderson, Peter 1868 October 16

174 2 Aluaby, James W. 1868 October 16

175 2 Armauer, Philip 1868 October 17

176 2 Armstrong, Alexander 1868 October 17

177 2 Armstrong, William 1868 October 19

178 2 Arnold, John 1868 October 19

179 2 Arnold, Patrick 1868 October 19

180 2 Argue, Robert 1868 October 19

181 2 Auylum, John 1868 October 19

182 2 Arnet, Richard 1868 October 19

183 2 Abert, Daniel 1868 October 19



186 2 Arrioka, Edward 1868 October 20

187 2 Armstrong, Robert 1868 October 20

188 2 Asher, Daniel 1868 October 20

189 2 Armstrong, John 1868 October 20

190 2 Allen, John 1868 October 20

191 2 Ahearn, James 1868 October 21

192 2 Aherne, Peter 1868 October 21

193 2 Ahern, Michael 1868 October 23

194 2 Almond, Thomas 1795 January 26

195 2 Abbott, James 1795 January 27

196 2 Aupoix, Pierre 1795 May 7

197 2 Anderson, James 1796 April 27

198 2 Armitage, Benjamin 1796 October 18

199 2 Auber, Charles Auguste 1796 October 19

200 2 Andrews, Day 1796 October 19

201 2 Atkinson, Edward 1795 January 27

202 2 Aird, John 1802 April 30

203 2 Aspin, Thomas 1803 May 13

204 2 Anderson, John 1803 November 23

205 2 Allen, William 1803 November 26

206 2 Anderson, James 1803 November 21



Code Box Name Date

207 2 Aylward, Pierce 1809 April 17

208 2 Armstrong, John French 1812 June 28

209 2 Alexander, James 1832 May 21

210 2 Achelis, Thomas 1836 July 8

211 2 Arnold, Henry 1838 December 6

212 2 Andrews, Emanuel 1836 April 20

213 2 Adams, Hugh 1839 October 17

214 2 Armstrong, William 1844 November 6

215 2 Anderson, John 1844 December 13

216 2 Armour, William 1844 October 25

217 2 Austin, Philip 1866 November 4

218 2 Armstrong, John 1844 November 5

219 2 Allsburgh, George 1844 November 4

220 2 Arch, John 1844 November 4

221 2 Ashdown, John 1844 November 5

3 Document holder undated



RELATED MATERIALS NOTE

National Archives at New York City. Naturalization Records. http://www.archives.gov/nyc/

New York State Supreme Court. County Clerk of New York County. Division of Old Records.

Naturalization Records.

SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY Index (Soundex) to Naturalization Petitions Filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts in New York, New

York, including New York, Kings, Queens, and Richmond Counties, 1792-1906 (294 rolls). M1674. Accessed January 28, 2013, http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m1674.pdf

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. “Naturalization Records.” Accessed January 29,

2013. http://www.archives.gov/research/naturalization/naturalization.html

ADDED ENTRIES/ACCESS POINTS

Subjects: Declaration of intention Emigration and immigration Naturalization Naturalization--New York (State)--New York--1850-1860 Naturalization records Naturalization records--New York (State)--New York Naturalization--United States

Geographic Names: New York (N.Y.)

http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m1674.pdf

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