Treasure Chest Thursday: Isidore Morris' Alien Registration

After years of family history research the thrills come less frequently, but are no less enthralling. A couple of days ago the mail brought a gift from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Genealogy Program: my great grandfather Isidore Morris' Alien Registration Form. For some time, but to no avail, I'd been trying to locate any of his naturalization records. With this new record I was able to finally locate his declaration of intention to become a citizen.

Information from census records indicated that Isidor had filed some naturalization papers but it was likely that the process had never been completed. 

The census records I have for Isidore indicate the following:

alien - 1915 New York State Census
alien - 1920 U.S. Census
alien (1st papers) - 1925 New York State Census
Pa - 1930 U.S. Census
Pa - 1940 U.S. Census[1]

Isidore's 1918 World War I draft registration shows that he had not declared his intention to naturalize.[2]

So the question remained: had Isidore ever completed the naturalization process before he passed away on 22 December 1947? It appears he did not.

ALIEN REGISTRATION FORM

1. (a) My name is Isidor Morris

    (b) I entered the United States under the name of same 

2. (a) I live at Perrineville Monmouth New Jersey

    (b) My post-office address s R.D. #1 Hightstown New Jersey

3. (a) I was born on May 18 1874

    (b) I was born in (or near) Lubin Volin Russia

4. I am a citizen or subject of None, Last Citizen Czarist Russia 

5. (a) I am male

    (b) My marital status is married

6. I am 5 feet, 6 inches in height, weigh 165 pounds, have Black hair and Brown eyes 

7. (a) I last arrived in the United States at New York, N.Y. on Jan. 3, 1906

    (b) I came in by S.S. Carpathia

    (c) I came as a passenger

    (d) I entered the United States as a Permanent resident

    (e) I arrived in the United States on January 3, 1906

8. (a) I have lived in the United States a total of Thirty Four years

    (b) I expect to remain in the United States Permanently

9. (a) My usual occupation is Glazier

    (b) My present occupation is None

    (c) My employer is Retired

10. I am, or have been within the past 8 years, or intend to be engaged in the following activities:

   In addition to other information, list memberships or activities in clubs, organizations, or societies

Member of the First Lublin Progessive Benevolent Assn.

First Hebrew Farmers Assn Perrineville N.J.

11. My military or naval service has been None

12. I Have applied for first citizenship papers in the United States. Date of application 3/3/21

  First citizenship papers received Mar. 3, 1921, number 244425, New York, N.Y. 

  Filed petition for naturalization [blank] 

13. I have the following specified relatives living in the United States:

  Parent(s) None   Husband or wife Yes  Children Six 

14. I Have Not been arrested or indicted for, or convicted of any offense (or offenses).

15. Within the past 5 years I Have Not been affiliated with or active in (a member of, official of, a worker for)  organizations devoted in whole or in part to influencing or furthering the political activities, public relations, or public policy of a foreign government.

AFFIDAVIT FOR PERSONS 14 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER

I have read or have read to me the above statements, and do hereby swear (or affirm) that these statements are true and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief.

                              /s/ Isidor Morris  

                                                       [stamped] Oct 28 1940 

--------------------

Actually, Isidor did not enter the United States as Isidor Morris (as shown in item 1b). He traveled as "Iczik Maczevizcki." If his surname had been Morris, his manifest would not have been so difficult to locate. Mazewitsky was his surname in the old county.

Under item 10, the correct name of the first group in which Isidore was a member is First Lubiner Progressive Benevolent Association. The town assocated with this landsmanshaft (countrymen's group) was Lubin (aka Labun, Volhynia Gubernia, Russian Empire).

I did not know that my great grandfather was a member of the First Hebrew Farmers Association of Perrineville, N.J. I will put this on my list of groups to check on in future research.

Item 12 provided the information I needed to finally locate Isidor's declaration of intent. Armed with the date of the declaration and the number I browsed through the New York County naturalization records (specifically, the declarations) now online at FamilySearch.org.

New York County, New York, Supreme Court, Declaration of Intention no. 244425, Isador Morris, 3 March 1921; "New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 22 Oct 2014), New York > Declarations of intention 1921 vol 496, no 244236-244735 > image 97 of 253.

Isidor stated on this record that he'd emigrated from Trieste. His manifest says the ship left from Fiume, which today is known as Rijeka, Croatia.

Fiume is about 75 kilometers from Trieste, but definitely not the same place.

It's interesting that in 1921 when Isidor filed his Declaration of Intention, he did not sign his name (the document shows he left his mark as an X). On his 1918 World War I draft registration card he did sign his name.

The surname looks very similar to the signature on the Alien Registration card, above. I imagine that Isidor, like most Jewish men in Eastern Europe, could write in Yiddish, but was not comfortable signing his new name in Latin letters. It is difficult to tell from his manifest, but it appears that he was recorded there as illiterate. 


Notes:
1. 1920 U.S. Census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Manhattan, Enumeration District 1262, sheet 6B, dwelling 14, family 134, Isadore Morris; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 February 2008); NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 1219.
1925 New York State census, Bronx County, New York, enumeration of inhabitants, Bronx, Assembly District 5, Election District 40, page 19, entries 27-32, Isidore and Sarah Morris family; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 August 2012), New York State Archives, Albany. 
1930 U.S. Census, New York County, New York, population schedule, Manhattan, Enumeration District 31-816, sheet 4B, dwelling 234, family 92, Isadore Morris; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2008); NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1571.
The Minnesota Population Center IPUMS website, which carries instructions issued to census enumerators for each census, indicates that if an alien had filed their first papers (i.e., their declarations of intention) then the enumerator was to indicate this by entering "Pa" in the space provided for citizenship information. The 1930 census instructions are here. The 1940 instructions, here.
2. "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 March 2008), card for Ididore Morris [Isidore Morris], no. 31-38, New York City Draft Board 160, New York; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509 and FHL microfilm 1,786,852.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Sarah Cohn's Naturalization Petition

While Sarah Ett arrived in New York in December 1903 as Sali Ett, she did not naturalize until 30 September 1941.[1]

Sarah Cohn petition for naturalization (1941), petition number 291380, Eastern District of New York; Records of the District Courts of the United States, Record Group 21; National Archives - Northeast Region, New York City.

[Items in red will be discussed further, below.]

To the Honorable the U.S. District Court of Eastern District of Brooklyn, N.Y.
This petition for naturalization hereby made and filed, respectfully shows:
(1) My full name is SARAH COHN
(2) My place of residence is 949 East 12th St., Bklyn, NY
(3) My occupation is Housewife
(4) I was born at Silaschicka, Poland on Sept. 26, 1887
(5) My nationality is Poland
(6) My race is Hebrew 
[item 7 is crossed out]
(8) I am married. The name of my wife or husband is Louis; he now resides at 949 E. 12th St., Bklyn, NY; we were married on August 5, 1907 at Brooklyn, NY; he was born at Poland on December 12, 1884; entered the United States at New York, NY on May 1903 for permanent residence therein; was naturalized on June 13, 1924 at Brooklyn, NY certificate No. 2025748
(9) I have 6 children, and the name, date, and place of birth and place of residence of each of said children are as follows:
Jack, April 9, 1908; Dorothy, Dec. 13, 1910; Pauline, Sept. 13, 1912; Blanche, Oct. 5, 1914; Rose, Sept. 26, 1919; Ira, Dec. 12, 1920. All born and reside in Bklyn, NY
(10) My last foreign residence was Silaschicka. I emigrated to the United States of America from Bremen, Germany. My lawful entry (arrival) for permanent residence in the United States was at New York, NY under the name of Sarah Ett on December 1903 on the vessel S.S. Brendon.
...

AFFIDAVITS OF WITNESSES

I, Louis Cohn, occupation Metal supply dealer residing at 949 East 12th St., Bklyn, NY, and 

I, Dorothy Brown, occupation Housewife residing at 146 Amherst St. Bklyn, NY

each being severally, duly, and respectively sworn, depose and say: I am a citizen of the United States of America; I have known and have been acquainted in the United States with SARAH COHN, the petitioner above mentioned since January 1, 1913 and that to my personal knowledge the petitioner has resided in the United States continuously preceding the date of filing this petition, of which this affidavit is part, to wit, since the date last mentioned at Brooklyn, NY on the County of Kings, State of New York continuously since Jan. 1, 1913 ...

I do swear (affirm) that the statements of fact I have made in this affidavit of this petition for naturalization subscribed by me are true to the best of my knowledge
/s/ Louis Cohn                              /s/ Dorothy Brown

(signature of witness)                                                 (signature of witness)

Subscribed and sworn to before me by the above-named petitioner and witnesses in the respective forms of oath shown above in the office of Clerk of said Court at Brooklyn, NY this 9th day of September, Anno Domini 1940 ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah identified her place of birth as "Silaschicka, Poland." The community was actually Zaleszczyki (today Zalishchyky, Ukraine). When Sarah was born it was within the boundaries of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Between World Wars, it was within Poland. Thus, Sarah's identification of the community as in Poland is a reflection of her knowledge of the contemporary situation of the town.

If Sarah and Louis were married in Brooklyn on 5 August 1907, their marriage certificate has not been indexed. I have not been able to find it within the ItalianGen.org index for New York City marriages. I have tried Cohn and Cohen; several possible first names; and kept the date flexible - no certificate.

Louis, Sarah's husband, sailed from Hamburg on 25 May 1903 and landed in New York on 8 June 1903. So, he entered the United States in June 1903, not May.[2]

Sarah's name on her manifest was not actually "Sarah Ett," but "Sali Et." The ship she arrive on was not the "Brendon," but the S.S. Brandenburg.

Both of Sarah's witnesses were family members. Louis was her husband and Dorothy Brown, her eldest daughter. 

I have not yet determined the significance of the 1 January 1913 date mentioned as the date by which she'd permanently resided in the United States and Brooklyn, N.Y. If Louis and Sarah married in 1907 and Dorothy was born in 1910, then they were familiar with Sarah and her whereabouts several years before 1913. The earliest census enumeration I have located for the the Louis and Sarah Cohn family is the 1915 New York State census record in Brooklyn.[3] In 1905, Sarah is living in Brooklyn with her sister Clara Rappaport and Clara's family.[4] If the 1 January 1913 date has some legal significance for Sarah's naturalization, I do not yet know what that might have been.
Notes:
1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 22 November 2013), manifest, S.S. Brandenburg, Bremen to New York, arriving 26 December 1903, List 10, number 19, Sali Ett; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, microfilm roll 423.
2. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 22 November 2013), manifest, S.S. Batavia, Hamburg to New York, arriving 8 June 1903, List 31, number 13, Lewys Kohn; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715, microfilm roll 423.
3. 1915 New York State Census, Kings County, New York, population schedule, Brooklyn, Assembly District 6, Enumeration District 6, page 24, entries 35-40, Alexander and Sadie Cohen family; digital image, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 21 July 2013), citing New York State Archives, Albany, New York.
4. 1905 New York State Census, Kings County, New York, population schedule, Brooklyn, Assembly District 15, Enumeration District 18, sheet 74, entries 8-11, Adolph Rappaport family and Sarah Att; digital image, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 8 July 2010), citing New York State Archives, Albany, New York.

Revisiting manifests - back to the sources

I was reminded in reflecting on my recent post "His name was changed at Ellis Island!" of the need to always go back to original sources. I often use the "Manifest Markings: A Guide to Interpreting Passenger List Annotations" JewishGen InfoFile - a wonderfully comprehensive resource - for help evaluating information on manifests.[1] But, as an authored work it's not the end, but the beginning.

It seems that in my post regarding David Ett's 1907 Ellis Island manifest, I'd identified a manifest notation not covered in the "Manifest Markings" InfoFile. Thank you, Marian L. Smith, Chief, Historical Research Branch, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), for contacting me and suggesting that, in trying to understand why David's name was blocked out, I consider the Registry provision of the Immigration Act of March 2, 1929.[2]

What I'd read on David Ett's manifest entry as "Leg 223291," is actually "Reg 22320."[3] [Although, I have to admit that while I'm usually pretty good at deciphering handwriting, but I still can't see the first letter as an R - oh, well!] I added, incorrectly, "91" at the end of the number due to part of a letter from the blocked out name, below. According to Smith, this notation is an indication that David underwent Registry proceedings that may have been related to the discrepancy between his name on his immigration record and the one he had been using since. The notation indicates the verification (VL) was done in response to Registry application #22320. 

As is true for most post-1906 archived naturalization records, an application number has nothing to do with the number under which related documents are actually filed.[4] Smith was kind enough to provide David's R-file number (the information is not in his C-File, as I'd initially hoped) and I immediately ordered a copy of the file's contents via the USCIS Genealogy Program online ordering system. From a little bit of research I've done, I anticipate that the file may include many names, places and dates. I await the (I hope hefty) file.

While I wait, it's a perfect time to learn more about the 1929 Act, the Registry provision and the types of records and information registration generated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Immigration and Naturalization Laws

Legislators often have to backtrack to deal with law they have not passed: the law of unintended consequences. Such is the case with the history of many of our immigration and naturalization laws.[5] While some laws were enacted and effective in terms of legislative intent, others created new problems not foreseen. Sometimes these issues lead to corrective actions. For genealogists, corrections, whether by law or regulation, often lead to creation of new records or information. The Registry of Aliens' Act of March 2, 1929 (45 Stat 1512; P.L. 70-962) included corrective action that created records from which genealogists may benefit. But first, a little history.

The 1906 Immigration Act

The Immigration Act of June 29, 1906 (34 Stat. 596; PL 59-338) included many interesting provisions, including

• establishing jurisdiction and standardization for immigration and naturalization under the newly formed Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization within the Department of Commerce and Labor;[6]

• allowing aliens to change their names, officially, via the naturalization procedure; 
• capturing and recording individual immigration in alien register books placed at ports of entry in the United States;
• issuing certificates of arrival during the naturalization process. 

When an immigrant who had arrived after 29 June 1906 filed his or her petition for naturalization, Bureau clerks would check records at entry ports and provide the particulars of the immigrant's arrival. They would verify arrival with both notations on manifests and issuance of certificates of arrival. The  certificate of arrival was a required document and was filed with the petition during the naturalization process. 

The 1921 Emergency Quota and the 1924 Immigration Act

The  Emergency Quota Act of May 19, 1921 (42 Stat. 5; P.L. 67-5) and the Immigration Act of May 26, 1924 (43 Stat. 153; P.L. 68-139) were the beginning of the end for busy processing centers such as Ellis Island.[7] Quotas for immigration were established - initially at three per cent of a nationality's representation in the 1910 U.S. census, and later, as a result of the 1924 Act, at 2 per cent of the 1890 figure. Exceptions to the quota were allowed in cases of immigrants who were spouses or minor children of citizens. But, immigration from southern and eastern Europe slowed to a trickle. 

As a result of the 1924 Act Ellis Island's immigrant processing role became an anachronism. The Act established a visa system to limit entry to the U.S. to be managed overseas in U.S. Consulates. Visa information was to be entered on the passenger manifest. Since the intensive review occurred overseas, it was no longer necessary to process immigrants at Ellis Island.

Legislative changes that culminated in the Acts of 1921 and 1924, severely restricting what had been open immigration, gave rise not only to immigrant smuggling after 1921, but also to problems for those already living in the U.S. who could not, for one reason or another, provide proof of legal entry before June 1921.

Certificates of arrival had become key to establishing legality of one's entry and to successfully completing the citizenship process. Citizenship was a requirement for acquiring preferential non-quota visas for entry of relatives. In addition, if a resident alien in the United States wished to travel outside the U.S. he or she had to apply for a Permit to Reenter after Temporary Absence before embarking. Issuance of the permit was based on a finding that the alien had entered the U.S. legally  (typically proven with a certificate of arrival). If an immigrant did not possess this permit, they might be subject to the quota system when they tried to return.

There were often good reasons why immigrants who'd arrived before June 1921 might not be able to show evidence of legal entry. These included:

• Land entry via Canada. If a Canadian or Canadian resident entered the United States via a Canada-United States land border crossing where the Bureau did not staff for in-depth inspections and registration, there might be no record of entry. Prior to enactment of the Act of 1921, aliens landing at Canadian ports who intended to continue on to the United States would be registered and inspected at those Canadian ports. Border crossings were often not staff similarly.[8]
• Entry before records were kept; entry records could not be identified; or entry records had been lost or destroyed. There were those who had arrived legally before passage of the 1921 Act, but for whom no entry records could be located. Perhaps their record could not be located under the name they gave for naturalization. Since they could not get a certificate of arrival they could not naturalize.
• Entry as a child or infant with no recollection regarding place or date of entry.

These people, otherwise viewed as good material for citizenship, were in limbo.
 

The Registry of Aliens' Act of March 2, 1929

The Registry of Aliens' Act of 1929 (45 Stat. 1512; P.L. 70-962), especially its registry provision, sought to provide relief for those who immigrated before June 1921, but who could not prove legal entry.[9] The Act 0f 1929 made the certificate of arrival a prerequisite for filing a Declaration of Intention. Under the Act of 1929, the Bureau could issue a certificate of arrival after an otherwise undocumented alien registered at ports of entry. Aliens could register providing they had:

1. entered the United States prior to June 3, 1921;
2. resided in the United States continuously since such entry;
3. demonstrated they were of good moral character; and
4. shown they were not subject to deportation. 

Once through the process and registered, the alien officially became a resident.

The Historical Library section of the USCIS website is a treasure trove of informative historical documents regarding the agency's management of immigration and naturalization. Through this resource I have checked regulations in effect after enactment of the Act of March 2, 1929. Regulations are important because they outline how a U.S. government Executive Branch agency or department intends to implement specific laws. I have checked several years (1929, 1932 and 1936) of regulations after enactment of the Act of 1929 and the same guidance is provided.[11]

Where an applicant for a declaration of intention or a petition for citizenship alleges entry into the United States prior to June 3, 1921, and the immigration authorities report that there is no record of admission for permanent residence, the applicant will be referred by the Naturalization Service to the nearest immigration officer for appropriate advice.[10]

While this in not very informative regarding the process, another document (recommended to me by Marian Smith) was a bit more helpful: "Legislative Background and Administration of the Registry of Aliens' Act of March 2, 1929" by Shaunessy.[12] Between this and the USCIS Genealogy Program pages outlining the registry process and records one might see in a registry file, I've been able to develop an idea of what I might ultimately see in David Ett's Registry file.

Form 659, the application of registry, was submitted to the local Bureau of Immigration office.  This four page form required detailed biographical information specific to parents' names, arrival in the U.S., employment, and residences. Information on the form was supplemented by employment verification, character references and affidavits, and criminal background checks. The Bureau held a hearing on each case. A "Findings" document recommended granting or rejecting registry. 

Shaunessy's paper, written for in-Service administrators, identifies a situation that could be applicable to Dave Ett's case: if an applicant applies for registry, but a record of admission exists (perhaps due to an alien entering the U.S. under an assumed name), then the alien would not be eligible for registry. Since Dave Ett's manifest entry (under the name Duvid Wenkert) was, ultimately, located and verified, perhaps his naturalization didn't require registry at all.

Overall, the Registry provision did not generate many eligible applicants. Shaunessy indicates that while there had been Congressional fears that 1.5 to three million people would be eligible, less than 45,000 certificates of registry were issued in the first four years after enactment.[13] The USCIS webpage states that they hold 250,000 registry files.[14] The USCIS page also includes clues to the existence of a particular alien's Registery file. Sometimes the clues are subtle. If you think you might have a registry case among those you are researching, I suggest you seek out the information USCIS provides.  

I look forward to receiving Dave Ett's file.

Notes:

1. Marian L. Smith with the assistance of Elise Friedman, Flora Gursky, and Eleanor Bien, "Manifest Markings: A Guide to Interpreting Passenger List Annotations," JewishGen.org (http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/Manifests/ : accessed 28 May 2014).
2. Marian L. Smith, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, to Emily Garber, email, 4 June 2014, "David Ett and Registry," David Ett file, privately held by Garber, Phoenix, Arizona.
3. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 5 September 2009), manifest, Amerika, Hamburg to New York, arriving 10 November 1907, list 37, line 8, Duvid Ett, citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715.
4. Zack A. Wilske, "Citizenship Matters: Bureau of naturalization Correspondence Files at the U.S. National Archives," Avotaynu, vol. 28, no. 4 (Winter 2012), pp. 3-7 
5. The following book is really a history of Ellis Island, but cannot help also being a history of U.S. immigration policy. Vincent J. Cannato, American Passage: The History of Ellis Island (New York: Harper, 2010).
6. Immigration and naturalization were made a federal responsibility under the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (establish under the Act), although local courts were still empowered as long as they followed federal rules, used federal forms and sent the paperwork to the Bureau.
7. Cannato, American Passage: The History of Ellis Island, p. 338.
8. Edw. J. Shaughnessy, "Legislative Background and Administration of the Registry of Aliens' Act of March 2, 1929," Lecture No. 4, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Labor, March 5, 1934, p. 4; United States Citizenship and Immigration Service Library (http://207.67.203.70/U95007/OPAC/Common/Pages/GetDoc.aspx?ClientID=MU95007&MediaCode=8421587 : accessed 6 June 2014).
9. Later, the cut-off date was moved to 1 July 1924.
10. Bureau of Naturalization, Department of Labor, Naturalization, Citizenship and Expatriation Laws - Naturalization Regulations, July 1, 1929 (Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C., 1929), p. 76; United States Citizenship and Immigration Service Library

1929 Regulations (http://207.67.203.70/ELIBSQL17_U95007_Documents/Naturalization%20Laws%20and%20Regulations/NatLR%201929.pdf : accessed 6 June 2014).
11. The most important version of the regulations will be that in effect when Dave was processed for Registry. But, since I do not yet know the date, I cannot yet focus on that volume.
12. Shaughnessy, "Legislative Background and Administration of the Registry of Aliens' Act."
13. Shaughnessy, "Legislative Background and Administration of the Registry of Aliens' Act," p. 5. 
14. "Registry Files, March 2, 1929 - March 31, 1944," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, (http://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/genealogy/registry-files-march-2-1929-march-31-1944 : accessed 7 June 2014).

Treasure Chest Thursday: Adolph Rappaport's Declaration of Intention

Adolph Rappaport was married to my grandmother Tillie Liebross Wilson's first cousin, Clara (Khaitza) Ett. They married in 1903 in New York City. On, October 24 1913, in the Kings County Supreme Court,  Adolph declared his intent to become a citizen.[1]

I, Adolph Rappaport, aged 34 years, occupation button hole maker, do declare on oath that my personal description is: Color white, complexion dark, height 5 feet 5 inches, weight 150 pounds, color of hair black, color of eyes brown other visible distinctive marks none. 
I was born in Skola Austria on the 16 day of September, anno Domini 1879; I now reside at 94 Tompkins ave, Brooklyn, N.Y. I emigrated to the United States from Rotterdam Holland on the vessel Amsterdam; my last foreign residence was Skola Austria. 
It is my bona fide intention to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, and particularly to Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and Apostolic King of Hungary [stamped], of whom I am now a subject; I arrived at the port of New York, in the State of New York, on or about the 27 day of May, anno Domini 1900; I am not an anarchist; I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy; and it is my intention in good faith to become a citizen of the United States of America and to permanently reside therein: SO HELP ME GOD.

/s/ Adolph Rappaport

Subscribed and sworn before me at Brooklyn, N.Y., this 24 day of October anno Domini 1913

Charles S. Devoy, Clerk of the Supreme Court 

---------------------------------------

There are several items of interest in this document. 

• Despite the information specific to port of embarkation, ship, port of arrival and date of arrival, I have yet to located Adolph's manifest (or, for that matter his wife Clara's). 
• Adolph's birth and pre-emigration residence location, "Skola," are of interest because they match my information on the location of the Ett family in 1894 (when youngest daughter Jutte Ett Barath was born) and in 1895 (when mother Perl Wenkert Ett passed away). Adolph and Clara married in New York, but, apparently, knew each other from Skole, Ukraine. 
• Despite his intention to naturalize, I do not believe either Adolph or his wife Clara completed the process.

Notes:
1. Adolph Rappaport declaration of intention no. 34426 (24 October 1913), vol. 69, p. 426, Kings County Supreme Court; "New York, County Naturalization Records, 1791-1980," FamilySearch.org (https://www.famlysearch.org : accessed 24 April 2014).

Treasure Chest Thursday: Simon Liebross' Naturalization Record & 1881 Manifest

I've heard too often that pre-1906 naturalization petitions are next to worthless for extracting genealogical information. After locating this record for my great great uncle Simon Liebross and taking its clues forward in my research, I am convinced that conducting an exhaustive search means seeking out even those records one initially thinks might not be all that helpful. One may be pleasantly rewarded for the effort.

Simon Liebross has been my relative first in the United States. Early on I'd located an 1890 manifest for him and his wife Etel (Ethel).[1] I was satisfied with that until I found the following index card for Simon's naturalization. [2]

Simon had become a citizen via application to the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York. He finalized the process on 4 May 1899 (volume 14, record 281) when he lived at 71 Gerry Street in Brooklyn. He said he was a manufacturer, born 26 December 1863, a citizen of Austria and had arrived in the United States via the Port of New York. 

All of of that information either matched or was quite close to what I'd already gleaned via other records. All was well until I noted the date of arrival: 13 August 1881 - nine years earlier than expected. I located the image of the original naturalization record. [3]

The index card transcription of the Simon Liebross' naturalization record was correct. I have annotated the section of interest on Simon's naturalization record with a white box. The selected detail image is pictured below.

While no ship was stated, I hoped that the date of arrival was accurate. It was. 

I queried Ancestry's manifests by only putting in the date of arrival: 13 August 1881. There were more than 900 results, but I scrolled through to see if there might be any surnames resembling Liebross.

Ancestry's index listed passenger 620 as "H. L. Liebraefe." That looked promising. The manifest actually says, "Liebrosfe." [4] The letter f being the typical (of the time) manner of doubling the letter s. The second initial is definitely an L, as indexed. I am not sure, however, of the first initial. 

In census records and his death record I have found a variety of ages and birth years for Simon ranging from about 1855 to 1863. So, the age (20) is also about correct for Simon. The manifest also indicates that Liebrofse is a male and his occupation is clerk. The S.S. Elbe took him from Bremen to New York's Castle Garden.

I have searched a variety of city directories and, thus far, cannot account for Simon's whereabouts between 1881 and his second manifest in 1890, when he returned accompanied by his wife. So, I do not know when he left the USA and how long he was back in Eastern Europe.

Notes: 
1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 28 May 2008), manifest, Rhaetia, Hamburg via Le Havre to New York, arriving 25 January 1890, passenger number 188, Simon Libros; citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T237, Roll 543, line 35, list number 93.
2. "U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 May 2008), index card for Simon Liebros (naturalization 4 May 1899), citing National Archives and Records Administration "Index to Naturalization Petitions of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1865-1957, Microfilm Serial M1164, Microfilm Roll 10.
3. "Selected U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 September 2010), Petition for Naturalization for Simon Liebros (4 May 1899), Volume 14, Page 281, citing National Archives and records Administration "Petitions for naturalization of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 186501837, NARA Series M1879. 
4.   "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com
 (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 29 August 2010), manifest, Elbe, Bremen to New York, arriving 13 August 1881, list 1119, passenger 620, indexed as H.L. Liebraefe [?. L. Liebrosfe]; citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, Roll 440, Records of the Customs Service, Record Group 36.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Dave Ett's Alienable Rights

I love it when new record sets come online - particularly ones that contain records for my family members. Ancestry.com made my day on 19 August 2013 when it posted "New York, Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919." This database and its associated records enabled me to fill in some unknowns in the story of David Ett's naturalization process.
 
Dave was my grandmother Tillie Liebross Wilson's first cousin. He was the only son of Hersch Leib Ett and Perl Wenkert Ett and was born in 1891 in Zaleszczyki, at that time within the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Ukraine).

David sailed from Hamburg on the Amerika and arrived in New York Harbor on 10 November 1907. [1] He first declared his intention to become citizen on 17 September 1912. [2] He, apparently, never finished that process (I have not found a petition). 

On 16 December 1927, Dave completed a Petition for Naturalization based upon his military service during World War I. [3] The Act of 26 May 1926 (44 Stat. 654. 655) granted that alien veterans of World War I, who has served honorably between 6 April 1917 and 11 November 1918 were to be granted naturalization without having to submit a Declaration of Intent any time within two years after enactment of the Act. [4] But on 19 December 1927, David Ett's petition for citizenship was turned down. He was deemed ineligible under the Act.

The question for me, has been, "Why did he initially think he was eligible for naturalization and why was he deemed ineligible?"

The answer came from Ancestry's new record set.

"New York, Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919," digital
 images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 August 2013), entry for David Ett, citing New York (State). Adjutant General's Office. Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917–1919. Series B0808. New York State Archives, Albany, New York.

Dave was inducted into the army on 8 December 1917. He began his service in Battery C, 306th Field Artillery stationed at Camp Upton, Yaphank, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. Camp Yaphank was built in 1917 and was officially opened just days after Dave's induction. [5] [6]

On 3 January 1918 Dave was assigned to the 4th Infantry, Company M (I'm still looking into this, but I believe they were stationed in Greenville, North Carolina.) It was shortly after this that the military's intentions for Dave started to change.

The President of the United States, since before war was declared, had the authority to control the actions and movements of those deemed "enemy aliens" (defined as those born in countries with which we were at war and who had not naturalized in the United States). At first, only Germans were enemy aliens. Later anyone from the Austria-Hungary was included, as well. So, Dave Ett did not ship out overseas with his Company. By 28 June 1918 he was discharged - an enemy alien.

A newspaper article from the era explained that the military was "weeding out" enemy aliens and would require them to register where they expected to reside within ten days of their discharge. [7] [8]

Dave's discharge from the military was not considered honorable. So, when he applied for citizenship under the Act of May 26, 1926, he was deemed ineligible for the privilege of expedited naturalization.

Years later he tried again. He was granted citizenship on 18 July 1939. [9]

--------------------------------

It is important to note that this newly available online record set is made of information abstracted from several, now likely missing, sources. Ancestry correctly notes in its background information that the process of abstraction is likely to introduce errors. One such error could be Dave Ett's assignment to the 4th Infantry. This information conflicts with information on his 1927 Petition for Naturalization [see note 3] which indicates he served in "Pt. Co. 5, Inf." Of course this latter document also said he was honorably discharged which, we find, was probably inaccurate.

 
Notes:
1. "New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 5 September 2009), manifest, Amerika, Hamburg to New York, arriving 10 November 1907, list 37, line 8, Duvid Ett, citing National Archives Microfilm Serial T715.
2. Kings County, New York, Kings County Supreme Court, digital images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 19 August 2013), Declaration of Intent, number 27049, vol. 55, page 49, David Ett, 17 September 1912.
3. "New York, Naturalization Records, 1882-1944," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 July 1009), Petition for Naturalization for David Ett, 16 December 1927, New York, citing United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, National Archives and records Administration Series M1972, Roll 551.
4. U.S. Department of Labor, Fourteenth Annual Report of the Secretary of Labor for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1926 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office) 1926, page 127. Digital image, GoogleBooks.com (http://www.books.google.com : accessed 20 August 2013).
5. 'C' Battery Book, 306th F.A., 77th Div., 1917-1919. Digital image, Internet Archives, OpenLibrary.org (http://www.archive.org/stream/cbatterybook306t00broo#page/8/mode/2up : accessed 20 August 2013), page 9ff.
6. By the way, Camp Upton was also where Irving Berlin served and was the source material for his musical revue Yip Yip Yaphank and its memorable song, "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." 
7. "Keep Tab Discharged Soldiers: Enemy Aliens Leaving Army Will Be Registered," Seattle Spokesman-Review, 12 March 1918, digital image, Washington State University Library Digital Collections (http://content.wsulibs.wsu.edu : accessed 20 August 2013).
8. Unfortunately, New York State is, apparently, one of the many states that did not retain these records. 
9. U. S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York, Petition for Naturalization number 259528, David Ett, 18 July 1939.