Naturalization Research

Recently I have been researching my husband's German lines. I sent to Ohio for Naturalization records. The Cuyahoga County Archives Department (http://publicworks.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/archives-research-form.aspx) has an online form to fill out requesting copies of records. They have many categories of interest to genealogists such as marriage license applications, birth, death and estate case files. I am just starting with naturalizations.

I received two records, one of my husband's great grandfather Joseph and the other, Joseph's brother, Sebastian :

Joseph Feig:

Transcription:

In the Probate Court, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Oct 13^th 1873

This day came Joseph Feig an alien, and a native of Germany, a free white person, and proved to the satisfaction of the Court, that he made in The Probate Court of Cuyahoga County, Ohio more that two years ago, the requisite Declaration of Intention to become a Citizen of the United States; and also, at the same time, came Philip Hickey and being duly sworn, did depose and say, that the said Feig has resided in the United States for five years last past, that he has resided one year last past in the State of Ohio, and that during all that time he has behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the same.

And thereupon the said Feig made solemn oath that he will support the Constitution of the United States, and that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every Foreign Prince, Potentate, State of Sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly all allegiance and fidelity to William II Emperor whose subject he was.

Whereupon it was ordered by the Court, that a Certificate of Citizenship be issued to him on payment of the costs of this application.

Sebastian Feig:

Transcription:

In the Probate Court, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Nov. 7 1864

This day came Sebastian Feig an alien, and a native of Baden, a free white person, and proved to the satisfaction of the Court, that he made in the Dist. Court of the United States for the Northern Dist of Ohio more that two years ago, the requisite Declaration of this Intention to become a Citizen of the United States; and also, at the same time, came George Finley and being duly sworn, did depose and say, that the said Sebastian Feig has resided in the United States for five years last past, that he has resided one year, last past, in the State of Ohio, and that during all that time he has behaved as a man of good moral character attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the same.,

And thereupon the said Sebastian Feig made solemn oath that he will support the Constitution of the United States, and that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every Foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatsoever, and particularly all allegiance and fidelity to the Grand Duke of Baden whose subject he was.

Whereupon it was ordered by the Court, that a Certificate of Citizenship be issued to him on payment of the costs of this application.

As a genealogist, it is of note that the names on the certificates are consistently spelled Feig, whereas the current surname spelling is Fieg.  These different spellings are indicative of a common problem for genealogists and raises some doubt as to the actual original surname.

Even though these are basic certificate forms, it is interesting to see who was in power in Germany at the time. It is also fun to think about how each of these men might have felt receiving their certificates. It is exciting for me to see this glimpse of family history.