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 13th 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.