Source Information

Peterzen, Conrad, ed.. Minnesota, U.S., Naturalization Records Index, 1854-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.

About Minnesota, U.S., Naturalization Records Index, 1854-1957

Several years ago, the Iron Range Research Center purchased the entire set of microfilmed Minnesota County Naturalization Records (61 counties) from the Minnesota Historical Society. Because the record set was one of the most widely used records in the Iron Range Research Center, it quickly became apparent that the indexes to the records were incomplete and often inaccurate. Conrad Peterzen, a Research Center volunteer, resolved to make a new comprehensive index to the entire set. His index recorded the name of each person requesting citizenship and included the following information: Spouses name, county of residence, microfilm reel reference, print volume, and page number. The index also includes records of people who were denied citizenship and those who never completed the process. The present version of the index contains all of the 61 counties and roughly over 865,000 records.

The fact that spouses are listed in the index can be especially important because before 1922, women became citizens through their husbands and did not have their own papers. This index provides the necessary information for researchers to access the original papers in the microfilm collection. The microfilmed papers contain most of the relevant genealogical information, i.e., dates and places of birth and marriage.

Note: While most of the locations refer to counties, the following names are cities in St. Louis County: Ely, Duluth, Hibbing, and Virginia.

To receive additional information and forms to access your ancestor's naturalization documents, please contact: Iron Range Research Center

To contact the Iron Range Research Center directly, you can write them at:

    Iron Range Research Center
    ATTN: Naturalization
    801 SW Hwy. 169, Suite 1
    Chisholm, MN 55719

Phone: (218) 254-7959

Fax: (218) 254-7971

Email:[email protected]

Please include as much information as possible.