Ancestry has published a “new” database to their collection: West Virginia, Naturalization Records, covering the years 1814-1991. The images for this “new” database have been hosted at FamilySearch for some time, and can be freely found there for individuals without an Ancestry membership. There is no difference in the data at either website, and the images at Ancestry are actually hosted by FamilySearch. While the original images at FamilySearch are completely indexed there, the Ancestry database provides relevant “leafing” for users of FTM and Ancestry’s Online Family Trees.
Records include the following:
- Declarations of intention
- Petitions
- Oaths of allegiance
- Certificates of naturalization
- Registers of naturalizations granted and/or denied
- Card files of naturalization
- Naturalization orders
- Lists of naturalized citizens
- Naturalization dockets
The collection consists of a variety of naturalization records for 32 of 55 West Virginia Counties: Barbour, Berkeley, Brooke, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Lewis, Logan, Marion, Mason, McDowell, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Nicholas, Ohio, Pocahontas, Preston, Raleigh, Randolph, Roane, Summers, Tucker, Upshur, Wetzel, Wood, and Wyoming.
- Ancestry – West Virginia, Naturalization Records, 1814-1991 – $$$
- Family Search – West Virginia, Naturalization Records, 1814-1991 – Free
You can learn more about this collection at the West Virginia, Naturalization Records at AccessGenealogy or the FamilySearch WIKI.