Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

City of Petersburg's loose naturalization records, 1810-1936, are digitized and available through the Naturalization Records Digital Collection on the Library of Virginia website. Please use digital images.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Petersburg (Va.) Naturalization Records, 1810-1936. Local government records collection, Petersburg (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from the City of Petersburg.

Processing Information

Loose naturalization records, 1810-1936, were processed in two separate groups for the purpose of inclusion in the Library of Virginia's Naturalization Records Digital Collection. The first section, ranging from 1810 to 1936, was processed and indexed as a distinct unit by Ed Jordan. The second section, ranging from 1818 to 1854 and housed in a folder at the end of the box, was removed from the Petersburg Hustings Court papers and then processed and indexed as a distinct unit by M. Long.

Encoded by G. Crawford: November 2018; updated by M. Long: December 2023.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: Beginning in 1795, a person could declare their intent to become a citizen at any time and in any place after they arrived in the United States. Prior to the Naturalization Act of 1906, the naturalization process primarily occurred in local and state courts. Declarations of intent were the record by which an applicant for U.S. citizenship declared their intent to become a citizen and renounced their allegiance to a foreign government. This document typically preceded proof of residence or a petition to become a citizen by two or more years.

Locality History: Petersburg was formed from parts of Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Chesterfield Counties. A garrison and fur trading post called Fort Henry was established there in 1645 on the site of the Indian town Appamattuck. The present name, suggested in 1733 by William Byrd (1674-1744), honors Peter Jones, Byrd's companion on expeditions into the Virginia backcountry. Petersburg was established in 1748 and incorporated as a town in 1784. In the latter year the towns of Blandford, Pocahontas, and Ravenscroft were added to Petersburg. It was incorporated as a city in 1850.

Scope and Content

Petersburg (Va.) Naturalization Records, 1810-1936, consists of loose naturalization records filed in the local court. Loose naturalization records may include affidavits, reports for naturalization, declarations of intent to become United States citizens, and notices of application for admission of citizenship. The reports are narrative accounts made by applicants summarizing their journey to the United States. The declarations of intent record the person's name, place of birth, age, country of previous citizenship, renunciation of allegiance and fidelity to the nation of which the person is currently a citizen, and the date the intention was sworn. Affidavits, signed by those who knew the applicant and could vouch for their loyalty to the United States, may also be filed with the reports and declarations.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

See also Petersburg (Va.) Naturalization Records, 1907-1918 at the Library of Virginia.

Additional Petersburg Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data