Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Elizabeth City County (Va.) Naturalization Records, undated. Local government records collection, Hampton (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from the circuit court of Hampton under the accession number 45562.

Historical Information

Elizabeth City County was named for Elizabeth, daughter of King James I, and was one of the original shires, or counties, first enumerated in 1634. It became extinct on 1 July 1952 when it was incorporated into the city of Hampton, which was the county seat.

Prior to 1906, naturalizations could be recorded in any court — federal, state, county, or city. 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. A declaration of intention normally preceded proof of residence or a petition to become a citizen by two or more years. 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.

Scope and Content

Elizabeth City County (Va.) Naturalization Records, undated, include declarations of intent and reports to become United States citizens and notices of application for admission of citizenship. 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.

Arrangement

Arranged chronological.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Hampton (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Immigrants -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County.
• Naturalization -- Virginia -- Elizabeth City County.

Geographical Names:

• Elizabeth City County (Va.) -- History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records -- Virginia -- Hampton.
• Naturalization records -- Virginia. -- Elizabeth City County.