Did your ancestor RENOUNCE their citizenship?

Hi Reader,

Let's dive right in to the subscriber question of the week. This week, we're taking a look back on citizenship by descent.

SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

How do I know if my ancestor renounced their citizenship in another country?

I assume this question comes on the heels of our conversation last week about Italian citizenship by descent.

By the way, if for some reason you couldn't access the Italian citizenship flowchart, I've published it in a more accessible file type here:

Italian Citizenship by Descent Flowchart

The process for citizenship by descent varies by country, but they all typically require one thing: that your immigrant ancestor didn't renounce their citizenship from their home country before their child was born. That way, their child is born with the right to that citizenship, too.

So, how do you know if your ancestor renounced their citizenship?

Today, that process is very bureaucratic. I used to work at an Embassy here in Washington, D.C. and occasionally we had folks come in to formally renounce their citizenship in order to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. They signed paperwork and handed over their passports. A very formal, bureaucratic ending to something so meaningful.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the process wasn't so stringent. It didn't require our ancestors to appear at embassies or consulates.

Rather, they just signed the U.S. naturalization papers.

If you want to see what that looks like ➡️ CLICK HERE ⬅️ to see a photo of a typical certificate of naturalization. It's mostly cursive and chicken scratch, but it's easy to read the big words 'RENOUNCE FOREVER' in the middle.

So, from a genealogist's point of view, when you see "must not have renounced citizenship before..." in citizenship by descent instructions, you don't need to go looking for obscure documents from your ancestor's home country. You'll just want to look for when your ancestor became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Since we're already on the topic of naturalization records, let's have a look at the intersection between naturalization and land, aka my two favorite genealogical record sets.

You may be wondering, "what the heck do these two things have to do with one another?"

So, you may be surprised when I tell you that land records can actually lead you to naturalization records (which in turn send you down a spiraling funnel of immigration research and, suddenly, ta da! You're researching your family in their home country).

In the case of homestead records, in order to be eligible for a homestead tract you had to be a U.S. citizen or in the process of becoming one. That means that homestead files can be a great place to find naturalization records.

Take a look at what it says in my great-great grandfather's final proof for his homestead:

It indicates that by the time he gave testimony for his final proof, he was a naturalized citizen, and it even goes so far as to say his naturalization papers are on record with the land office in Havre, with entry number 08980.

If you are having a difficult time finding your ancestor's naturalization records, then consider diving into land research in order to find them.

See ya next week 👋 And remember, you can reply to this email with any questions!

Roam Your Roots

Did your ancestor RENOUNCE their citizenship?

SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

How do I know if my ancestor renounced their citizenship in another country?

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