Kandiyohi County, Minnesota

Naturalization Records Information

Naturalization Records, for Kandiyohi County, are on micro film at the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) in St. Paul. These films are available through Interlibrary Loan or they can be viewed at the Minnesota Historical Society. The naturalization records for Kandiyohi County are indexed. The index is also on micro film and available through Interlibrary Loan. The naturalization films you request from the Minnesota Historical Society must come from a library, archives or historical society that participates in the Interlibrary Loan program. MHS will accept requests via ALA and OCLC forms only. They will lend a maximum of six reels per patron for a period of three weeks. There is a fee of $1.00 per reel plus a flat $2.50 postage and handling charge.

They will not search these records for you, since these films are available through Interlibrary Loan.

Indexes and Inventories: In the films of naturalization records, persons are not listed alphabetically, but by date of naturalization. The index will help you to locate specific names. However, some of the indexes are for only a portion of the records, such as Final Papers, but not Declaration of Intent. There is an inventory for Kandiyohi County naturalization records, which lists the contents of each roll of film and it is available from the Interlibrary Loan office at MHS.

Years Available: The time period covered in naturalization records varies....the earliest date from the 1850's, but not all county naturalization records begin at that time. In the 1940's the power of granting citizenship was passed to the Federal District Courts, so naturalization records at the county level end about 1950.

The Naturalization Process.......briefly

The Naturalization Process, involved two sets of papers. Applicants first filed their Declaration of Intention to become a citizen. These papers are often called Declaration of Intent or "first papers." Subsequently, their Final Papers were filed when citizenship was actually conferred. Final Papers were called Petition and Record.

Women, prior to the 1920's, only became citizens through their husband's or father's citizenship. The law was changed in 1922, enabling a wife to obtain citizenship independently of her husband. So, before 1922, you will not find a wife's or mother's name appearing on the naturalization record. Children were automatically naturalized when their father became a citizen. So, their names will not appear on naturalization records.

The Process for Obtaining Micro-Filmed Naturalization Records from

The Minnesota Historical Society
Interlibrary Loans
MHS Research Center
345 Kellogg Blvd. West
St. Paul, MN 55102-1906

Telephone: (651) 252-0950

First....you must go to a library, archives or historical society that participates in the Interlibrary Loan program. They will have the forms necessary to process your request. These loans can only be made through a participating institution. You will be able to view the films at those facilities only.....you won't be allowed to take the films home or to view them at any other facility.

Second....you should request the Index for Kandiyohi County naturalization records. A copy of the shorter inventory will be sent with the index reel, to facilitate ordering the correct reel(s) containing the records themselves.

Third....once you have viewed the index and looked at the inventory, you can then order the film(s) that contain the naturalization records for Kandiyohi County. The naturalization records for Kandiyohi County are on 12 rolls of micro film, so it is important to look at the index before ordering naturalization films. (Kandiyohi County naturalization records are filed under SAM 52 at MHS) There will be a fee of $1.00 per reel, plus a $2.50 charge for postage and handling. MHS will loan a maximum of 6 reels for a period of 3 weeks.

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