Any Twilight fans out there? This week, while searching for a naturalization record in the Montgomery County Clerk of Court records, I stumbled on an entry for an Edward Cullin, a native of Ireland, becoming a U.S. citizen right here in Dayton, Ohio, on August 4, 1856. I know, the “real” Edward Cullen was not born in the Twilight world until 1901, but the name still caught my eye. Do you have ancestors that immigrated to the United States and settled here in the Miami Valley? If so, they may appear in our naturalization records.
Special Collections & Archives is a member of the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers and, as a member, we collect and maintain the local government records for 11 counties in central southwestern Ohio. The counties includes Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Shelby. The records typically include material from Auditor, Clerk of Courts, County Home/Infirmary, Probate Court, township, and city/town. Naturalization records, located in the Clerk of Courts or Probate Court or both, span from the early 1800s-through the mid-1900s depending on the county.
SC&A has created an online index for the naturalization records that are available. Researchers can search by surname, browse by last name, or browse a specific county. The index provides the individual’s name, location of record (i.e. Clerk of Courts, Probate Court, etc.), and page number(s) of the entry. The record can then be viewed by visiting our reading room or requested via email or telephone.
Take some time to search the naturalization indexes and, hopefully, you’ll find a record or two for a Miami Valley ancestor!