Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Newport News (Va.) Record of Declaration of Intention, 1908 July-1910 Dec. Local government records collection, Newport News (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

This item came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Newport News under the accession number 43558.

Historical Information

Newport News was established in 1880 and was part of Warwick County until it was incorporated as a city in 1896. In 1958, it absorbed the now extinct locality of Warwick County.

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

Newport News (Va.) record of declaration of intention (1908 July-1910 Dec) are two volumes that record a person's name, age, occupation, color, complexion, height in feet and inches, weight, color of hair, color of eyes, other visible distinctive marks, place and date of birth, current residence, place from where emigrated to the United States, vessel arrived on, last foreign residence, a renunciation of allegiance and fidelity to the state of which the person is currently a citizen, and the date the intention was sworn. There is an index in the front of each volume.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Related Material

Additional Newport News records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Newport News (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Immigrants -- Virginia -- Newport News.
• Naturalization records -- Virginia -- Newport News.

Geographical Names:

• Newport News (Va.) -- History -- 20th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Declarations -- Virginia -- Newport News.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Newport News.
• Naturalization records -- Virginia -- Newport News.

Adjunct Descriptive Data