Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Arlington County (Va.) Naturalization Records, 1802-1870. Local government records collection, Arlington County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a 2011 transfer of court papers from Arlington County under the accession number 24121.

Processing Information

One box of naturalization records, 1802-1870, was processed and indexed for the purpose of inclusion in the Library of Virginia's Naturalization Records digital collection. A second set of naturalization records from the same accession received only preliminary processing and indexing, and were housed separately with other Arlington County court records.

Encoded by L. Travis: April 2012; updated by M. Long: April 2024.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: 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. Prior to the Naturalization Act of 1906, the naturalization process primarily occurred in local and state courts. 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. This document typically preceded proof of residence or a petition to become a citizen by two or more years.

Locality History: Arlington County was originally named Alexandria County. The county was formed from a portion of Fairfax County that Virginia in 1789 ceded to the federal government for use as the site of a new national capital. In 1801, the area officially became part of the District of Columbia, although Congress named it Alexandria County. By an act of 9 July 1846, Congress returned the county to Virginia, and the General Assembly extended the commonwealth's jurisdiction over the region effective 20 March 1847. The county's name was changed by an act of assembly passed 16 March 1920 to Arlington , the name of the Custis family mansion (the home of Robert E. Lee), which is located in the county.

Scope and Content

Arlington County (Va.) Naturalization Records, 1802-1870 may include affidavits, reports for naturalization, declarations of intent to become United States citizens, and notices of application for admission of citizenship. The reports are narrative accounts made by applicants summarizing their journey to the United States. 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. Affidavits, signed by those who knew the applicant and could vouch for their loyalty to the United States, may also be filed with the reports and declarations.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

Naturalization records for Arlington County (Va.) and other localities are available through the Library of Virginia's Naturalization Records digital collection and can be found by searching the Digital Collections Discovery section of the Library of Virginia website.

Additional Arlington County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data