Family History Library  Acquires Detroit Federal Court Naturalization Index 

The Family History Library now has on microfilm the 
naturalization index for the federal court in Detroit. Many 
immigrants from the Detroit metropolitan area were naturalized in this
federal court. The Family History Library has the Soundex index to
naturalization petitions of the U.S. District Court (Eastern District of
Michigan) in Detroit, Michigan for 1880-1995. The collection consists of 280
16-mm microfilm reels and begins with film number 2116210. They are listed
on the Family History Library Catalog-CD. Each Soundex card generally
contains a name, birth date, petition number and date. Sometimes an alias is
also included on the card. The National Archives and Records
Administration-Great Lakes Region has custody of the naturalization records
which were filed in this court through 30 September 1991. They are filed in
petition number order and the NARA Chicago office does not have an index. It
is necessary to have a petition number to make a request. The petition
number may be obtained from the abovementioned Soundex index, now available
at the Family History Library. NARA charges $10.00/name for a mail-in
request for naturalization papers and $.50/page for an in-person request,
but the petition number must be  known. 

NOTE: PLEASE SEND THE FOLLOWING WHEN YOU WRITE TO CHICAGO:

COUNTY OF ORIGIN
DATE OF BIRTH
DATE OF U.S. ARRIVAL
DATE OF NATURALIZATION
RESIDENCE WHEN NATURALIZED (at least city, county, state but they would
like street address too)
COURT THAT CONDUCTED THE NATURALIZATION (court name, city, county,
state)


NARA's Great Lakes Region (Chicago)
7358 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898

WOODWARD AND JEFFERSON AVENUES
   Photo by Jean U. Assell