From this index card we see that John Maslan naturalized on December 13, 1915. His citizenship was granted by the Will County Circuit Court in Joliet, Illinois. However, missing from the index card is the date and port of arrival. Not to fret though; this card gives us all the information we need to locate the original record! In order to locate the original record you must contact the following:
Will County Circuit Court Archives*
806 N. Nicholson St.
Joliet, Ill. 60435
(815)-774-7494
You may submit a written request to the address above, or make a request via the phone number above. When making a request provide the following: name of the individual (as it appears on the card), certificate/volume/page number, and date of naturalization. Additionally, if submitting a written request provide your name, address, and phone number. The phone number will help if the archivist searching has any questions regarding your request.
Once the search has been completed you will be notified of the findings. In some cases; although rare, the document may have been lost or misfiled. If the documents are found you will be charged a copy fee. Payment** must be received before they will mail copies of any records.
In the case of John Maslan his "Petition for Naturalization" was located with the indexed information.
From this we learn additional information regarding John and his family. We learn the ship he arrived on; the date he arrived; and the port he arrived in. Also, is listed the place of his wife's birth, and name and birth dates of his children. He also stated that he made his "Declaration of Intent" at the circuit court in Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois (If the "Declaration of Intent" and "Petition for Naturalization" were both filed in Will County the archivist will generally provide copies of both).
With the information from this document you have the option of locating several more documents. You may write the circuit court in which the "Declaration of Intent" was made, and request copies of that document. Also, available is the original ship manifest from his arrival to the United States. In the case of John it was located on www.ellisisland.org.
*The Will County Circuit Court Archives is a separate facility maintained by Will County. Admittance is by appointment only, and access to records is limited to archivist.
**The Will County Circuit Clerk only accepts payments in the form of cash or money orders. Personal checks are not accepted by the circuit court.
