Archives - Naturalization Records

North Dakota's naturalization records were transferred from the Clerk of District Court offices of the state's 53 counties and are preserved at the State Archives of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. These records represent the bulk of documentation pertaining to immigration and naturalization proceedings in the state. The records document individuals who resided in North Dakota and who became, or applied to become, citizens of the United States between 1873 and 1952. Not included are those individuals who were naturalized in federal court.

Some volumes may be listed in the indexes which are not found in the collection. Some of these volumes may be available by contacting:

The National Archives at Kansas City
Serving the Central Plains Region
400 West Pershing Road
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 268-8000
kansascity.archives@nara.gov

A state-wide index to North Dakota naturalization records is available online, in cooperation with the Institute for Regional Studies at the North Dakota State University Libraries. The index was developed by the staff of the State Archives of the State Historical Society of North Dakota from the original records. The index is complete for all of the state's 53 counties and contains more than 212,000 entries. The index includes name, country of emigration, date of declaration of intention (first papers) or date of naturalization (second papers), the county where the proceedings occurred, and volume and page information for locating the record. The index is also available in printed form in the Orin G. Libby Memorial Reading Room of the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck.

All North Dakota naturalization records held by the State Archives have been microfilmed. You can obtain a copy of an individual's naturalization records in any of the following ways:

• You can visit the Orin G. Libby Memorial Reading Room at the North Dakota Heritage Center to view the microfilm and make a copy from the microfilm for a copying fee.
• You can request a copy of the appropriate microfilm (the request must include county and date) through Interlibrary Loan.
• You can then make a copy from the microfilm at your local library if they have a microfilm reader-printer.
  
• You can request State Historical Society staff make copies of the records for a search fee.

However you submit your request, you must include your name and complete mailing address as well as identifying information about the person(s) naturalized.

• Name of individual naturalized,
  
• County or counties where the individual applied for citizenship,
  
• Volume number, page number, and date of application.
  
• A search fee (see Charges For Reference Services) will be charged for each individual naturalized, for each county searched.
• This does not apply to the spouse or children unless they obtained separate naturalization records.
  

Address:
612 East Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
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Hours:
Exhibit galleries and Museum Store: 8am - 5pm M-F; Sat. & Sun. 10am - 5pm.
State Archives: 8am - 4:30pm., M-F, except legal holidays, and 2nd Sat. of each month, 10am - 4:30 pm.
State Historical Society offices: 8am - 5pm M-F, except legal holidays.

Contact Us:
phone: (701) 328-2666
fax: (701) 328-3710
email: histsoc@nd.gov