Naturalizations Records
1798-1935
This index to naturalization records filed in Chester County covers the years 1798-1935. There are no pre-1798 records, except as noted below.
Names of individuals are spelled as they appear on the records. Names of countries have been standardized, but not modernized. For example, the names of individual German states are used if they appear on the original records.
The naturalization record for an individual may contain a declaration of intention and/or a petition for naturalization. The original records contain information not included in the index. The amount and type of additional information varies. Some records are quite detailed, but many are not. For a detailed description of naturalization records and the naturalization process please see the following links:
Note: There are no pre-1798 naturalization records for Chester County, with the exception of a 1728 petition for a small group of Germans, most if not all of whom lived in what is now Lancaster County. This record has been published in two sources. The non-Mennonite names appear in The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine (vol. 37, no. 4, 1992, pp. 367-373). Names of German Mennonites who petitioned appear in Mennonite Family History (vol. 8, no. 3, July 1989, pp. 112-113). Copies of these articles and the petition itself are available in the Archives reading room.
