Naturalization to become a U.S. citizen was a two-part process: the Declaration of Intent to Naturalize, or First Papers, and the Naturalization Record (including the Naturalization Petition), or Final Papers. The First Papers were normally filed five years before the Final Papers because of the five-year residency requirement to become a citizen.
No centralized files existed before 1906. In 1906 federal forms replaced the various formats that had been used by the various courts. Copies were sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), creating a central file for naturalization papers. The INS is now known as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
These naturalization records can be found on two different websites, one paid and one free. There is no difference between the indices at either location, it really depends on what software you may be using to record your family tree, as you will want to use Ancestry’s database if you’re using either their online tree or FTM and have a membership.
- Ancestry – West Virginia, Naturalization Records, 1814-1991 – $$$
- Family Search – West Virginia, Naturalization Records, 1814-1991 – Free
Barbour County WV
- Naturalization Law Orders, 1903-1904
Berkeley County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1908-1922, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1922-1929, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, 1930-1978, v. 3
- Naturalization Certificates, 1911-1916
- Naturalization Certificates, 1917-1924
- Naturalization Certificates, 1924-1929
- Naturalization Lists, 1840-1991, v. 1
- Naturalization Loose Papers, 1840-1905
- Naturalization Petitions, 1930-1946
- Naturalization Petitions, 1946-1958
- Naturalization Records, 1904-1906, v. 1
- Naturalization Records, 1930-1953
- Naturalization Records, 1953-1991
- Petition Records, 1908-1920, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1921-1929, v. 2
Brooke County WV
- Applications for Oath of Allegiance, 1937
- Declarations of Intention, 1890-1906, v. 0
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1912, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1912-1916, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, 1916-1918, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, 1918-1923, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, 1923-1926, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, 1926-1929, v. 6
- Declarations of Intention, 1929-1936, v. 7
- Declarations of Intention, 1936-1937, v. 8
- Declarations of Intention, 1937-1940, v. 9
- Declarations of Intention, 1940-1942, v. 10
- Declarations of Intention, 1942, v. 11
- Naturalization Petitions, 1929-1931, v. 7
- Naturalization Petitions, 1929-1955
- Naturalization Petitions, 1931-1935, v. 8
- Naturalization Petitions, 1935-1937, v. 10
- Naturalization Petitions, 1937, v. 9
- Naturalization Petitions, 1937-1938, v. 11
- Naturalization Petitions, 1938-1939, v. 12
- Naturalization Petitions, 1939-1940, v. 13
- Naturalization Petitions, 1940, v. 14
- Naturalization Petitions, 1940, v. 15
- Naturalization Petitions, 1941, v. 15
- Naturalization Petitions, 1941-1942, v. 16
- Naturalization Petitions, 1942, v. 17
- Naturalization Petitions, 1943-1944, v. 18
- Naturalization Petitions, 1944-1948, v. 18
- Naturalization Petitions, 1944-1955, v. 19
- Naturalization Records, 1852-1901
- Naturalization Records, 1902-1929
- Naturalization Records, 1913-1919, v. 2
- Petition Records, 1919-1922, v. 3
- Petition Records, 1922-1925, v. 4
- Petition Records, 1925-1926, v. 5
- Petition Records, 1926-1927, v. 6
- Petition Records, 1927-1929, v. 6
Clay County WV
- Petition Records, 1921-1928
Fayette County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1910, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1910-1911, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, 1911-1914, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, 1914-1919, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, 1919-1922, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, 1922-1926, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, 1926-1929, v. 6
- Declarations of Intention, 1929-1947, v. 7
- Naturalization Records, 1904, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1907-1911, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1911-1918, v. 2
- Petition Records, 1918-1922, v. 3
- Petition Records, 1922-1925, v. 4
- Petition Records, 1925-1927, v. 5
- Petition Records, 1927-1929, v. 6
- Petition Records, 1929-1939, v. 7
Gilmer County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1911-1923
- Petition Records, 1912-1923
Hampshire County WV
- Naturalization Records, 1926-1927, v. 1, nos. 1-3
Hancock County WV
- Naturalization Lists, 1908-1942
- Naturalization Records, 1904
- Naturalization Records, 1907-1912
- Naturalization Records, 1908-1916
- Naturalization Records, 1912-1916
- Naturalization Records, 1913-1922
- Naturalization Records, 1916-1918
- Naturalization Records, 1918-1920
- Naturalization Records, 1920-1922
- Naturalization Records, 1922-1924, v. 6
- Naturalization Records, 1922-1927
- Naturalization Records, 1922-1928
- Naturalization Records, 1923-1925
- Naturalization Records, 1924-1926, v. 7
- Naturalization Records, 1926-1928, v. 8
- Naturalization Records, 1927
- Naturalization Records, 1927-1928
- Naturalization Records, 1928-1929
- Naturalization Records, 1928-1936
- Naturalization Records, 1929
- Naturalization Records, 1929-1956
- Naturalization Records, 1932-1935
- Naturalization Records, 1935-1937
- Naturalization Records, 1936-1940
- Naturalization Records, 1937-1938
- Naturalization Records, 1939
- Naturalization Records, 1939-1940
- Naturalization Records, 1940-1941
- Naturalization Records, 1940-1947
- Naturalization Records, 1941-1942
- Naturalization Records, 1942-1944
- Naturalization Records, 1943-1944
- Naturalization Records, 1944
- Naturalization Records, 1945-1947
- Naturalization Records, 1946-1956
- Naturalization Records, 1948-1953
Hardy County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1913
- Petition Records, 1916
Harrison County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1906-1909, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1909-1912, v. 2
- Naturalization Law Order Book, 1905-1906
Lewis County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1929, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1930, v. 1
- Naturalization Law Orders, 1904-1906, v. 1
- Petitions for Naturalization, 1907-1911, v. 1
Logan County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1913-1916, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1916-1919, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, 1919-1920, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, 1920-1926, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, 1926-1929, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, 1929-1936, v. 6
- Declarations of Intention, 1936-1939, v. 7
- Declarations of Intention, 1939-1959, v. 8
- Naturalization Index, 1913-1958, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1913-1922, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1922-1926, v. 2
- Petition Records, 1926-1927, v. 3
- Petition Records, 1927-1928, v. 4
- Petition Records, 1927-1931, v. 6
- Petition Records, 1928, v. 5
- Petition Records, 1928-1929, v. 5
- Petition Records, 1931-1933, v. 7
- Petition Records, 1934-1937, v. 8
- Petition Records, 1934-1937, v. 9
- Petition Records, 1938-1939, v. 10, nos. 1-731
- Petition Records, 1938-1939, v. 10, nos. 731+
- Petition Records, 1940-1943, v. 11
- Petition Records, 1943-1945, v. 12
- Petition Records, 1944-1946, v. 13
- Petition Records, 1948-1958, v. 14
- Petitions Granted or Denied, 1929-1959, v. 1
- Petitions Index, 1926-1927, v. 3
Marion County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1906-1910, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1923, v. 13
- Declarations of Intention, 1910-1911, v. 1A
- Declarations of Intention, 1911-1915, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, 1915-1917, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, 1917-1921, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, 1921-1922, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, 1922-1923, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, 1923, v. 6
- Declarations of Intention, 1923-1924, v. 7
- Declarations of Intention, 1924-1929, v. 8
- Declarations of Intention, 1929-1933, v. 14, nos, 1-1558
- Declarations of Intention, 1929-1936, v. 9
- Declarations of Intention, 1933, v. 14, nos. 1559-1566
- Naturalization Certificates, 1920, nos. 1370301-1370350
- Naturalization Certificates, 1922, nos. 1766076-1766100
- Naturalization Certificates, 1922, nos. 2188851-2188900
- Naturalization Petitions, 1907-1912, v. 1
- Naturalization Petitions, 1930-1934
- Naturalization Records, 1842-1845, v. 1
- Naturalization Records, 1904, v. 1
- Naturalization Records, 1904-1905
- Naturalization Records, 1912-1914, v. 2
- Naturalization Records, 1914-1917, v. 3
- Naturalization Records, 1917-1920, v. 4
- Naturalization Records, 1920-1921, v. 5
- Naturalization Records, 1921-1922, v. 6
- Naturalization Records, 1922-1923, v. 7
- Naturalization Records, 1923, v. 8
- Naturalization Records, 1923-1924, v. 9
- Naturalization Records, 1924-1925, v. 10
- Naturalization Records, 1925-1927, v. 11
- Naturalization Records, 1926-1929, v. 12, nos. 1-1274
- Naturalization Records, 1926-1929, v. 12, nos. 1274+
Mason County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1950-1951
- Naturalization Petitions, 1930-1953
- Petition Records, 1910-1928, v. 1
- Petitions Granted, 1942-1955
McDowell County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1909, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1910-1914, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, 1914-1918, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, 1918-1919, v. 3, nos. 659+
- Declarations of Intention, 1919-1923, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, 1923-1924, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, 1924-1926, v. 6
- Declarations of Intention, 1926-1929, v. 7
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1930, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1931-1933, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1937-1940, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1940-1941, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1941, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1942-1943, v. 6
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1944, v. 7
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1945-1950, v. 8
- Petition Records, 1907-1909, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1912-1916, v. 2
- Petition Records, 1916-1919, v. 3, nos. 1-230
- Petition Records, 1916-1919, v. 3, nos. 231+
- Petition Records, 1919-1925, v. 4
- Petition Records, 1925-1927, v. 5, nos. 1-527
- Petition Records, 1925-1927, v. 5, nos. 528-801
- Petition Records, 1927-1929, v. 6
- Petition Records, 1929-1930, v. 7
Mineral County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1915
- Declarations of Intention, 1915-1922
- Declarations of Intention, 1922-1929
- Naturalization Certificates, 1908-1911, v. 8440, nos. 1387701-1887750
- Naturalization Certificates, 1913-1923, v. 34595, nos. 205391-205400
- Naturalization Petitions, 1927-1950, nos. 163-217
- Naturalization Petitions, 1930-1952, nos. 271-296
- Naturalization Petitions, 1951-1960, nos. 218-233
- Naturalization Records, 1905-1906
- Naturalization Records, 1907-1918
- Naturalization Records, 1918-1922, nos. 1-105
- Naturalization Records, 1922-1928, nos. 106-148
- Petitions Granted, 1929-1960
Mingo County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1939-1949, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, 1951-1953
- Naturalization Certificates, 1910-1918, v. 12116
- Naturalization Certificates, 1918-1923, v. 22062
- Naturalization Certificates, 1923-1925, v. 47209
- Naturalization Certificates, 1925-1927, v. 51890
- Naturalization Records, 1904-1906, v. 1
- Naturalization Records, 1905-1907, v. 2
- Petition Records, 1902-1922, v. 2
Monongalia County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1906-1910, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1910-1913, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, 1913-1917, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, 1917-1919, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, 1919-1920, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, 1920-1922, v. 6
- Declarations of Intention, 1922-1923, v. 7
- Declarations of Intention, 1923, v. 8
- Declarations of Intention, 1923-1924, v. 9
- Declarations of Intention, 1924-1926, v. 10
- Declarations of Intention, 1926-1928, v. 11
- Declarations of Intention, 1928-1929, v. 12
- Declarations of Intention, 1929-1940, v. 13
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1929-1931, v. 12
- Miscellaneous Papers, 1896-1917
- Naturalization Petitions, 1929-1956, v. 1
- Naturalization Records, 1904-1906, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1907-1912, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1912-1921, v. 2
- Petition Records, 1918-1921, v. 3
- Petition Records, 1921-1922, v. 4
- Petition Records, 1922-1923, v. 4
- Petition Records, 1923-1924, v. 5
- Petition Records, 1924-1925, v. 6
- Petition Records, 1925-1926, v. 7
- Petition Records, 1926-1927, v. 8
- Petition Records, 1926-1928, v. 9
- Petition Records, 1928-1929, v. 10
- Petitions Index, 1912-1935, v. 1
Nicholas County WV
- Naturalization Certificates, 1906
- Naturalization Petitions, 1912-1925, v. 1
- Naturalization Petitions, 1925-1930, v. 2
Pocahontas County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1905-1913, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1913-1929, v. 2
- Miscellaneous Papers, 1898-1939
- Naturalization Certificates, 1917-1929
- Petition Records, 1908-1929, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1929-1930, v. 2
Preston County WV
- Naturalization Law Orders, 1905-1907
Raleigh County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1912, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1912-1920, v. 2, nos. 1-281
- Declarations of Intention, 1917-1920, v. 2, nos. 280-395, 414
- Declarations of Intention, 1919-1921, v. 3
- Declarations of Intention, 1921-1923, v. 4
- Declarations of Intention, 1923-1924, v. 5
- Declarations of Intention, 1924-1929, v. 6
- Declarations of Intention, 1929-1936, v. 7
- Declarations of Intention, 1936-1939, v. 8
- Declarations of Intention, 1940-1941, v. 9
- Declarations of Intention, 1941, v. 10
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1930-1942, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1940-1941, v. 11
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1941-1942, v. 12, nos. 719-720
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1941-1942, v. 12, nos. 720-1187
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1942-1943, v. 10
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1942-1943, v. 13
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1942-1961, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1943, v. 14
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1944-1953, v. 15
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1951-1955, v. 16
- Declarations of Intention, Petitions, 1955-1961, v. 17
- Naturalization Records, 1906, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1908-1916, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1916-1921, v. 2
- Petition Records, 1921-1925, v. 3
- Petition Records, 1925-1927, v. 4, nos. 1-346
- Petition Records, 1925-1927, v. 4, nos. 346+
- Petition Records, 1925-1931, v. 7
- Petition Records, 1927-1929, v. 5
- Petition Records, 1929, v. 6
- Petition Records, 1929-1938, v. 8
- Petition Records, 1935-1939, v. 9
Randolph County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1916, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1916-1921, v. 2
- Declarations of Intention, 1921-1929, v. 3
- Naturalization Certificates, 1907-1913, v. 2106
- Naturalization Certificates, 1913-1917, v. 11109
- Naturalization Certificates, 1917-1922, v. 21056
- Naturalization Certificates, 1922-1926, v. 40557
- Naturalization Certificates, 1926-1929, v. 50463
- Naturalization Records, 1904-1906, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1907-1919, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1919-1926, v. 2
Roane County WV
- Petition Records, 1914-1915, v. 1
Summers County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1908-1927, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1932-1945, v. 2
- Naturalization Petitions, 1944-1953, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1935-1956, v. 1
Tucker County WV
- Naturalizations, 1903-1906, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1906-1922, v. 2
- Petition Records, 1907-1912, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1912-1922, v. 3
Upshur County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1913-1929
- Naturalization Certificates, 1903-1911, nos. 101001-101010
- Naturalization Certificates, 1907-1916, nos. 258141-258150
- Naturalization Certificates, 1916-1923, nos. 729671-729680
- Naturalization Certificates, 1917-1928, nos. 1838661-1838670
- Naturalization Law Order Book, 1903-1906
Wetzel County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1907-1928, v. 1
- Declarations of Intention, 1935-1955
- Naturalization Certificates, 1913-1920, v. 12326
- Naturalization Certificates, 1922-1927, v. 37779
- Naturalization Petitions, 1907-1929, v. 1
- Naturalization Petitions, 1935-1949
- Naturalization Petitions, 1935-1955
- Petitions Granted or Denied, 1935-1955
Wyoming County WV
- Declarations of Intention, 1917-1928
- Declarations of Intention, 1930-1944
- Declarations of Intention, 1931-1945
- Naturalization Certificates, 1918-1925, v. 21872
- Naturalization Petitions, 1913-1954
- Naturalization Petitions, 1931-1954
- Naturalization Petitions, 1941-1956
- Naturalization Records, 1907-1916
- Naturalization Records, 1916, v. 1
- Petition Records, 1916-1930, v. 1
Search the database:
- Ancestry – West Virginia, Naturalization Records, 1814-1991 – $$$
- Family Search – West Virginia, Naturalization Records, 1814-1991 – Free