I just wanted to share my excitement - and impatience...
I have been trying to track down traces of my paternal grandfather who decided, when both his sons were very young, that he would prefer the single life in Canada rather than his married life (with risks of call-up to WW1) in England.
I had identified the likely family in 1901 and worked my way backwards on this plausible foundation. I than managed to get more info when I realised that the rumour about him having gone to USA might mean he would show up on the SSDI (Social Security Death Index) - which he did. That index meant I was able to get both a copy of his (signed) application for a SS number and a copy of his death cert. The signature on the SS # application was a v close match to the signature on the registration of his marriage to my grandmother. The parents-info on the application matched my hypothetical pre-1901 family (which was encouraging) and his immigration info allowed me, on one of the occasions when Ancestry was letting people have access to the N America records as a treat (tempter), to track his immigration from Toronto. I had also got his appearance on the 1930 census - with a wife and stepson, and claiming to be on the way to being naturalised.
I have been trying to follow up on the naturalisation papers for some time. I spent a lot of time and effort with USCIS in Washington with no result. My next attempt was to retain a professional researcher. I had thought that the naturalisation would have been 1930±2 - or ±5 at most. I should have guessed: it finally went through on 1 June 1939. I have applied to the National Archives and Records Administration in Chicago (Naturalization Records), using their online facility (https://eservices.archives.gov/orderonline), and I received an email yesterday to say the copy documents had just been shipped to me.
The sample document on their site shows that the petition should show names and DoB and PoB of any family he might have had at the time. I might have American half-cousins somewhere! And it should have a photo on it, too. I'll get to know what he looked like! (I don't think that even my father knew that!) I want to know NOW!
Christine
see later for update post
I have been trying to track down traces of my paternal grandfather who decided, when both his sons were very young, that he would prefer the single life in Canada rather than his married life (with risks of call-up to WW1) in England.
I had identified the likely family in 1901 and worked my way backwards on this plausible foundation. I than managed to get more info when I realised that the rumour about him having gone to USA might mean he would show up on the SSDI (Social Security Death Index) - which he did. That index meant I was able to get both a copy of his (signed) application for a SS number and a copy of his death cert. The signature on the SS # application was a v close match to the signature on the registration of his marriage to my grandmother. The parents-info on the application matched my hypothetical pre-1901 family (which was encouraging) and his immigration info allowed me, on one of the occasions when Ancestry was letting people have access to the N America records as a treat (tempter), to track his immigration from Toronto. I had also got his appearance on the 1930 census - with a wife and stepson, and claiming to be on the way to being naturalised.
I have been trying to follow up on the naturalisation papers for some time. I spent a lot of time and effort with USCIS in Washington with no result. My next attempt was to retain a professional researcher. I had thought that the naturalisation would have been 1930±2 - or ±5 at most. I should have guessed: it finally went through on 1 June 1939. I have applied to the National Archives and Records Administration in Chicago (Naturalization Records), using their online facility (https://eservices.archives.gov/orderonline), and I received an email yesterday to say the copy documents had just been shipped to me.
The sample document on their site shows that the petition should show names and DoB and PoB of any family he might have had at the time. I might have American half-cousins somewhere! And it should have a photo on it, too. I'll get to know what he looked like! (I don't think that even my father knew that!) I want to know NOW!
Christine
see later for update post
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