Missing Entries from the WPA Index of Naturalizations

Missing Entries from the WPA Index of Naturalizations Jefferson M. Moak* D URING MARCH 1991, the staff of the Philadelphia City Archives began indexing the District Court petitions for naturalizations for the period 1850-1860 as part of an overall project to rehouse these papers in acid-free folders. Although both the indexing and rehousing phases of this project are still on-going, 91 naturalization petitions have surfaced which were not included either in the various court indexes or in the master WPA Index of Naturalizations. Also, approximately 20 additional petitions, listed as missing in the files, have been restored to their proper places. The list below includes only those petitions overlooked by the WPA indexers from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and the Philadelphia County District Court. Petitions from these two courts were included in the final WPA Index of Naturalizations. It does not include the thousands of petitions which were filed in the Quarter Sessions Court, Mayor's Court, and other smaller courts whose records were in the custody of the Clerk of Quarter Sessions at the time of the indexing by the WPA. Researchers should consult the City Archives about these petitions. The City Archives staff usually informs the staff of the Government Publications section of the Free Library of Philadelphia of any mistakes of dates, name of court, and name of petitioner discovered in the WPA index, since the Free Library holds one of the master sets of the index. The Free Library copy of the index should be consulted periodically to ascertain these ongoing changes. %Editor's Note: 7 he author is an amhivist at the Philadelphia City Archives. He was associate editor of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution Centennial Register, 1888-1988 (Philadelphia, 1991). His article, "The WPA Index of Naturalizations: An Explanation, " a~bpeared in Volume XxYVI, pp. 109-16, of this journal. 165 166 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine The following key identifies the various courts: Common Picas C.P. District Court Quarter Sessions Pa. Supreme Court Common Pleas Court, Philadelphia County Common Pleas Court for the County indicated District Court, Philadelphia County Quarter Sessions Court, Philadelphia County Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Eastern District Generally, if the petitioner was a minor at the time of entry into the United States, he did not have to fill out a declaration of intent, and his petition would state that he was under the age of 18 at the time of entry. These papers are indicated by the word "Minor" under the date of declaration. The Philadelphia County District Court from 1850 to 1854 would often require that a declaration paper be filled out for a minor at the time of the petition, although this declaration would not be entered into the declaration docket. However, in the list below, the date of this declaration is entered and not the word "Minor" under the date of declaration (see, for example, Charles Rhodes). Missing Entries from the WPA Index of Naturalizations Name Country Court of Declaration Date of Declaration Carr, John Carr, Matthew Hanon, Thomas McAlone, James McAshee, Andrew McAvoy, John McBride, James McBride, Michael McBrine, Francis McCabe, Bartholomew McCabe, Francis McCabe, John McCabe, Thomas McCafferty, Henry McCafferty, Patrick McCaffery, James McCalla, Thomas P. McCawley, Patterson McCoay, Thomas McConkey, David McConnell, Allen McConnell, Arthur Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland District Court. C.P., Cambria Co., Pa. Pa. Supreme Court Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Quarter Sessions Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Co moron Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Co moron Pleas Common Pleas District Court District Court 4 Oct. 1852 8 Sept. 1854 1 Nov. 1844 25 Jan. 1853 6 Aug. 1853 11 Oct. 1852 Minor Minor 2 Oct. 1852 Minor Minor 10 March 1853 Minor 1 Jan. 1853 2 Aug. 1852 18 Sept. 1852 Minor Minor 3 Sept. 1851 12 Oct. 1852 5 June 1852 11 Oct. 1852 Court of Petition Date of Petition Common Pleas Common Pleas District Court Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas 6 Oct. 1854 9 Oct. 1854 1 Oct. 1852 12 Feb. 1855 8 Sept. 1855 29 Aug. 1855 9 July 1855 30 Aug. 1855 14 Sept. 1855 9 June 1855 27 Sept 1855 21 April 1855 4 Oct. 1855 30 April 1855 19 Sept. 1855 20 Oct. 1855 22 Sept. 1855 24 Aug. 1855 30 April 1855 28 Sept. 1855 23 Jan. 1855 21 April 1855 Name Country Court of Declaration Date of Declaration McCool, Bernard McCormick, Patrick McCroary, John McCullion, Hugh McCully, Patrick McCusker, Thomas McDavitt, Michael McDermott, James McDermott, Philip McDevitt, Alexander McDevitt, Daniel McDevitt, William McDonald, Patrick McEleney, Patrick McElroy, Bernard McFillan, Neal McGarity, John McGarvey, James McGee, John McGill, John McGinnis, James F. McGonigal, Patrick McGough, Thomas McGovarn, Bernard Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas C.P., Lancaster Co., Pa. CAP., Lancaster Co., Pa. Quarter Sessions Quarter Sessions Pa. Supreme Court Common Pleas Pa. Supreme Court District Court Common Pleas Quarter Sessions Quarter Sessions Common Pleas District Court Quarter Sessions Quarter Sessions Quarter Sessions Quarter Sessions District Court Minor Minor 1 April 1852 Minor Minor Minor 13 Dec. 1852 5 April 1852 6 Nov. 1850 11 Oct. 1852 6 April 1853 5 March 1852 2 Feb. 1853 29 Sept. 1851 25 Oct. 1852 21 Jan. 1853 8 Oct. 1852 Minor 7 Oct. 1852 18 May 1853 15 Aug. 1853 4 Oct. 1852 28 March 1853 Jan. 1853 Court of Petition Date of Petition Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas 9 June 1855 24 April 1855 21 April 1855 22 Sept. 1855 5 Oct. 1855 25 June 1855 30 April 1855 12 Feb. 1855 27 Sept. 1855 23 April 1855 26 April 1855 4 Sept. 1855 Oct. 1855 26 April 1855 10 Sept. 1855 30 April 1855 22 Sept. 1855 9 Aug. 1855 17 April 1855 17 Sept. 1855 3 Sept. 1855 12 Feb. 1855 26 April 1855 23 Jan. 1855 McGovern, John McGovern, Thomas McGrady, Peter McGrath, Patrick McGuigan, Charles McGuigan, Francis McGuigan, James, jr. McGuirejames McGunigal, George McHenry, James McHugh, James Mclivaine, Maurice Mdlwee, Mark McIntyre, Bernard McKeefry, Thomas McKeone, Charles McKinney, John McLaughlin, Edward McLaughlin, Edward McLaughlin, James McLaughlin, John McLaughlin, Michael McLaughlin, Michael McLaughlin, Philip McLaughlin, Thomas J. McLaughlin, William Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Ireland Common Pleas Pa. Supreme Court District Court Common Pleas Pa. Supreme Court Quarter Sessions Common Pleas District Court C.P., Montgomery Co., Pa. Common Pleas U.S. Circuit Ct., Pa. Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Quarter Sessions Common Pleas Pa. Supreme Court Common Pleas Common Pleas District Court Common Pleas Common Pleas 25 Jan. 1853 23 June 1852 11 Oct. 1852 28 Oct. 1850 11 Oct. 1852 23 Oct. 1852 Minor Minor 27 March 1847 18 March 1853 21 May 1853 1 Nov. 1852 25 May 1853 Minor 10 Sept. 1853 12 Nov. 1850 Minor Minor 8 Oct. 1852 Minor 11 Oct. 1852 Minor Minor 8 Oct. 1853 Minor 22 July 1853 Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas District Court Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas Common Pleas 12 Feb. 1855 28 April 1855 28 April 1855 1 Oct. 1855 27 Sept. 1855 24 Sept. 1855 27 Sept. 1855 1 June 1854 16 April 1855 10 Sept. 1855 27 August 1855 27 April 1855 22 Sept. 1855 30 April 1855 25 Sept. 1855 5 Oct. 1855 28 Sept. 1855 21 July 1855 5 Oct. 1855 3 Sept. 1855 30 April 1855 23 Dec. 1854 18 May 1855 5 Oct. 1855 26 April 1855 11 Sept. 1855 tz)