Frank Janecek is Naturalized as a Citizen of the United States
Frank Files First Papers
On 8 February, 1897 Frank Janecek appeared before the Supreme Court of the State of New York in Manhattan. He filed what were commonly called “first papers”, the colloquial term for his Declaration of Intention. This was the first step in acquiring United States citizenship.
These papers included two parts:
- A declaration of his intention to acquire citizenship in the United State of America.
- Statements concerning his occupation (as a tailor) and when he first lived in the United States and and where he resided
The application process required that an applicant had lived in the United States for a minimum of 5 years. Additionally, each state set their on minimum residency requirement, for the State of New York that requirement was 1 year.
Frank Files Final Papers and Acquires United States Citizenship
On 15 July 1903, Frank returned to the East District of the United States to file his Petition for Naturalization. The court was located in the Federal Building and Post Office in Brooklyn. These papers were commonly referred to as “second papers” or “final papers.” These were the final step to complete the citizenship process.
These papers also included his signed oath to renounce the Emperor or Austria and King of Hungary and his allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America.
The final document in the process includes a Certificate of Citizenship or Certificate of Naturalization. A copy of this document has not been located in archives.
