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It’s an all too familiar scenario. Your ancestor’s name shows up in a mega-database of
genealogical records. You click, and like magic, information from that record can be added to
your tree. But is that all there is?
I found my ancestor, Eliza Dooner, in a collection of New York, U.S.,
Alien Depositions of Intent to Become U.S. Citizens, 1825-1871, on Ancestry.
Click and boom, it’s part of my tree. Done, right?
So what did that add? Actually, just the record in the source list. Not one new fact or detail.
Is the record worthless? Well, let’s look at these records and why they were created. Most
record collections, online or off, have some form of descriptive materials and you’ll often be
rewarded with new insights regarding the history and use of the records.
The database description of the records tells me that in New York, before 1925 only citizens
could own, sell, or bequeath real property (land). Beginning that year, un-naturalized
immigrants could file a deposition of intent to naturalize, allowing them to participate in these
types of transactions while going through the naturalization process. This prompts me to dig
deeper and investigate why she took this step.
I have census records, directories, and a death notice, including mentions of Eliza and her
family. Her husband had died in a construction accident just four years before the creation of
the petition, leaving her widowed woman with five children. Her need to even file this
deposition tells us she was an immigrant, so she was relatively new to America. I learned from
city directories that she started a business selling candies after her husband's death. By the
1860 US census, Eliza’s occupation had turned to “grocer” and at this point—two months after
she filed the deposition—she now claimed real estate valued at $1800, a value that was not
listed in the 1850 census record for the family.
So even though there were no new facts from the petition, does this record tell me something
about Eliza? Absolutely. When we search for the meaning behind the records and put it all in
context, it tells me that despite the loss of her husband, she was able to buy property within a
few years of his death, and with her family, she was able to thrive despite that tragedy.
Yes, this record she signed was worth a closer look.
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