Hi
This is a modified excerpt from a thread I started on the Ireland board. I thought it was worthy of being seen in the context of a specific thread.
Could it be possible that arrival dates on petitions for naturalization were intentionally stated so as to prove an immigrant's minor status upon arrival? I have found 3 ancestors' naturalization records on the familysearch site. It has been a great resource. However, all three recorded arrival dates that were many years earlier than I had thought. In fact, one was naturalized in 1900, the same year as a federal census. On the census, he reported arriving in 1883, and on the naturalization record (2 months later), he reported an arrival date of 1879.
The wording on the Massachusetts naturalization record goes, "He arrived at (city) in the United States in (date), being then a minor, under the age of eighteen years."
That last clause about being a minor is part of the printed document. The document seems to be a standard form, as all 3 of my ancestors have the same one. Was there perhaps another form used for people who were of age at the time of their arrival? It almost appears as if there was some benefit to have been a minor upon arrival. What that may be I couldn't hazard a guess at.
