Author Archives: Site Admin

Was Grandma A Native Born Alien?

In the United States, during the time before the Cable Act, a native born American woman would lose her citizenship status if she married a man who was an alien. This explains why the 1920 census for my children’s great-great-grandmother indicated she was an alien even though she was born in New York State. Her husband was an unnaturalized Greek immigrant.

Did your female ancestor lose her citizenship because her husband was an alien?

© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com, 9- May-2012.

Homesteaders Had to be Citizens

If your ancestor filed a homestead claim under the United states Homestead Act of 1862, he had to be a citizen of the United States. This might be a place to locate your ancestor’s naturalization record if he naturalized in some unknown location “back East” before moving west to homestead.

© Michael John Neill, “Genealogy Tip of the Day,” http://genealogytipoftheday.com, 21- March-2012.

Genealogy Abbreviations

The following are standard abbreviations found in genealogy or in old county or state history books. These can be found in a census as well but it is better to check the abbreviations for that census as they can be quite different.