• Interlibrary Loan: The Wisconsin Historical Society has circulating copies of the Wisconsin State Censuses available for loan. Request these from your local library's Interlibrary Loan office. Provide the year and county. They also circulate indexes to the 1905 state census. Provide the name of the person and year.
• Research by Mail/Fax: If you would like the Wisconsin Historical Reference Staff to locate and photocopy pages from the censuses, it is very important for you to view their Library Services page for an explanation of charges before you place an order.
• InterAreaResearch Loan: Some collection items are available to be interlibrary loaned to another Area Research Center. This is up to the discretion of each Area Research Center librarian as to what can and can not be sent out.

• Pre-1790 Individual states established their own naturalization rulings
• 1790 Congress now has the power to "establish a uniform rule of naturalization"
• 1795 & 1798 The statutes were revised again
• 1802 Naturalization Act established the 3-part process that we know today
  • The alien must declare his or her intention to become a citizen
  • Must serve a required residency period
  • Then must petition an authorized court for admission to citizenship
• 1855-1922 Citizenship was automatically given to the wife and minor children of any male citizen
• 1906 Timeline for making the declaration changed to have a maximum time limit of 7 years imposed, the 2 year minimum still stands
• 1906 Process becomes more standardized with the establishment of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) including forms and detailed requirements
• 1919 Women gained the right to vote
• 1922 Passage of Married Woman's Act that now requires women to be naturalized in their own right
• 1941 The requirement for filing a Declaration of Intent has been abolished and the residency period shortened for the spouses of citizens.
• Mid-1950s The number of courts authorized to perform naturalizations has been reduced. In Wisconsin, naturalization currently occurs only in the 2 federal district courts (Madison and Milwaukee) and in 7 selected circuit courts

• The alien files a Declaration of Intention with an authorized court, indicating his or her intention to become a citizen, to renounce all allegiance to any foreign state, and to renounce any foreign title or order of nobility
• At least 2 years after making the declaration an alien who has been a resident of the United States for at least 5 years could petition the court for admission to citizenship. The Petition includes both the applicant's oath and the affidavits of two witnesses who attest to the residency and good character of the petitioner. If the petition is accepted the court issues an order admitting the individual to citizenship.

• Declarations of Intention
• Petitions
• Naturalization Certificates
• Ancillary documents
• Indexes (county by county only - no statewide or regional indexes exist)

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