The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is January 2025)
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Do you research naturalization records? No? Why not? Does the thought of going through paper files in dusty court basements turn you off? Well – I’m here to tell you that it is worth it – and with recent digitization efforts – more and more original documents have been scanned and made available via microfilm or online.
Some of the larger subscription sites have also made some source documents available – as well as index cards that can lead you to the court that handled the proceedings.
If you wish to get educated first about all of these documents and the naturalization process and how it has changed over time – please read these two terrific summaries:
- The U.S. Archives Naturalization Records
- FamilySearch’s Wiki entry United States Naturalization and Citizenship
- Women and Naturalization
Okay – now that you are educated and know that post-1906 – about 4 awesome documents just drip with great information: Declaration of Intent, Petition for Citizenship or Naturalization, Certificate of Arrival, and the Certificate of Naturalization. Many of the online genealogy websites may not have all of these documents available but do have index cards that are searchable – which have information regarding the court handling the proceedings. With this information, you might be able to track down some of the source documents.
Below is a list of links to free online naturalization record and index collections for the state:
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
South Dakota Naturalization Records
- Aurora County, Naturalization Records, 1882-1953
- Beadle County, Naturalization Records, 1880-1956
- Bennett County, Naturalization Records, 1912-1952
- Bon Homme County Declarations of Intent Index
- Bon Homme County, Declaration of Intent Index
- Bon Homme County, Naturalization Records, 1871-1944
- Brookins County, Naturalization Records, 1880-1954; General Index, 1880-1897
- Brown County, Naturalization Records, 1881-1954; General Index, 1881-1954
- Brule County Naturalization Records Index
- Brule County, Naturalization Records, 1880-1941; General Index, 18801904
- Buffalo County, Naturalization Records, 1885-1938
- Butte County, Naturalization Records, 1876-1955
- Campbell County, Naturalization Records, 1884-1944; Index, 1907-1927
- Charles Mix County, Naturalization Records, 879-1955
- Clark County, Naturalization Records, 1881-1945
- Clay County, Naturalization Papers, 1867-1944; Indexes ca. 1867-1877, 1883-1906
- Codington County, Naturalization Papers, 1879-1929; Declarations of Intention 1907-1929 and Indexes for Naturalization Records 1879-1882
- Corson County, Naturalization Records, 1909-1951; Declarations of Intention, 1912-1961; Miscellaneous Records, 1930-1946 and Stub Books 1912-1929
- Custer County, Declarations of Intention,1880-1942; Naturalization Records, 1882-1906; Miscellaneous Records, 1929, 1935 and Miscellaneous Stub Books 1907-1928
- Davison County Declarations of Intent Index
- Davison County Naturalization Papers Index
- Davison County Naturalization Records Index
- Davison County, Declarations of Intention, 1878-1956; Naturalization Records, 1882-1949; Miscellaneous Records, 1930-1954
- Day County, Naturalization Records, 1882-1909; Declaration of Intentions,1899-1943; Petitions for Naturalization, 1892-1920
- Deuel County, Declarations of Intention, 1878-1929; Naturalization Records, 1879-1930; Miscellaneous Stub Books, 1908-1945
- Dewey County, Declarations of Intention, 1911-1952; Petitions of Naturalization Records, 1930-1955; Miscellaneous Records, 1941-1953
- Douglas County, Declarations of Intention, 1882-1943; Naturalization Records, 1885-1943; Miscellaneous Stub Books, 1896-1943
- Edmunds County, Declarations of Intention, 1883-1952; Naturalization Records, 1885-1954; Miscellaneous Records, 1941-1954
- Fall River County, Declarations of Intention, 1905-1929; Naturalization Records, 1907-1954; Miscellaneous,1929-1954
- Faulk County, Declarations of Intention, 1918-1942; Repatriations 1930-1942; Naturalization Records, 1884-1946; Miscellaneous Records (Stub Books), 1920-1925
- Grant County, Declarations of Intention, 1895-1955; Naturalization Records, 1881-1951; Miscellaneous Records, 1941-1953
- Gregory County, Declarations of Intention, 1898-1945; Naturalization Records, 1898-1952: and Other Records 1880-1966
- Hamlin County, Declarations of Intention, 1880-1942; Naturalization Records, 1885-1904
- Hand County, Declarations of Intention, 1882-1942, Naturalization and Petition Records, 1884-1945, and Stub Books, 1907-1928
- Hanson County, Declarations of Intention 1901-1941, Naturalization Records 1904, and Petition Records 1908-1946
- Harding County, Declarations of Intention, 1909-1940, Naturalization Records, 1909-1942
- Hughes County, Naturalization Records 1881-1906, Indexes 1876-1944, Declarations of Intention 1906-1956 and Final Papers 1882-1954
- Hughes County, Naturalization Records, 1892
- Hutchinson County Naturalizations Index
- Hutchinson County, Naturalization Papers, 1877-1905; Declarations of Intention, 1906-1941; Stub Books, 1926-1935 and Indexes: Hutchinson and Armstrong Counties
- Hyde County, Naturalization Papers, 1883-1906; Declaration of Citizenship 1890-1942 Petitions, 1907-1944
- Jackson County, Declarations of Intention 1916-1948; Petitions for Naturalization, 1916-1947, 1956, 1958; Stub Books 1916-1928; and Index Cards, 1932-1947: Jackson and Shannon Counties
- Jerauld County, Index, 1906-1947; Declarations of Intention, 1906-1943; Petitions, 1908-1947 and Stub Books 1908-1927
- Jones County, Declarations of Intention, 1917-1956; Petitions 1929-1953; Stub Books 1917-1929
- Kingsbury County, Declarations of Intention 1906-1945 and Other Naturalization Records 1884-1945
- Lake County, Declarations of Intention 1881-1944, and Other Naturalization Records 1902-1944
- Lawrence County, Declarations of Intention 1879-1952, Other Naturalization Records 1880-1954, and Stub Books 1907-1927
- Lawrence County, Naturalization Records, 1890-1900
- Lincoln County, General Index 1871-1945, Declarations of Intention 1871-1943, Other Naturalization Records 1872-1945, and Stub Books 1907-1929
- Lyman County Naturalization Index
- Lyman County, Declarations of Intention 1893-1950, Other Naturalization Records 1904-1946, and Stub Books 1911-1928
- Marshall County, Declaration of Intentions, 1885-1942; Naturalization Records, 1888-1944
- McCook County, Declarations of Intention 1870-1945, Other Naturalization Records 1884-1944, and Stub Books 1907-1924
- McPherson County Declarations of Intent Index
- McPherson County, Declarations of Intention 1884-1944, Naturalization Records 1890-1946
- Meade County, Declarations of Intention 1906-1942, Other Naturalization Records 1889-1944, and Stub Books 1907-1926
- Mellette County, Declarations of Intention 1912-1945, Petition Records 1913-1946
- Miner County, Declarations of Intention 1907-1941, Other Naturalization Records 1884-1944, and Stub Books 1907-1928
- Minnehaha County, Declarations of Intention 1886-1954, and Other Naturalization Records 1873-1952
- Minnehaha County, Naturalization Records, 1879-1963
- Moody County, Declarations of Intention 1910-1942, and Other Naturalization Records 1877-1943
- North Dakota and South Dakota Naturalization Records, 1851-1883
- Pennington County, Declarations of Intention 1907-1972, and Other Naturalization Records 1879-1953
- Perkins County, Declarations of Intention 1909-1952, and Other Naturalization Records 1909-1955
- Potter County, Declarations of Intention 1906-1941, and Other Naturalization Records 1884-1944
- Roberts County, Index 1884-1896, Declarations of Intention 1884-1943, and Other Naturalization Records 1886-1946
- Sanborn County, Declarations of Intention 1885-1906, Naturalization Records 1889-1906, and Petitions 1907-1930
- South Dakota Counties Naturalization Records Indexes
- South Dakota Naturalization Records Index, First Papers
- South Dakota Naturalization Records Index, Second Papers
- South Dakota, County Naturalization Records, 1865-1972
- South Dakota, Name Index to Naturalization Records from Dakota Territory and South Dakota
- South Dakota, Territorial Journal, 1862-1873; Territorial Index, 1882-1907
- South Dakota, Declaration of Intention, 1890-1924
- South Dakota, Declarations of Intention, 1851-1911
- South Dakota, Declarations of Intention, 1891-1906
- South Dakota, Naturalization Records, 1892-1905
- South Dakota, Naturalization Records, 1904-1906; Petitions and Records, 1906-1928
- South Dakota, Naturalization Records, 1907-1923
- Sprink County, General Index 1879-1945, Declarations of Intention 1879-1944, Naturalization Records 1884-1945, and Stub Books 1907-1927
- Stanley County, Declarations of Intention 1892-1927, Naturalization Records 1894-1906, and Petitions 1907-1909: Stanley and Haakon Counties
- Sully County, General Index 1883-1944, Declarations of Intention 1883-1942, and Other Naturalization Records 1885-1946
- Tripp County, Declarations of Intention 1906-1951, Miscellaneous 1905-1938, and Petitions 1910-1952: Tripp and Todd Counties
- Tripp County, Naturalization Records Index, First Papers
- Turner County, General Index 1873-1945, Declarations of Intention 1873-1945, and Other Naturalization Records 1878-1944
- Union County, General Index 1873-1944, Declarations of Intention 1873-1943, Other Naturalization Records 1873-1944, and Stub Books 1907-1929
- Walworth County, Declaration of Intentions, 1883-1951 and Petitions, 1889-1952
- Yankton County Declarations of Intent Index
- Yankton County, Naturalization Records, 1861-1883
- Yankton County, Naturalizations Index
- Yankton County, Declarations of Intention 1874-1954, and Other Naturalization Records 1874-1955
- Ziebach County, Declarations of Intention 1911-1951, and Other Naturalization Records 1930-1947
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!