The Archives and Records Center has seen an increase in recent years in individuals asking for records on their ancestors to be used in claiming dual citizenship with another country. Before granting citizenship to an American, the foreign country generally requires proof that the applicant is a descendent of one or more of that country’s citizens. Usually, the individual can provide that proof using civil records. However, when the civil records are unavailable or unusable for some reason, they may turn to Church records to support their application.
This type of request would fall under the category of genealogical research in the Archives. To request this research you must go to our website, print out a genealogical research form, available at the button below and fill it in (see form photo). In the section asking why you are requesting the research, tell us it is for dual citizenship purposes.
There is a charge of $15.00 per hour for the research. This is not a charge for the record, but rather for the time it takes to do the research. So if you need more than one record (i.e. your grandparent’s baptism and marriage) then one check will cover both searches. On the form we ask the maximum number of hours you want us to search. This gives you the opportunity to put a limit on how much we charge you for the research. Based on this, we will search until we either find the record(s) you want; reach the maximum time you authorized; or until we searched all of the likely parishes where the record(s) should be based on the information you supplied without success. If you leave this item blank, we will only search for a maximum of one hour.
Once we complete the research, we will send you the results in a letter. On the request form you have the option of receiving the letter on letterhead through the mail or electronically through email (see example).
If we can’t find the information you requested, we will tell you that and describe which parish records we researched. If we do find the record(s) you want we will transcribe the information as written in the register. In particular, we will spell the names of the individuals the way they are written.
Please note: Each country has its own set of requirements as to what documentation they will accept in considering your application. It is important that you know exactly what documentation the official you are dealing with will accept before you send in your request for research. It is best if you talk to an individual about what you need rather than relying on general information that is published on a website or in a brochure or pamphlet. Most times that general information assumes that you are going to be submitting government documents. The country you are dealing with might have entirely different requirements for non-government records. Knowing what you need before contacting us will save you time, money and aggravation during this process.
If the nation you are working with will accept letter documenting the results of our search--sent on Archives letterhead with an original signature--then you are fine.
However, it is likely that the officials of that nation will want more. The additional documentation that they require may include having the letter we send you notarized, having a sacramental certificate issued by the Archives or having us produce a copy of the original sacramental register entry. There is a separate charge for certificates and copies of register entries of $5.00 per certificate or copy.
All of these we can provide, with the following caveats:
We do not have a notary on staff. If your application requires the inclusion of a notarized document, whether it is the letter we send you or a certificate, you will have to arrange for a local notary to come into the Archives. We can provide you with a list of notaries we have dealt with in the past with their contact information. You can choose whichever one you want (or you can find a different notary on your own if you wish). Tell the notary what you want and ask them to contact us for an appointment to come in and notarize whatever document(s) you need.
Most often dual citizenship applications that use Church records as proof of eligibility require a sacramental certificate. The method the Church uses to confirm the authenticity of the certificate is a raised seal imprinted on the document (see example). The certificate we provide is one that is generated from the information in the register. The information that goes on the certificate is the information that is recorded in the register exactly as written. This includes the names of the individuals listed in the entry. These names may not match the names you find using later civil or other records. The older the record, the more likely it is that the names were written in Latin. Also, it is possible that over time the family anglicized their surname. For example, you ancestor may have been baptized under the name John Schmitt and married using the name John Smith. We cannot change the name on the baptism certificate from Schmitt to Smith unless you can provide proof that your ancestor had his name changed legally through a court action. You should keep this in mind in determining whether the certificate will help your case.
We have received requests from individuals for an apostille document or certified document. We cannot supply an apostille certificate because apostille records are records only issued by government offices.
The same situation applies to certified documents. As mentioned above, the only certification we have is our seal on the document. If the governing authority requires the document to be notarized, then follow the procedure listed above.
These are not usually required as documentation for dual citizenship applications, but in case it becomes necessary we can usually provide this. What we will provide you is a printout of the microfilm copy of the register entry. We say we can usually provide this because our microfilming project is on-going and not all of our registers have been filmed yet. Most of our registers, especially the older ones, have been filmed so we should be able to help you. However, we cannot guarantee the quality of the image. The film image quality depends on the quality of the original register. If the ink in the book has faded or the page is damaged, then the image may be hard to read. We can send you a paper printout or an electronic image, whichever you prefer.
To request a certificate, send us a copy of the letter we sent you along with your payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope and tell us that you want a sacramental certificate or certificates. If we found more than one record about your ancestor, be sure to specify which certificate(s) you want. If you want more than one copy of the certificate(s) specify that as well. If the certificate has to be notarized, be sure to state that; otherwise we will generate the certificate with our seal and send it to you. At the same time, you can contact the notary of your choice to make an appointment to come in and notarize the document.
If you are requesting a copy of the register entry, then send us a copy of the letter we sent you along with your payment and tell us that you want a copy of the sacramental register entry (see example). Also let us know if you want a paper copy printed out and sent to you by mail (include a self-addressed, stamped envelope) or an electronic copy emailed to you (be sure to include your email address). If the paper copy of the entry must be notarized, be sure to include that information so we can hold it until the notary comes in.
We treat these as two separate transactions because there is no guarantee that we will find the record that you want. While some people know exactly where and when their ancestor received a sacrament, others do not. In some cases they may direct us to a parish the individual attended later in life. However, the fact that your ancestor attended a parish as an adult does not mean that he or she was baptized there. In other cases, they may tell us where they think the family might have lived at the time of the event, which might not be correct. We don’t want to receive payment for a certificate until we are sure that we can actually produce the certificate.
The main reason for doing this as a two step process is that you can see the information you are going to get on a certificate or sacramental register entry copy before you pay for it. This will tell you if there are any possible problems with the information we have, such as the spelling of the names. There also might be an error on the register entry or a discrepancy between the register information and other records generated at a later date, such as a date of birth. Before paying for a certificate and possibly the services of a notary, you might want to double check that the information we will give you will be accepted by the authorities reviewing your application.
A second reason for getting the transcription instead of a certificate is that the sacramental register entries sometimes contain more information on your ancestor that is included on a certificate. If nothing else, it might give you added information on your family history.
If you need additional assistance or have any questions regarding diocesan policy or procedures, contact the Archives and Records Center at (412) 456-3158 or [email protected].