Naturalization is the process by which an alien become a citizen. It is a voluntary act, naturalization is not required. As a general rule, naturalization was a two-step process that took a minimum of 5 years. After residing in the United States for 1or 2 years, an alien could file a "declaration of intent" (so-called "first papers") to become a citizen. After 3 or 4 additional years, the alien could "petition for naturalization." After the petition was granted, a certificate of citzenship was issued to the alien. These two steps did not have to occur in the same court. Wives and minor children were granted derived citizenship of naturalized men. Records before 1906 did not contain as much genealogical information as those records after 1906. Occasionally, more than the two forms were filed for one individual. Perhaps the time ran out and papers had to be refiled.

Information that was found in the Declaration of Intention after 1906 included:
Name, age, occupation, personal description, date and place of birth, citizenship, present address and last foreign address, vessel name, port of entry, and date of arrival in US, date of application and signature, sometimes a photo (usually in later years).

Information found in the Petition for Naturalization after 1906 included:
Name, residence, occupation, date and place of birth, citizenship, personal description, date of immigration, ports of embarkation and arrival, marital status, names, dates, places of birth and residence of applicant's childre, date at which US residence commenced, time of residence in state, name changes and signature.

An index of naturalization records of Germans from Russia in Whitman County (Endicott/Colfax), Washington, 1860-1942 can be obtained from Janet Margolis Damm, 310 S.E. Camino, Pullman WA 99163-2206 for just $6 total. An index of German Russian naturalizations for the entire state of Colorado has been compiled by the Denver Metro Chapter of AHSGR and can be obtained from Rodney Uhrich, 401 Ivanhoe Street, Denver, CO 80220 for $29.29 which includes tax and shipping.