U.S. Immigration

oldenburg-l
1

I’m sure someone on this list has researched this before, so if you have, please respond.

Did an immigrant need to be naturalized in order to sign business contracts and/or own a business in the U.S. in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s??

It seems to me that several of my relatives became naturalized upon arrival from Germany, and then opened businesses shortly after that. That is why I am wondering if it was in fact necessary to actually be a naturalized citizen in order to run/own a business. Many thanks.

Kathy Uchtman Payne

2

Kathy,

I do not know about businesses but all my ancestors came from Germany in middle 1800's and only the men have naturalization papers. So I guess one could say the women in my family and the kids who came with the men were illegal immigrants!
Kay Derner Brown

3

Here's an interesting article on the subject from Archives.gov

Debby

4

Debby,

Thanks for this insight in the treatment of women through last two
centuries. I enyoyed this history of the US of A enormously and I am now
convinced it was not the land of endless possibilities we were allways led
to believe it was.

It was regulated, but only for certain "new" citizens.
In this day and age unbelievable that the women had to put up with these
unfair regulations.

Marian from Fryslân in the Netherlands.

5

I want to thank you for this article too.........

New insights to the ways of immigration for Women and people in general...
Mary Murphy

6

Debby,

Thanks so much for this info. My relatives came here in the 1840's and 1850s thus did not go thru Ellis Island etc. The men's request for naturalization and the naturalization papers themselves do not list their wife or children. Women and children were property at that time and all the laws reflected that and many still do in certain areas.
Kay Derner Brown