Petition for Naturalization for Valentine Motyka - amended

The transcription of document and photo of document were not included in the first post. This is to correct that error. 2/5/16  Also to correct children of Valentine Motyka.  Should have read Stanley, Henry and Helen.



I finally received the Naturalization papers for my grand father, Valentine Motyka.  

There were 3 steps of the naturalization process.  

   1. Declaration of Intention - the immigrant filed a declaration of intention ( also called first papers) to renounce allegiance to foreign governments and to later prove he or she had resided in the country long enough to apply for citizenship. Generally speaking, an immigrant filed a declaration of intention up to two years after he immigrated to the United States.  

   2. Petition - the immigrant had to wait anywhere between one to three years after he filed his declaration to file his petition for citizenship ( also called second or final papers). Most often the petition was filed in a court nearest to the town where the immigrant settled. An Oath of Allegiance was also signed to pledge the immigrants allegiance to the United States and sign a written oath.

   3. Certificate - after all requirements were completed, the immigrant was sworn in as a citizen and issued his or her certificate. The certificate is given from the same court the petition is filed in. It is called the Certificate of Citizenship or Certificate of Naturalization.

This is the first transcription of the three papers received.

Petition for Naturalization  for Valentine Motyka

What Do You Already Know? - Valentine Motyka was born 27 Oct 1892,Tarnobrzeg, Poland - (Austria, Galicia (marriage cerif.))  - Baptized in Galicia pow. Tarnobrzeg in Miechocin (church marriage record) - His fathers name was Paul (Pawel) Motyka, his mothers name was Mary Narieracz (marriage certificate) - He was 24 when he married Mary Leszczak, who was 23 also from Austria, Galicia (marriage certif.) - He and Mary were married at the St. Stanislaus church in Manhattan, City of New York on 22 October, 1918 (marriage cert) - Mary and Valentine were both listed on the marriage cert. as living at 503 E. 6th St., Manhattan, New York - Immigrated to New York 06 Mar 1910, age 18, from Hamburg on the President Lincoln, he was single - Had 3 children, Wilbur, Doris and Kenneth - Died 04 Apr 1967
What Is It You Hope to Learn or to Prove? ☐Anything new ☐What date he was Naturalized ?
Timeline from my records 1892 - born in Tarnobrzeg, Poland to Pawel and Maria Napieracz Motyka 1910 - traveling from Hamburg to New York on the President Lincoln 1916 - Married Mary Leszczak (born 1893) (Marriage Certif)            living at 503 E. 6th St., Manhattan, New York 1917 - first son born - Stanley          - living at 426 E. 9th St., New York, NY 1920 - living at 47 Tyler ST., Newark, Essex, NJ (1920 US Census) 1921 - second son born Henry Paul,  1924 - daughter, Helen born 1930 - living at 29 Ann St., Newark City, Essex, NJ (1930 census) 1938 - living at 374 Elm St., Newark, Essex, NJ (US City Dir) 1940 - living at 374 Elm St., Newark, Essex, NJ (1940 Census) 1942 - living at 574 Grove St., Irvington, Union, NJ (WWII) 1967 - died in Irvington, Essex, NJ - buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery
What Resources Are Available to You to Address This Research Goal?    ☐ City Directories ☐    New York Census ☐
Transcription  No. 15067 Declaration of Intention stamped “ Invalid for all purposes even years after the date hereof" I Valenti, Motyka, aged 31 years, occupation Machinest, do declare on oath that my personal description is: Color White, complexion Light , height 5 feet 6 inches, weight 150 pounds, color of hair Brown , color of eyes Gray other visible distinctive marks (nothing recorded). I was born in Tarnolorzeg, Poland on the 27th day of October, anon Domini, 1892; I now reside at 29 Ann Street, Newark, New Jersey . I immigrated to the United States of America from Hamburg, Germany on the vessel President Lincoln; my last foreign residence was Poland ; I am married; the name of my wife is Maria; she was born at Poland and now resides at Newark, New Jersey. It is my bona fide intention to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, and particularly to REPUBLIC OF POLAND , to whom I am now a subject; I arrived at the port of New York , in the State of New York , on or about the 7th day of March, anno Domini 1909; I am not an anarchist; I am not a polygamist nor a believer in the practice of polygamy; and it is my intention in good faith to be a citizen of the Unite States of America and to permanently reside therein: SO HELP ME GOD.                                 signed by   Valentine Motyka Subscribed and sworn to before me in the office of the Clerk of said Court this 17th day of June, anno Domini 1924. Deputy Clerk of the U.S. District Court No. 41739 (Original document at bottom of this page)
Evaluation of the Data and the Materials Used Obtained from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security                               U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services                               Office of Records, Genealogy Program                               1200 First Street NE                                Washington, D.C. 20529-2206 Case Number: GEN-50098899 First requested October 28, 2015 Letter with documents dated November 18, 2015 from the Dept. of Homeland Security.   “ This is in response to your Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act request received in this office November 16, 2015, Regarding Valentine Motyka.     We have completed the review of all documents and have identified three pages that are responsive to your request. Enclosed are two pages released in their entirely and one page released in part. We have reviewed and have determined to release all information except those portions that are exempt pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552 of the FOIA." Received 3 photocopied documents on January 6, 2016 - C-File, File# C-2477707, Declaration of Intention (in full), Petition for Naturalization (some information blocked out), Certificate of Naturalization (in full).
What Did You Learn? This Petition for Naturalization document verifies:     1. Birth date - 27 Oct 1892 of Valentine Motyka     2. Gives me the place that Helen was born in 1924 - 29 Ann Street, Newark, New Jersey ( should would have been 4 mo old)     3. Gives me a different spelling of this birth town of Tarnolorzeg. My records have it as Tarnobrzeg, Poland.      4. Verifies the information that he arrived from Hamburg to New York upon the President Lincoln, Mar 7 1909                New York Passenger list has him arriving into New York on 6 Mar 1910, listed as Walenty Motyka     5. His height was 5’6” weighing 150 lbs, with brown hair and Grey eyes.                 WWII Draft Card (1942) states same height of 5’6", weight 178lbs and eyes of Blue     6. Listed as his wife’s name as Maria.  Most information we have lists her as Mary.
What Is the Next Step to Take?    ☐1. Try and verify the spelling of his birth town Tarnolorzeg or Tarnobrzeg ( could just be a spelling error)    ☐2. Learn more about the history of Poland and when the boundaries changed. How Tarnobrzeg was effected.                  Maybe do a timeline. (Some documents state, Galicia Austria, some Poland)    ☐ 3. What was Valentine doing between his arrival in 1910 and his marriage to Mary in 1916?    ☐ 4. and from 1942 to 1967 the date he passed?   Reviewed and recorded:  21 January 2016