District Court (Fourth District) Declarations of intention record books, i 1878-1895.

To become a citizen of the United States, an individual normally filed a "declaration of intention to become a citizen" at least two years prior to applying for citizenship. The next step was the naturalization hearing at which the candidate and witnesses either made oral statements or filed written petitions and affidavits attesting to the applicant's character, worthiness to become a citizen, and the validity of statements made to the court. If the judge found the applicant eligible to become a citizen, an oath was administered and the individual renounced his former citizenship. At this point a certificate of citizenship was issued documenting the fact. These volumes record declarations of intention, the first step in the process.

These volumes record individuals' vows to later become United States citizens and to renounce their current citizenship. The volumes have standardized forms for declarations of intention with blanks for insertions of the individual's name, formersovereign, date, and signatures of the individual and the court clerks witnessing the statement.

The volumes were used in Ogden by a court clerk and were passed along as Weber County was assigned to different court districts over the years. Thus the first volume was used by the Third District Court from 1878 through 1879 and then by the First District Court from 1880 to 1892 before being passed to the Fourth District Court.