The National Archives at Kansas City, Missouri located (through a brief search of indexes) a record for one “Cornelius M. Scanlon,” from Ireland -- who was naturalized on 26 March 1901 in Jackson County – which is about seven counties north of Lawrence County – where the Cornelius I am researching lived.
It seems unlikely that this Jackson County Cornelius and the Lawrence County Cornelius were the same
individual, based on the 1920 U. S. passport application for one “Cornelius M.
Scanlan,” a clergyman of Jackson County, Missouri – which states he was
naturalized on 20 March 1901
[1].
There is a difference of six days between
the Jackson County naturalizations, but this could easily have been a copy error.
Both John and Cornelius of Lawrence County were farmers and owned land
by 1879 [2].
The Homestead Act of 1862 required individuals purchasing
land to file a declaration of intention to be naturalized – although I’m not
sure Cornelius or John even have homestead entry files [3].
Regardless, today I will be sending a letter to the
Lawrence County Justice Center to see if they have any naturalization records
for either Cornelius or his possible brother John.
Notes:
[1] “U. S.
Passport Applications, 1795-1925,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com :
accessed 25 September 2013), entry for Cornelius M. Scanlan, Jackson County,
Missouri; citing National Archives microfilm publication M1372, roll 571.
[2] See An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Lawrence
County, Missouri (1879), Missouri County Plat Books, online database, Missouri Digital Heritage http://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh/ :
accessed 18 September 2013).
[3] John J.
Newman, American Naturalization Processes
and Procedures 1790-1985 (Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society, 1985), 16.
