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Introduction This article is a compilation of the naturalization acts of Massachusetts between the times of the United States Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) and the ratification of the United States Constitution by all thirteen original states (May 29, 1790). While the objective here is to provide a comprehensive list of such acts, it is possible that this list is somehow incomplete; new acts will be added as they are discovered. The information presented here was assembled in the course of writing the essay titled What is a Natural Born Citizen of the United States? Naturalization Acts A brief summary is given before each act. There, the symbol → is used to mean "taken to be". That to which the individual, or individuals, are entitled (as a consequence of the act) is listed using the letters I, L, P and R, which indicate immunities, liberties, privileges and rights, respectively; for example, LRP means "liberties, rights and privileges". If a given act does not explicitly state the types of rights conferred (e.g. using the word entitled or intitled) then the third line of the summary, which begins with the word Entitled, is placed in parentheses. October 15, 1778 Peter Landais → natural Subject (Entitled to that of a natural Subject) Source: 3 225 |
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January 26, 1782 John Haywood Winslow → subject Entitled to LP of a subject Source: 4 821 |
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February 2, 1782 Nathaniel Fisher → subject Entitled to P of a subject Source: 4 827-8 |
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April 17, 1782 William Young → liege subject Entitled to P of a liege subject Source: 4 944-5 |
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May 7, 1782 Patrick Merry → subject (Entitled to that of a subject) Source: 4 981 |
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June 27, 1782 Michael Cunningham & John Prescott → natural Subjects (Entitled to that of natural Subjects) Source: 1 137-8 |
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February 13, 1784 John Gardiner & others → free citizens Entitled to PI of free citizens Source: 2 58-9 |
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March 23, 1784 Thomas Hopkins → free citizen (Entitled to that of a free citizen) Source: 2 129 |
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June 30, 1784 Thomas Robison → free citizen (Entitled to that of a free citizen) Source: 6 27 |
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February 28, 1785 Nicholas Rousselet & George Smith → citizens Entitled to LRP of natural born citizens Source: 6 124-5 |
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November 22, 1785 Paul Beltremieux → free citizen (Entitled to that of a free citizen) Source: 6 485 |
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November 23, 1785 William Bond → free citizen (Entitled to that of a free citizen) Source: 6 488-9 |
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February 7, 1786 Michael Walsh → citizen Entitled to LRP of a natural born citizen Source: 6 507-8 |
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February 8, 1786 William Erving & John Duballet → free citizens (Entitled to that of free citizens) Source: 6 508 |
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February 17, 1786 James Wakefield & others → free citizens Entitled to PI of free citizens Source: 6 522 |
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June 5, 1786 Robert Morris & James Alexander → free citizens (Entitled to that of free citizens) Source: 7 5 |
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July 7, 1786 Jonathan Curson & William Oliver → free Citizens Entitled to LPI of natural born citizens Source: 7 53-4 |
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March 2, 1787 William Martin & others → free Citizens Entitled to LPI of natural born subjects Source: 7 241-2 |
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May 1, 1787 Edward Wyer & others → free Citizens Entitled to LPI of natural born subjects Source: 7 261 |
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July 2, 1787 John Gore → free citizen (Entitled to that of a free citizen) Source: 7 561 |
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October 25, 1787 Ann Gardiner → free Citizen Entitled to PI of a free citizen Source: 7 571 |
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October 29, 1787 Bartholomy de Gregoire & others → Citizens Entitled to LRP of natural born Citizens Source: 7 571-2 |
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November 16, 1787 Alexander Moore & others → free citizens Entitled to PLI of natural born subjects Source: 7 579-80 |
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June 19, 1788 William Menzies & others → free citizens Entitled to LPI of natural born subjects Source: 8 25 |
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November 21, 1788 Elisha Bourn & others → free Citizens Entitled to LPI of natural born Citizens Source: 8 38-9 |
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February 14, 1789 James Huyman & others → free Citizens Entitled to LPI of natural born subjects Source: 8 105-6 |
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June 22, 1789 Nathaniel Skinner & others → free citizens Entitled to LPI of natural born subjects Source: 8 405-6 |
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March 6, 1790 John Jarvis & others → free citizens Entitled to LPI of natural born subjects Source: 8 509-10 |
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1. Massachusetts. Acts and Laws, of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. [November 28, 1780 - March 25, 1783.] Boston: Printed by Benjamin Edes and Sons, 1781. 2. Massachusetts. Acts and Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Passed by the General Court, A.D. 1783. [June 16, 1783 - November 30, 1785.] Boston: Printed by Adams & Nourse, 1783. 3. Massachusetts. The Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay. Volume VI (Volume I of the Appendix). Containing Private Acts, 1692-1780. Boston: Wright and Potter, 1896. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=LAgKAAAAIAAJ. 4. Massachusetts. Acts and Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1780-81. Boston: Reprinted by Wright and Potter, 1890, from Benjamin Edes and Sons, 1781. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=c38QAAAAYAAJ. 5. Massachusetts. Acts and Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1782-83. Boston: Reprinted by Wright and Potter, 1890, from Benjamin Edes and Sons, 1782. Note: This book was digitized by Google Inc. on March 11, 2008 using a copy held by Harvard University (see: http://books.google.com/books?id=WNgWAAAAYAAJ). However, at the time at which this article was written (on or about January 18, 2009), access to the contents of this book was restricted. 6. Massachusetts. Acts and Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1784-85. Boston: Reprinted by Wright and Potter, 1890 or later, from Adams & Nourse, 1784. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=_X8QAAAAYAAJ. 7. Massachusetts. Acts and Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1786-87. Boston: Reprinted by Wright and Potter, 1893, from Adams & Nourse, 1786. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=n4AQAAAAYAAJ . 8. Massachusetts. Acts and Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1788-89. Boston: Reprinted by Wright and Potter, 1894, from Adams & Nourse, 1788. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=M4EQAAAAYAAJ. 9. Willard, Joseph. Naturalization in the American Colonies, with more Particular Reference to Massachusetts. Boston: John Wilson and Son, 1859. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=QTMNR0cPhN8C. |