Maria von Trapp Naturalization Record
Naturalization is the process through which an immigrant to the United States becomes an American citizen. Generally, a person would file a Declaration of Intention to become a citizen and then, after a waiting period, file a Petition for Naturalization. This record is the Declaration of Intention for Maria von Trapp. Maria was made famous by the film The Sound of Music, based partially on her book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. She lists "singer" as her occupation on the form. She, her husband, and the 10 (not 7 as portrayed in the film) von Trapp children fled the Nazi regime in Austria, eventually settling in Vermont. Read more about these records and the von Trapps in Movie vs. Reality: The Real Story of the Von Trapp Family.
The National Archives at Boston holds naturalization records filed in federal U.S. District Courts in New England, 1790–1991, as well as select county and municipal courts in New England, 1790–1906, and select county and municipal courts in Connecticut, 1907–1975. Digitized copies of many naturalization records are available in the National Archives Catalog, and through digitization partner sites familysearch.org and ancestry.com. More information on naturalization records and other genealogical records can be found on our Genealogy Research page.
View and download the Declaration of Intention for Maria Augusta von Trapp on our online Catalog. This record is one example of the many records held in the Petition and Naturalization records in the National Archives at Boston, Massachusetts. You can explore more records held at the National Archives at Boston by visiting our online Catalog or by visiting the National Archives at Boston, Massachusetts. This record is located within Record Group 21: District Courts of the United States, Series: Petitions and Records of Naturalization, May 1842-1982. Many of the records in this collection have yet to be digitized. We encourage researchers to visit us onsite to explore these records and learn more about the archival collections held in the National Archives at Boston.