us citizen gets naturalized????

[nuccia]

I have a general question. My Grandmother was born in the United Stated but returned back to Italy when she was only a few years old with her mother who was still an Italian citizen around 1914. She married in Italy and returned to the US with her husband and was naturalized in 1966. Why would an US citizen file for naturalization?

Could it be because her mother renounced her daughters US citizen when she moved to Italy?

Nuccia

[VaDeb]

Do you have her US birth record?

[nuccia]

No but I have her us Baptism certificate that says where she was born. Does that help? It also states her godparents.

Nuccia

[VaDeb]

My thought was that even though she was born in the USA, there was no document or proof of the birth here. Thus when she returned, she was unable to prove she was a natural born US citizen and so applied natualization. But, since there is a record to prove her birth, this wouldn't apply.

Also she returned in 1966 and was naturalized with her husband. Up until the 1920's women derived citizenship status through their father or husband. Thus if a natual born American woman and married an Italian male, she would lose her citizenship. By 1966 women retained citizenship regardless of who they married. So, this wouldn't explain the need to naturalize.

Do her natualization papers list her place of birth as in the USA?

[nuccia]

The certificate only says "country of former nationality Italy". She did however marry in 1930, so could she have lost her US citizenship then? Or perhaps, she was told she did?

No where on it does it state her place of birth.

Nuccia