Naturalization Petition George Wesemann Supreme Court Pennsylvania 1866 Petition 7658

The record

Conventions: [ ] editorial addition; [?] uncertain reading; […] illegible; [sic] as written.*

Transcription

Wrapper: "7658"; "Petition of George Wesemann for Naturalization"; "Filed Sep. 28. 1866."

Petition: "To the Honorable the Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Petition of George Wesemann, a Private Soldier in the Vol[unteer] Army of the United States, Respectfully Sheweth: That he enlisted in 1st Lieut. James Van Gintwerp's [Van Antwerp's?] Company G, 2nd Regiment, New Jersey Vol. Army of the United States on the Twenty Seventh day of March A.D. 1865, and was honorably discharged from the service on the 11th [read; the second digit is smudged] day of July 1865, and that he has resided in the United States for a period of one year and upwards; And that it is bona fide his intention to become a Citizen of the United States, and of renouncing forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever, and, particularly to the Kingdom [struck out and 'Grand Duke' written above] [of] Braunsweick, of whom he was at that time a subject." Signed "Geo. Wesemann."

Witness affidavit: "Mathias Fenendinger [Tennendinger? Fernendinger?], a Citizen of the United States of America, being duly sworn ..., saith, that he knows and is well acquainted with George Wesemann the Petitioner; that to his knowledge he has resided in the United States one year, and that during the said period he has behaved as a man of good moral character ..." Sworn in open Court; signed by the witness; I. R. [Snowden?], Prothonotary.

Oath: "I George Wesemann do swear that the contents of my petition are true; that I will support the Constitution of the United States ... and particularly to the [Kingdom struck; Grand Duke written above] of Braunsweick of whom I was before a subject. Sworn in open Court, this 27 day of Sep., A.D. 186[6]." Signed "Geo. Wesemann"; I. R. [Snowden?], Prothonotary.

Plain reading

Private George Wesemann of Company G, 2nd New Jersey Volunteers, enlisted 27 March 1865, discharged 11 July 1865, petitioned the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, filed 28 September 1866, to become a citizen. He renounced allegiance to the Duchy ("Braunsweick" = Braunschweig) of which he had been a subject; the clerk first wrote "Kingdom" and corrected it to "Grand Duke." A citizen, Mathias Fenendinger, swore that he had known him and that he had lived one year in the United States.

Notes

PROBABLE that he is the Georg Wesemann of Chapter 4 (Braunschweig; Philadelphia): the surname, spelling Wesemann, Braunschweig as the former allegiance and the Philadelphia date 1866–1867 (son William born 5 October 1867) agree; the petition gives no birth date, no birthplace village, no arrival date and no wife.

Conflicts noted: (1) The petition says he had lived in the U.S. "one year and upwards," so arrival by September 1865 or earlier; Chapter 4 carries no arrival year (to compare). (2) "Kingdom" struck for "Grand Duke": Braunschweig was a duchy; the clerk's error was corrected on the page. (3) The year of the oath reads "186" with the last digit unwritten; the wrapper's "Filed Sep. 28. 1866" fixes it.