I know so very little about my Swedish great grandfather Andrew Dalin.  And most of what I do know comes from the document below – a “Declaration of Intention” signed by him on January 23, 1918 – handed down through several generations and thankfully saved by my Aunt!

There’s so much information contained in this document.  Let’s take a look, item by item.

1. First of all, it appears Andrew signed this document so I assume he is the source of all information contained in the document.  An important point!  This is considered a “primary source” document – at least with regard to the information relating to Andrew – since he was probably the person who gave the information contained in the document. 
2. His occupation is stated are “carpenter”.  In the 1900 U.S. Census, his occupation was listed as “quartz miner” [1].  The 1910 U.S. Census, on the other hand, listed his occupation as a self-employed carpenter [2].  He was also listed as a carpenter in the 1918 Helena City Directory [3].
3. He was 5′ 7″ tall and weighed 156 pounds.  His hair was brown and his eyes were blue.  This is interesting personal information because Andrew’s son and grandson (my grandfather and father) were very tall men.  My dad was nearly 6’5″ and my grandfather was at least 6′ tall.  
4. He had a scar in the center of his forehead and an anchor tattoo on the back of his left hand.
5. He was born in Hudiksvoll, Sweden on October 21, 1859.  Currently, this is the only record I have of Andrew’s birth date and birth place.  Note: I believe the correct spelling is “Hudiksvall” and not “Hudiksvoll”.
6. He lived at 920 5th Avenue in Helena, Montana at the time he signed the Declaration.
7. He emigrated to the U.S. from “Gottenborg”, Sweden on the St. Louis, and arrived in the port of Philadelphia on February 12, 1889.  This information supports an immigration record I located for a man by the name of “Anders Dahlin” who departed Göteborg, Sweden on January 11, 1889.  His place of origin was listed as “Hudiksvall Gävleborg Län, Sverige” [4].
8. He was married to Brita Dalin, also of Hudiksvall, Sweden.  Unfortunately, Brita’s maiden name was not given in this record.
9. The document was signed by Andrew on January 23, 1918.  Naturalization was generally a two-step process.  After living in the U.S. for two years, an alien could file a “Declaration of Intention” to become a citizen. (Interestingly, Andrew could have filed this Declaration as early as February 1891.  I can’t help but wonder why he waited so long to file.)  After an additional three years, an alien could “petition for naturlization”.  Once the petition was approved, a certificate of citizenship was issued [5].  Unfortunately, Andrew died almost exactly one year after he signed this document, on January 21, 1919 [6].  Therefore, his naturalization process was never completed.

[1] 1900 U.S. census, Broadwater County, Montana, population schedule, Hassel, ED 0002, p. 11A, dwelling 240, Andrew Dalin family: digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 9 Nov. 2015); from National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 909.

[2] 1910 U.S. census, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, population schedule, Helena, ED 0166, p. 5A, dwelling 1053, Andrew Dalin family: digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 9 Nov. 2015); from National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll 833.

[3] Helena, Montana, City Directory, 1918; p. 143, Image 74: digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 9 Nov. 2015).

[4] EMIGRANTEN POPULÄR 2006, a coproduction between Emigrantregistret in Karlstad and Göteborgs-Emigranten in Göteborg: index-only record, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 9 Nov. 2015).

[5] “Naturalization Records.” National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015. Article is adapted from Claire Prechtel-Kluskens, “The Location of Naturalization Records,” The Record, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 21-22 (Nov. 1996).

[6] State of Montana. Montana Death Index, 1868-2011. Helena, Montana: State of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Statistics: index-only record, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 9 Nov. 2015).