Daily AncestorDeclarant
A declarant was an alien who had filed a declaration of intention to become a U.S. citizen but had not yet been naturalized.
The word appears in naturalization law and court records. From 1804 to 1934, if a declarant died before finishing, his widow and minor children could become citizens by taking the oath, without a declaration of their own. A 1911 law gave the same right to the wife and minor children of a declarant found insane.
So a woman who appears in court taking the oath, with no declaration or petition in her name, may be finishing her late husband's case.
As seen in a recordCounty court naturalization record, 1880s
Johanna Lindqvist, widow of Carl Lindqvist, declarant, deceased, admitted on taking the oath
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Declarant." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/immigration/declarant. Last checked 2026-10-03.