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. She was living in Stowe, Vermont at the time of the Declaration.
It includes von Trapp’s date of birth, occupation, a physical description, place of birth, current address, date of emigration, place of last foreign residence, port and date of arrival, her husband’s name and place of birth, and number of children with their names, dates and places of birth.
