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Archiver > WRIGHT > 1998-10 > 0908079376


From: <>
Subject: Nat-or not in HI
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 18:16:16 -1000


Joyce,

You know Joyce, you sure posed a couple of fantastic questions! In your
last email you wrote:

"Well, does this imply that when HI became a state, all native
countrypeople became nat citizen of USA ? Or did they all make a pledge of
oath to USA ?"

I was born in Hawaii in 1955 at which time it was a Territory of the U.S.
I was a natural citizen of the USA at the time of birth. The same goes for
my parents and my parents' parents.

I know that my gggrandfather, BARRETT, was naturalized the day he married
my gggrandmother, who was a native. BARRETT was from Cape Verde and was
naturalized in January 1868 in Honolulu, the same day he married my
gggrandmother. Hawaii was still a Kingdom.

William Ellis WRIGHT was naturalized in 1854. His son, Thomas Harris
WRIGHT, was born in 1855, in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Thomas was a Hawaiian
citizen, obviously, but as for when Hawaii became a Territory of the U. S.,
I'm stumped! I don't know if all the natives here and naturalized citizens
had to be "re-naturalized" into the USA! Good question!

I would think that when Hawaii became a Territory of the U.S., all natives
born from that point on were automatically U. S. citizens. I could be
wrong and didn't get to find out about that today.

Any input from other listers???

Thanks for the questions, Joyce!

Ethelynne K. SOARES-Teves
Honolulu, HI

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