City of Providence
Board of Canvassers
Naturalization and Voter Registration Cards
RG 212
These cards, transferred to the City Archives from the Board of Canvassers in 1986, contain valuable information on immigrants who settled in Providence and were registered to vote here. Each entry contains information on an individual's year of birth, country of origin, date of immigration to the United States, point of entry and occupation. Also listed are the date of naturalization and the court approving the petition for naturalization. In some cases, the petition number is listed. Citizen voter registration dates appear in the upper right hand corner of the card and cover the period circa 1912-1947. Some entries list parents names, and in the case of women, a husband's name. These cards are a valuable source of information for those seeking data on immigrant arrivals to Providence from the 1880s through the 1920s. During this time, the city experienced a significant influx of foreign-born from Portugal, Italy, Russia, Armenia, Poland and Turkey among others.