By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis – Naturalization records of people who became U.S. citizens in St. Louis from in the 19th and early 20th centuries are now accessible online.
The project is part of an ongoing effort to computerize millions of pages of city court records.
The database lists those who filed for naturalization in the St. Louis court system from 1816 through 1906.
The more than 93,000 entries include such notables as Joseph Pulitzer and Adolphus Busch Sr.
While perhaps not as recognized as port cities like New York and Boston, state archivist Ken Winn says St. Louis was a major immigration hub.
"Germans make up the largest part of the migration, but we've got a lot of Swedes in there and other groups that you would be surprised at," Winn said. "Missouri, as you probably know, was one of the great destinations for German migration, which peaked around 1880."
The database can be found at www.sos.mo.gov/archives.