In 1940, some three and a half million resident aliens (immigrants who were never naturalized)
were living in the United States. Among them were my grandparents. In 1903, my grandmother
Angela Ciaravino Silinonte immigrated to the United States from Castellammare del Golfo in
Sicily; my grandfather Giuseppe Silinonte followed her across the ocean in 1904.
Background on Alien Registration
For researchers whose immigrant ancestors were never naturalized, there is an excellent
alternative source of information—alien registration records. When the Alien Registration Act of
1940 was passed, alien immigrants across the United States flocked to their local post office to
register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Everyone over the age of
fourteen years was fingerprinted. Each individual was given a two-page form to fill out (the AR-
2); an additional form (the AR-3) was attached with a perforation. The forms were numbered
serially with an Alien Registration Number, or A-number, which was assigned to the person who
filled out the form. The completed forms were then sent to the INS for statistical coding,
indexing, and filing. After this, the AR-3, or Alien Registration Receipt Card, was returned to the
individual, who was required to carry the card at all times.
The information on all alien immigrants was kept on file by the INS, which by this time was no
longer part of the Department of Labor, as it had been previously. In response to Mussolini's
declaration of war on France on 10 June 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt transferred
immigrant services to the Department of Justice; immigration was now perceived as an issue of
national security rather than an economic issue. Three weeks later, on June 28, Congress passed
the Alien Registration Act of 1940 (a bill also known as the Smith Act, named for its chief
proponent, Congressman Howard Smith of Virginia). When FDR signed the bill into law the next
day, he made the following statement, as if sensing the potential problems in such a bill: “It is of
the utmost importance to the security of the country that the program of alien control shall be
carried out with a high sense of responsibility. It would be unfortunate if, in the course of the
regulative program, any loyal alien was subjected to harassment.”
Of course, this was not the first time the United States had taken steps of this kind. In 1798,
only twenty years after America had obtained its independence from British rule, Congress
passed the “Alien Act” that authorized the president to order out of the country all aliens
regarded as dangerous. During the First World War, legislation ordered the registration of aliens
from nations at war with the United States. Alien immigrants were again required to register
after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Of particular interest to the Department of
Justice was the registration of aliens of enemy nations, such as Germany, Italy, Japan, Austria,
Bulgaria, and Hungary. Alien immigrants were photographed, fingerprinted, and required to list
all family members and relatives—in this country and in the old country—indicating any who
were in military service in an enemy nation.
Value for Family Historians
All of this activity was intended to serve the United States and provide potentially important
information, but it has unquestionable value to family historians as well. According to the
Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act, copies of these records may be requested for personal
use. Early registrations are on microfilm at INS (July 1940 to April 1944, including A-numbers
below 12,000,000), and are searchable by name, date of birth, and place of birth.
Since conducting my own search, INS services have been integrated into the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) under the Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS).
Copies of your ancestor's Alien Registration Files (or A-Files) may be obtained by submitting a
completed G-639 form, Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act Request, which can be
downloaded at . A search for “Alien
Registration Records, 1940-44” on the BCIS website (listed above) will also take you to the
correct screen.
My Silinonte Grandparents
As with any government inquiry made for genealogical purposes, patience is a virtue. I sent in
my application in October 2000 and received my grandmother's file seven months later in May
2001. It took another nine months (sixteen months in all) before I received my grandfather's
file, but it was worth the wait. His file contained 152 pages!
From these files I learned that in February 1942 my grandparents Giuseppe and Angela
Ciaravino Silinonte registered for their identification cards/booklets as aliens of enemy nations
under the presidential proclamation for Italian aliens (Proclamation #2527). I have their original
booklets containing the number of months and years in the country, their photographs,
fingerprints, statistics on height and weight, and address. The identification card is about the
size of a passport and contains several pages.
My grandmother's file contains the forms she filled out in 1940 and again in 1942, as well as the
names, addresses, and relationships for seventeen members of her family. In addition to her
husband and children, she listed her mother, sisters, and brothers in various parts of New York
State. My grandfather's file was no less informative.
One of the first pages in his file was a copy of an indictment against him for Second Degree
Grand Larceny from May 1915. It stated that on 13 April 1915 Giuseppe had bought stolen
merchandise: one black mare, wagon, and harness that belonged to one Cornelius Bergen. My
grandfather told Judge Robert H. Roy that he didn't know the horse was stolen when he bought
it, but a Kings County (Brooklyn) jury found him guilty and Judge Roy sentenced him to one year
in the New York County Penitentiary. He was released after ten months due to good behavior.
In 1933 he traveled to Canada and had some difficulty when he re-entered the United States.
Although he had arrived at Ellis Island on 25 March 1904, he had no proof that he was a legal
alien. Apparently he was able to enter the United States, but in 1940, this issue came up again
during the Alien Registration process. If the INS could prove that Giuseppe had entered the
country illegally after being convicted of a felony (the horse episode in 1915), he could be
deported back to Sicily. For seven years deportation hearings were conducted off and on;
Grandfather's INS file held these transcripts.Deportation Hearing
During a deportation hearing at Ellis Island on 9 April 1941, the following exchange took place
between my grandfather and an INS officer:
INS: How old are you and when and where were you born?
Giuseppe: Fifty-five years old, born May 21, 1885, at Castellammare del Golfo, Province of Trapani, Italy.
INS: What was your father's name and where was he born?
Giuseppe: I was a foundling and was adopted by my foster parents when I was three days old. The surname Selinunte was given by the Municipality.
INS: Did you continue to use the name Giuseppe Selinonte after your adoption?
Giuseppe: I did not know that Silmonte was my name until I applied for a passport to come to the U.S. and after that I used that name. I was always under the impression that my name was
Giuseppe Di Girolamo.
INS: What were your foster parents names?
Giuseppe: My foster father's name was Stefano di Girolamo and his wife's name was Francesca Fontaro.
Governor's Pardon
On 11 July 1945, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey signed a pardon for my grandfather,
wiping the 1915 felony conviction from his record. The INS finally found his correct arrival date
on Ellis Island (Grandpa had been giving them the wrong year), which at last gave him status as
a legal resident alien. Had I not sent for his INS file containing this transcript, I would never
have known any of this. As an additional bonus, the transcripts offered some variant spellings of
the name Silinonte, which gave me something to consider in my future searches for this family.
My grandfather died on 28 March 1964, two months before his seventy-ninth birthday. I am glad
his record was cleared, but I am equally happy to have a horse thief in my family, the kind of
“colorful” ancestor that most genealogists and family historians would love to claim! Perhaps one
of your ancestors has a file being held by the INS. If so, you may make some interesting
discoveries of your own.
