Certificate of Naturalization — J. J. Murphy, native of Ireland, 26 Sept 1906, Butte

# Transcription — JJM Naturalization Certificate, 26 Sept 1906 **Source**: Original Certificate of Naturalization, District Court of the Second Judicial District of the State of Montana, County of Silver Bow. **Petition No.**: 1872 **Certificate No.**: 1712 **Date**: 26 September 1906 **Place**: Butte, Montana --- ## Form text (verbatim, handwritten entries in **bold**) > **Petition No. 1872**     **Certificate No. 1712** > > **UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, STATE OF MONTANA** > > District Court of the Second Judicial District of the State of Montana, > IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SILVER BOW. > > To All People to Whom These Presents Shall Come: Greeting: > > Know Ye, That in the District Court of the Second Judicial District of the State of Montana, in and for the County of Silver Bow, on the **26** day of **Sept**, in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and **Six**, **J. J. Murphy**, a native of **Ireland**, having produced the evidence, and taken and subscribed the oath required by Law, and the affidavits required by Act of Congress entitled "An Act to regulate the immigration of Aliens into the United States" approved March 3, 1903, having been duly made and recorded, was admitted to become a citizen of the United States, according to the Act of Congress in such case made and provided. > > IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court, at Butte, Montana, this **26** day of **Sept**, A.D., 190**6**, and in the year of Independence of the United States of America, One Hundred ~~Twenty~~ **30** ["Twenty" struck through; "30" written above] --- ## Signatures > Witnesses: >     **Martin Toway** [signature] >     **C. H. Gallagher** [signature] > >     **William E. Davis**, Clerk >     **N. J. Thomas**, Deputy --- ## Notes on the transcription - The applicant's name appears as **"J. J. Murphy"** — the abbreviated form. The user's JJM (James Joseph Murphy) used this abbreviated form interchangeably with his full name throughout his life; the certificate's use of the initials is normal for legal instruments of the period. - **"Native of Ireland"** is the only nationality identifier on the certificate — no parish, county, or town. Consistent with the pre-1906-Act practice (the 1906 Act began requiring more detailed origin information from petitioners; this certificate is dated right at the transition, 26 Sept 1906). - Both witness signatures are clearly legible. **C. H. Gallagher** matches the Charles H. Gallagher of the AOHIrish societiesAncient Order of Hiberniansin America from 1836The largest Irish Catholic fraternal order in America: sick and death benefits for members, St. Patrick’s Day parades, and steady support for Irish nationalism.More in Key terms →-cluster archive records exactly — same hand style as later 1908+ signature appearances. **Martin Toway** is a new name. - The year **"Six"** is written out in longhand; the second "26" is also written out. The form date "190___" had the trailing 6 added in pen. ## Correction, 28 September 2026 - **Petition 1872, Certificate 1712** (previously transcribed as 1877 / 1717). In the clerk's hand the final digit of both numbers is a 2 with a long tail, which had been read as a 7. The certificate given to James, reproduced in the 1994 *SagebrushersButte: companies, unions & placesSagebrushersYellowstone slang for visitors who toured the park with their own wagon and camped along the road, as against the "dudes" who went by coach from hotel to hotel.More in Key terms →* booklet (`1907-07-25_sagebrushers-diary_jjm-yellowstone-trip`, PDF p. 10), reads 1872 / 1712 plainly. - **Year of independence:** "One Hundred Twenty" is struck through and "30" written above it (1906 = the 130th year). The earlier reading stopped at "Twenty—". - **Not changed, for a later look:** the certificate reproduced in the booklet, written by the clerk, spells the witness "Martin Towey" and the clerk "William E. Davies", with the deputy "W. J. Thomas". The signatures here read "Toway", "Davis" and "N. J. Thomas" in this transcription, but the signatures are ambiguous. --- ## Re-photographed 21 Sept 2026 (ButteScans IMG_5694 - 5697) Four new photographs of this same page were taken at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives on 21 Sept 2026. They show that the source is the court's bound register of certificates (one record to the half-page, purple-ruled), in which the two witnesses signed in their own hands and the clerk wrote the applicant's name; the applicant did not sign. Read twice from the new photographs (Sonnet, then Opus), 3 Oct 2026; working transcription in `archive/documents/butte_archives/transcriptions/butte-scans-2026-10-03/opus/IMG_5695.md`. - **Numbers confirmed:** Petition No. 1872, Certificate No. 1712. The clerk's 2 ends in a long rising stroke and his 7 has a flat top and a long tail; the last figure of both numbers is the 2. The facing page's last record is Certificate No. 1710 (25 Sept 1906), which fits the sequence. - **First witness:** the signature is spelled **Toway** letter by letter (T-o-w-a-y; the fourth letter is the writer's closed a, as in his "Martin"). A quick "Towey" could look the same, and the certificate handed to the applicant gives "Towey" in the clerk's hand. - **Deputy:** "[N / W / H] J Thomas"; the first initial is not settled. - **Neighbouring records** (not in the 2023 photograph): | Position | Applicant | Native of | Date | Witnesses | No. | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Same page, record above | Ole[?] Elwood | Norway | 26 Sept 1906 | James Elwood; P H Toole[?] | not visible (1711 by sequence) | | Facing page, lower | [first name hidden] O'Neil | Ireland | 25 Sept 1906 | not visible | Certificate No. 1710 | | Facing page, upper | not in frame | Austria | 26[?] [month cut] 1906 | not visible | not visible | J. J. Murphy was admitted on an ordinary court day beside a Norwegian and an Austrian, the day after an Irish O'Neil.