Naturalization Paper of Nicholas Yager; Wm. and Mary Qrtly., Vol. 3, No. 1

Transcribed by Kathy Merrill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project

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Naturalization Paper of Nicholas Yager

   A. G. Grinnan

   William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 1.
   (Jul., 1894), pp. 11-12

                  NATURALIZATION PAPER OF NICHOLAS
                               YAGER.

                  Communicated by Dr. A. G. Grinnan.

   Gov. Spotswood established a settlement of Germans in Virginia, and the
following peper, bestowing citizenship upon Nicholas Yager, of Hesse, may be
of interest.

   "Alexander Spotswood, his Majesties Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-
Chief of the colony and Dominion of Virginia:

   To all to whom these presents shall come Greeting.  Whereas, by one Act of
Assembly made at the Capitol the 23rd day of October, 1705, for the better
settling and peopling this his Majesties colony and Dominion it is enacted that
it shall and may be lawful to and for the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of 
this Colony and Dominion for the time being by a public Instrument, Letters
Patent under the Broad seal thereof to Declare any Alien or Aliens, Forreigner
or Forreigners being already settled or Inhabitants of this Colony, or which
shall hereafter come to settle, plant or reside therein prescribed to be all 
intents and purposes fully and completely Naturalized:  And that all persons
having such Public Instrument, or Letters Patents shall by Virture of the said
Act have and enjoy to them and their heirs the same Imunities and Rights of and
unto the laws of this Colony and Dominion, as fully and Amply as any of Her
Majesty's natural born Subjects have or enjoy within the same, and as if they
had been born within any of Her Majesty's Realms and Dominions Provided that
Nothing herein contained shall be construed to enable or give power or privi-
lege to any Forreigner to do or execute any Matter or Thing which by any of the
Acts made in England, concerning Her Majesties Plantation he is disabled to do
or execute, and Nicholas Yager,

Page 12.

a native of Wiehersbach in Hesse, having settled, and Inhabited for several
years in the County of Spotsylvania in this colony, and now made application
to me for the benefit of naturalization, and before me taken the oaths pre-
scribed by Law and subscribed by Test I do therefore pursuant to the said
Authority, hereby declare the said Nicholas Yager to be to all intents and
purposes fully and completely naturalized, and to have and enjoy to his heirs
the same Immunities and Rights of and unto the Laws and privilege of this
colony as fully and Amply as any of his Majesty's natural born subjects have
or enjoy within the same, and as if he had been born within any of His Majesty's
Realms and Dominions according to the aforesaid Act.  Saving always in such
matters and things by which the Laws of England, concerning the Plantation, 
he is disabled to do or execute.

   Given under my hand and the Seal of the Colony this 13th day of July, 1722,
in the eighth year of his Majesty's Reign.
                                                      A. SPOTSWOOD.
                               Nicholas Yager, his Naturalization".
[Seal of Virginia attached, in form of a crown]