Hello! I've been going down a rabbit hole on Ancestry all day and could use some perspective from people who know this stuff better than me.
Here's what I've found:
1869: My great-great-grandfather was born in Quebec, Canada
• 1896: He marries his Canadian-born wife (my great-great-grandmother)
• November 1901 — He naturalizes as a US citizen
• March 1902 — My great-grandfather is born in Salem, MA, USA
• Grandfather, father, and I — all born in the US
The problem I keep running into is timing. From what I've read, wives were automatically naturalized along with their husbands pre-1906. So, I am assuming this means that both my Canadian-born great-great-grandparents were likely US citizens by the time my great-grandfather was born just 4 months later.
Is this worth pursuing under Bill C-3 or does that timing effectively kill it? I don't want to spend money ordering certified documents if this is a dead end. Any perspective appreciated!
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Edit: thank you everyone for your replies! I was stuck in analysis paralysis yesterday after spending most of the morning and afternoon reviewing census records. I then got stuck in a loop questioning naturalization which now I know doesn’t matter. For anyone in the future reading this post, the FAQ section really answers a lot and I hope this helps you.