Was Cornelia Albers Under-aged When Her Father Naturalized?

Cornelia M. Albers was young woman when she made out this homestead entry in Nebraska in 1883. She also indicated that she was over the age of 21 and a citizen of the United States. There's a simple reason why the native of Ostfriesland, Germany does not have a naturalization record in Nebraska where this claim was filed or in Illinois where she and her family originally settled.

I'm betting her father actually is the one who naturalized, probably having done so in Illinois before the family moved to Nebraska. If Cornelia was under age when her father naturalized before 1883, she would have automatically become a citizen upon his naturalization.

My time is best spent looking for the naturalization of Lubbe Albers, her father, and determining how old Cornelia would have been at that point in time.

We'll be discussing Cornelia in an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues.