Why is Another Man's Name Crossed Off Robert Nelson's Naturalization Paper?

This 1844 naturalization record is for a man named Robert Nelson.  I believe the Robert Nelson of this record is my third-great-grandfather, but with so little personal information, it's hard to be certain.  I know that Robert lived in Jefferson County, Ohio, and that one of his children was born in Pennsylvania in about 1832.  Both support my belief that this is my grandfather's record.  (Click the image to open in a new tab so you can see it larger.) 

This is the transcription of the document.

TO THE HONORABLE THE  District Court  OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, 
IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA,
The Petition of   John  S.  Patterson      Robert Nelson 
of               [blank]                  humbly sheweth:
That your petitioner is a native of  England 
and was heretofore a subject of  the Queen of Great Britain & Ireland 
and that he has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States of 
America for five years, and within the State of Pennsylvania one year; and that two years 
prior to this application, that is to say, on the  18th  day of  May  in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and  forty  before the 
 Court of Common Pleas of Jefferson County Ohio 
your petitioner declared his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, in the manner 
required by law, as in and by the certificate of  John  [T?] Patterson Clerk 
of said court, herewith exhibited,—that he will support the Constitution of the United 
States; and that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce, and forever abjure, all allegiance and
fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, and sovereignty whatever; and particularly to the 
 Queen of Great Britain & Ireland 
whereof he was heretofore a subject.  Your petitioner, therefore, prays that he may be admit-
ted to become a citizen of the United States of America. 
I,  Robert Nelson 
do swear, that the facts set forth in this, my petition, are true; and that I will support the Con- 
stitution of the United States; and that I do absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure forever, 
all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, and sovereignty whatever; and par-
ticularly, do absolutely and entirely renounce, and abjure forever, all allegiance and fidelity to 
 the Queen of Great Britain & Ireland 
whereof I was heretofore a subject. 
Sworn and subscribed in open Court, this  }                                 his 
 14 day of Sept 1844                                    }                        Robt.  x  Nelson 
     G R Ridale  [illegible letters]                                                    mark 
                                         Thomas Huscraft 
of  Allegheny County  and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, do 
swear, that the petitioner,  Robert Nelson 
has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States of America five 
years, and within the State of Pennsylvania one year: to wit in 
                                                                                                   Allegheny County 
which place  is  within and under the Constitution of the United States; and that during his 
residence within the United States, he has behaved as a man of good moral character, attached 
to the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of 
the same. 
Sworn and subscribed in open Court, this }         Thos Howcroft 
 9 day of Sept. 1844                                     }
                      Geo R Riddle  R 

Thoughts and Comments
What I really want to know about this record is why the clerk wrote in the wrong name then crossed it off  The crossed out name looks suspiciously like John S. (or T.) Patterson, the clerk's name.  Would it have been so hard for the county clerk to have given my grandfather a new, clean document instead of crossing out the name of another man and reusing the form?!  Was the county so poor they couldn't "waste" a page even due to mistakes or inaccuracy?  I'm not judging here, but had this been me, receiving a once-in-a-lifetime document, I might have insisted that I have my own paper with no one else's name on it.  A new document would have eliminated all questions and confusion.  Have you ever seen a document like this with a crossed-out name?

This is the first time I've seen a naturalization record in which the individual being naturalized had lived in two states by the time of his naturalization.  My other ancestors lived in the same state, and usually the same county, during the first years here in the U.S.  

In this document Robert Nelson renounces allegiance to the Queen of England, but nowhere in this record does it state, "Robert Nelson, you are now a citizen of the United States of America."  Am I missing other papers?  Or because Robert was in court to obtain naturalization, do we just assume he became a citizen?

I also notice that there are two dates on this record:  September 9, 1844, and September 14, 1844.  It seems that on the 9th, Robert Huscraft gave testimony for Robert, stating that he was a man of good moral character and during the time he's been in the U.S. he had honored the Constitution.  


This document is part of FamilySearch's collection, "Allegheny. Citizenship Records 1844–1846."   With a free FamilySearch account you can see it at  https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM1-N7WN-1?view=fullText&keywords=Robt%20Nelson%2CRobert%20Nelson%2CUnited%20States%2CPennsylvania&lang=en&groupId%3F=&groupId= 

—Nancy.

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