Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection is a database from the LDS Church History Library containing a compilation of names obtained from rosters and other reliable sources of individuals who immigrated to Utah from 1847-1868. Most companies are listed with the name of its captain and a brief summary of the company's experience during their journey. Many company pages include a list of diaries, journals, letters, and reminiscences written by company members, as well as contemporary reports about the company. The content of several thousand of those narratives have been transcribed and are included in the database.

Record Content
The Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Index may contain the following information:


 * Full name of ancestor
 * Event type
 * Event date
 * Birth date
 * Death date
 * Pioneer Company name
 * Gender
 * Previous residences
 * Names of other family members
 * Relationships
 * Photographs when available
 * Other biographical details

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Your ancestor’s name
 * Other identifying information such as their approximate year of ancestors’ migration to Utah, previous residence, age, names of other family members and relationships.

Search the Collection
To search the collection fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * Use the index to locate your ancestor in the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Collection
 * Use the names of children, spouses and other relatives traveling with your ancestor to create family groups.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Try alternative search methods such as filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then do the search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You can then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Related Websites

 * Winter Quarters Project. This is a project designed to identify and publish information about early members of the LDS Church who lived in Winter Quarters, Nebraska, and Middle Missouri between the years1846-1853. There are links on the website to: Deaths, Cemeteries, Settlements, Links, Maps, Contact, Videos. The collection is housed at BYU Harold B. Lee Library, Provo, Utah.
 * Trails of Hope: Overland Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869
 * Mormon Trails Association
 * Pioneer Overland Trail
 * Family Search Pioneer Companies
 * Early Latter-Day Saints

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel from 1847 to 1868
 * Mormon Pioneer Companies (1847-1868)
 * Mormon Trail
 * Tracing LDS Ancestors
 * Mormon Genealogy
 * Tracing Mormon Pioneers
 * Mormon Immigration Index

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):