Uintah County, Utah Genealogy

Guide to Uintah County, Utah ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for the portion of the Ute Indian tribe that lived in the basin. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Uintah County Courthouse 920 US-40 Vernal, UT 84078 Phone: 435-781-9300 Uintah County Courthouse County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records. County Recorder has land records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

History Timeline
NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia' Uintah County.
 * Parent County(s): *Boundary changes timeline for Uintah County from "UT: Index of Counties and Equivalents," Newberry Library's Atlas of Historical County Boundaries for Utah.


 * 1776 Archeologic evidence suggests that portions of the Uinta Basin have been inhabited by Archaic peoples and Fremont peoples. By the time of recorded history its inhabitants were the Ute people. The first known traverse by non-Indians was made by Fathers Dominguez and Escalante, as they sought to establish a land route between California and Spanish America.
 * 1825 Vernal lies in Ashley Valley, named in honor of William H. Ashley, an early fur trader who entered this area in 1825 by floating down the Green River in a bull boat made of animal hides. Vernal, unlike the majority of Utah towns, was not settled initially by Mormon pioneers.
 * 1831/1832 Antoine Robidoux, a French trapper licensed by the Mexican government, established a trading post near present-dayWhiterocks. He abandoned the effort in 1844.
 * 1847 The Great Salt Lake Valley, still a property of Mexico, was first colonized by Brigham Youngand his followers.
 * 1861 Brigham Young dispatched an exploring party to the Uinta Basin; they reported that "that section of country lying between the Wasatch Mountains and the eastern boundary of the territory, and south of Green River country, was one vast contiguity of waste and measurably valueless." Young made no further effort to colonize the area.
 * 1861 US President Abraham Lincoln created the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, reserved for the use and habitation of Utah and Colorado Indians.
 * 1877 Jensen was first settled and named for Lars Jensen, an early prospector and ferryman.
 * 1878 The town of Maeser was first settled.
 * 1880 February 18. Uintah County was created from Wasatch County. Uintah county was named for the Ute Indians, the tribe that lives in the basin.
 * 1880 The Uncompahgre Reservationwas created in the southern portion of present-day Uintah County.
 * 1886 Fort Duchesne was originally a fort, established by the United States Army. Closed in 1912.
 * 1892 Randlett began as the site of a school for Ute children.
 * 1918 The northern boundary of Uintah County originally extended to the north border of Utah.The extreme northern portion (lying north of the Uinta Mountain watershed divide) was split off to form Daggett County, Utah.
 * 1930 Earl W. Bascom(1906–1995), Hollywood actor, artist, inventor, rodeo cowboy, Utah Sports Hall of Fame, "Father of Modern Rodeo" who lived and worked at the Old Grey Mine in 1930.

Cemeteries

 * Territorial-1966 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Link to the Uintah County Cemetery Records. Uintah County Library
 * Cemeteries at the Utah State Historical site

Census Records

 * 1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1910 Uintah County, Utah, U.S., Ute Native American Census, 1910 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Church Records
 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) Historically, most people in Utah were Latter-day Saints. Their records are, therefore, very important for early Utah research. For additional information, see Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors and Utah Church Records.
 * 1877-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1847-1868 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & links to images

Funeral Homes

 * Blackburn Vernal Mortuary 15 East 100 North Vernal, UT 84078 Phone: 435-789-2611 Toll Free Phone: 800-818-2611 Fax: 435-789-8752

Land and Property Records

 * The Uintah County Recorder's office has historical land records for Uintah County from 1894 to the present.
 * Ancestry.com has a record set of Land and Property records from 1888-2004.

Local Histories

 * 1872-1947 Builders of Uintah a centennial history of Uintah County, 1872 to 1947. Ancestry.com ($)
 * Burton, Doris Karren. A history of Uintah County scratching the surface, Utah Centennial County History Series
 * A History of Uintah County online at Marriott Library Digital Collections.
 * USGenWeb Archives Uintah County, Utah contains the history of ThomasBingham Sr.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Utah Gazetteers


 * 2012 Google highway map of Uintah County 2012
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Territorial-1966 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

 Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images at Partner site

World War I
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

 World War II
 * 1939-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1848-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1888-1929 Uintah County, Utah, U.S., Naturalization and Citizenship Records, 1888-1929 at Ancestry.com — index & images
 * 1906-1930 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1930 Utah, Federal Naturalization Records, 1906-1930 at Ancestry- index & images ($)

Newspapers

 * 1850-2003 Utah Newspapers, 1850-2003 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * Utah Digital Newspapers Project gives newspaper images online. Search All Newspapers by name or keywords, or Browse by County to view the digitized newspapers.
 * Uintah Pappoose and Vernal Express, covering 1891-1982 are included.


 * 18991-1971, 1975, 1982 Vernal Express-Uintah Pappoose, covering 1891-1971, 1975, 1982 on-line at Uintah County Library. Found at the library: Vernal Express 1891-1984 and the Uintah Historical Society's book of newspaper clippings.

Obituaries

 * 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & links to images
 * 2010-2013 Utah, U.S., Obituary Index, 2010-2013 at Ancestry - index ($)

Prisons

 * 1892-1949 Board of Pardons Prisoners' Pardon Application Case Files, 1892-1949 at Utah Division of Archives and Records Service – index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1800 – 1985 Utah Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
 * 1851 – 1961 at FamilySearch — images

Social Security Records

 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1895-1905 Record of Uintah County Births. The actual title of this record is Records of births and deaths, 1895-1905; and assessment rolls, 1888, 1889-1890.
 * 1898-1905 Online index to births 1898–1905 Series 84029.
 * Inventory of Series 84029 at Utah State Archives.


 * 1903-1914 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1910 1906-1910 online images
 * How to Find Birth Information in Utah

Marriage

 * 1805-1992 Utah, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1871-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1887-1937 Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1937 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1887-1999 Utah, Marriages, 1887-1999 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1888-1939 Uintah County, Utah, U.S., Marriage Records, 1888-1939 at Ancestry.com — images ($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho — includes some divorces and alternative sources

Death

 * 1900-1905 Record of Uintah County Deaths. The actual title of this record in the FamilySearch Catalog is Records of births and deaths, 1895-1905; and assessment rolls, 1888, 1889-1890.
 * 1904-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Pre-1904 Utah State Burial Data Base This site includes information on many Utah residents, who died before 1904.

Archives

 * 1848-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Altamont Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Duchesne Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Roosevelt Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Tridell Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Vernal Utah FamilySearch Center

Libraries

 * Uintah County Library 202 East 100 North Vernal, UT 84078 Phone: 435-789-0091 Website
 * Utah's Online Library, which provides links to library web pages, addresses, phone numbers, hours, and maps.

Museums

 * Uintah County Heritage Museum 155 E. Main Vernal, UT 84078 Phone (435) 789-7399 Website

Websites

 * Uintah GenWeb, Utah GenWeb
 * Uintah USGW Archives, Utah USGW Archives
 * Linkpendium


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.