Emery County, Utah Genealogy

Guide to Emery County, Utah ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage and death records, cemeteries, census, church records, probate records, and obituaries—resources to find parents and family history since 1880, when the county was formed.

Utah Online Genealogy Records

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death
 * Church

Description
The County was named for George W. Emery, governor of the Utah Territory in 1875. The County is located in the center area of the state.

County Courthouse
Emery County Courthouse 95 East Main Street Castle Dale, Ut 84513 Phone: 435-381-5106

County Clerk has marriage records from 1888. State Court has divorce, probate and court records. County Recorder has land records.

Records Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Parent Counties
was created February 12, 1880 from: Sanpete and Sevier

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Utah County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Utah County Boundary Maps" (1849-1960) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

See UT: Index of Counties... from Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, for a timeline of boundary changes for.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Carbon | Grand | San Juan | Sanpete | Sevier | Uintah | Wayne

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:

Resources
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

Bible Records
The term "Bible records" refers to the practice of keeping family dates and events in a family Bible. This was a common practice in many European countries and carried over to America. Many of these family Bible records are still in existence and preserved by the descendants of the immigrants. In some cases these family Bibles have found their way into libraries and other repositories.

For an explanation of how to find Bible records and for helpful links see Utah Bible Records. See also United States Bible Records.

Business Records and Commerce
See United States Business Records See also Utah Business Records

Cemeteries

 * To 1966 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * Published transcripts of cemetery records are listed in the FamilySearch Library Catalog at the (space, then select the town) or the  level (select Cemeteries).


 * The Utah Cemetery and Burial Database on the Utah State History Website contains burial information for the following Emery County cemeteries: Castle Dale, Clawson, Cleveland, Desert Lake, Elmo, Emery, Ferron, Green River, Huntington, Lawrence, Molen, Muddy Creek, Orangeville, Ridge, Tucker Family, Victor, Wilsonville, and Woodside.

Census

 * See Utah Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
 * See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.

Churches and Religious Groups
The information given in church records depends upon the practices of each religious group. Most include the names of members, often with ages and birth places. Several give birth, christening, or blessing dates for infants. See Utah Church Records for details about various denominations.


 * Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed for at the  (space, then select a town) or  (select Church topics) in the FamilySearch Library Catalog.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

 * 1877-1918 - at FamilySearch — index

(Section In process. Want to help?) Stake(s): Emery Stake, Utah

Places: Castle Dale· Clawson· Cleveland· Elmo· Emery· Ferron· Green River· Huntington· Lawrence· Mohrland· Molen· Orangeville· Rochester· Victor·

List of Emery County stakes and wards to about 1948

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * }
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Utah Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce · Guardianship · Land · Naturalization · Probate

7th District Court (Carbon, Emery, Grand &amp; San Juan Counties) 149 East 100 South Price, Utah 84501

The Clerk of the 7th District Court has court and divorce records from 1896-1986, and naturaliztion records from 1904-1942.

Emery County District Court 1850 North 560 West Castle Dale, Utah 84513 Phone: 435-381-2619 Fax: 435-381-5625

Emery County Justice Court 1850 North 560 West Castle Dale, Utah 84513 Phone: 435-381-5194 Fax: 435-381-5196

Emery County Justice Court - Green River 48 Farrer Street Green River, Utah 84525 Phone: 435-564-3204 Fax: 435-564-8322

Emery County Juvenile Court 1850 North 560 West Castle Dale, Utah 84513 Phone: 435-381-5311 Fax: 435-381-5625

Directories
See Utah Directories

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1847-1868 - at FamilySearch — index

Funeral Homes
Fausett Mortuary 710 North Center Street Castle Dale,UT 84513 Phone:435-381-2551 Fax: 435-637-6995

Gazetteers
See Utah Gazetteers
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Guardianship
Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the Federal District courts. See Utah Court Records.

Histories

 * Geary, Edward A. A history of Emery County, Utah Centennial County History Series

"Emery County was established in 1880 and named in honor of George W. Emery, territorial governor of Utah, 1875-1880. Originally, the proposed name was Castle County, but it was decided that honoring the governor was more important. Emery County is the only county in Utah named in honor of a Utah state governor."

The San Rafael region dates back thousands of years to include people of the Desert Archaic Culture. Early explorers, both Spanish and American traversed the Uintah Basin from 1776 to the mid 1850’s. Notably Kit Carson was the first government explorer to the valley. Railroad engineers also came to the valley looking for a route for the Pacific Railroad.

History Timeline
See UT: Index of Counties... from Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, for a timeline of boundary changes for.

NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Emery County.


 * 1776; Silvestre Velez de Escalante crossed northern Utah through the Uintah Basin
 * 1809  First Americans to come to Castle Valley were the “Lost Trappers”, James Workman and William Spencer.
 * 1830  William Wilfskill came to the Castle Valley along the Spanish Trail
 * 1840’s-1850’s  Government explorers sent to the Castle Valley area. Kit Carson was one of those sent.
 * 1853 John W. Gunnison, an Army Topographical Engineer, commissioned by Sec. of War Jefferson Davis,came through Castle Valley looking for route for Pacific Railroad.
 * 1853-1854 John C Fremont, another government explorer came to the Castle Valley area.
 * 1875 Livestock growers from Sanpete Countybrought cattle and sheep into Castle Valley to graze and recognized the settlement potential of the region.
 * 1875  Livestock growers from Sanpete County brought cattle and sheep into Castle Valley to graze
 * 1877  Young Latter-day Saint families began moving to settle the Castle Valley area.
 * 1877 – Families began moving in to the valley to take up homestead.
 * 1877, August – Brigham Young President of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsissued an order for 50 families from Sanpete to located in Castle Valley
 * 1879 – Most of the lands had been taken up.
 * 1880, February – County was created by the Utah Territorial Legislature.
 * 1880  Emery County was created by Utah Territorial Legislature
 * 1880’s  Early in the decade, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, using the alternative route,came through the eastern edge of Emery County and was of great benefit to the town of Green River.
 * 1890 Grand County was created 13 March 1890 from parts of Emery and Uintah Counties.
 * 1894 Carbon County was created 8 March 1894 from parts of Emery and Uintah Counties.
 * 1933 – Due to the Depression, Civilian Conservation Corpcamps began to be constructed. First was in Joes Valley in Mary
 * 1935 – Permanent camp established near Ferron and the second camp was established at Castle Dale.
 * 1938 - Camp established at Green River.
 * 1970’s – Population expanded considerably due to construction of large coal-fired power plants in Castle Dale and Huntington.
 * 1900  Population of Emery County had reached 4,600 people, with over 450 farms in operation.

Local Histories

 * Emery County Historical Society. Emery County, 1880-1980. [Castle Dale, Utah]: Emery County Historical Society, 1981.


 * Geary, Edward A. A History of Emery County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah Historical Society, 1981. Also online at Marriott Library Digital Collections.


 * Geary, Edward A. "History Written on the Land in Emery County." Utah Historical Quarterly 66 (Summer 1998): 196-224.


 * History of Sanpete and Emery Counties Utah: With Sketches of Cities, Towns and Villages, Chronology of Important Events, Records of Indian Wars, Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Ogden, Utah: W.H. Lever, 1898. Digital version at Internet Archive.


 * Mauerman, Lawrence A. Early Exploration and Initial Settlement of Emery County, Utah. Salt Lake City: University of Utah, 1967.


 * McElprang, Stella, compiler.Castle Valley: A History of Emery County. [Utah]:Emery County Company of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1949.


 * Powell, Allen Kent, editor. Emery County: Reflections on Its Past and Future. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah State Historical Society, 1979.


 * Taniguchi, Nancy Jacobus. Castle Valley, America: Hard Land, Hard-won Home. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2004.


 * Truman, Kathleen. Castle Valley, Emery County, Utah: Our Towns, Our Desert, Our Mountains. [Castle Dale, Utah]: Emery County Archives, 2004.


 * Wiggins, Lou S. Jean. History of Emery County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 2000.

Land and Property
Land records (especially deeds) often give the name of a spouse, heir, other relatives, or other clues for further research. They often have other clues for further research, such as witnesses or the other parties who may be relatives or in-laws. See Utah Land and Property for more.


 * County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

Emery County Recorder 75 East Main, Room 104 Castle Dale, UT 84513 Phone: 435-381-2414 Fax: 435-381-2614

Maps

 * Emery County Map
 * Emery County: San Rafael Motorized Route Designation February 2003.
 * Emery County: 2002 Draft Monument Proposal.
 * Emery County: Voting Precincts.
 * Google highway map of Emery County 2009
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military
Emery County Recorder 75 East Main, Room 104 Castle Dale, UT 84513 Phone: 435-381-2414 Fax: 435-381-2614
 * To 1966 - at FamilySearch — index and images

The County Recorder has Military Discharge records from 1923-1952.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1914-1918 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1914-1918 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1917-1918 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1917-1918 - at FamilySearch — index

World War II

 * 1929-1954 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Utah Naturalization and Citizenship for more information. (*Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)


 * 1896–1942 - Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, a FamilySearch digital collection, contains naturalization records and index.
 * 1906-1930 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Emery County Progress 1900-1910 and Green River Journal 1955-1956, are included.
 * Existing copies of newspapers
 * Existing copies of newspapers


 * Olsen, Bruce L. A History of the Emery County Progress-Leader and Its Predecessors. Provo: Brigham Young University, 1965.
 * The Emery County Progress is a weekly newspaper published every Tuesday. The paper has been published since 1900. In 1963, the name of the newspaper was changed to the Emery County Progress Leader after merging with the Green River Leader. In 1977, the newspaper resumed the name Emery County Progress. The online edition of the paper is free to the general public. The Website's archives currently date back to the year 2001.
 * Back issues of the Emery County Progress and Emery County Progress-Leader are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. The library currently has volumes 1 (1900) thru 64 (1963) of the Emery County Progress available on 19 rolls of microfilm beginning with FHL film . Volumes 65 (1964) thru 78 (1977) of the Emery County Progress-Leader are available on 8 rolls of microfilm beginning with FHL film.

Obituaries

 * 1850 – 2005 at FamilySearch — index
 * Newspapers of
 * Local Funeral Homes, Societies, Libraries, or in family records.
 * Obituaries of neighboring counties
 * Newspapers of major cities: Deseret News and/or The Salt Lake Tribune both in Salt Lake City

Prison

 * 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
Probate cases include court actions regarding property and estates of individuals who have died. Records may locate relatives, provide death dates, and identify property.

Online Probate Records
 * 1800 – 1985 Utah Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1851 – 1961 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1888-1928 Probate Case Files No. 2-371 are included in the FS digital colleciton Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001.

Taxation
Emery County Assessor 75 East Main Castle Dale, UT 84513 Phone: 435-381-2474 Fax: 435-381-5529

Vital Records
Emery County Utah Vital Records Emery County Clerk 95 E Main Street Castle Dale, UT 84513 Phone: 435-381-2465

See also How to order Utah Vital Records or download an application for Utah Birth Certificate, Marriage or Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Applications to mail.

Birth before 1880

 *  was formed on 12 February 1880.

parent counties

Birth 1880 - 1897

 * [[Emery County, Utah#Churches and Religious Groups
 * See also other records that give birth information, such as Death records, Census, Cemeteries, Obituaries
 * See also [[Emery County, Utah#Neighboring_Counties
 * See also [[Emery County, Utah#Neighboring_Counties

Birth 1898 - present

 * 1898 - 1905 - Online index to births 1898–1905 Series 84038
 * 1898 - 1905 - Series #84038 at Utah state archives. Not online. There are no names of children in the records.
 * Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
 * FamilySearch Library copy:.


 * 1903 - 1914 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1906 - 1910 - 1906-1910 online images


 * Southeastern Utah District Public Health Department (Emery County) 25 W Main Street, P.O Box 635, Castledale, UT 84513, (435)381-2252.

Marriage
The County Clerk has marriage records from 1805 to the present.

Emery County Marriage Licenses, 1888 - Current are available online at Emery County Online Services. The database is fully searchable and contains digital images of the actual marriage license. A marriage license may contain information such as the name of the bride and groom, their ages, residence, date and place of marriage, and names of parent or guardian, witnesses, and marriage officiator.


 * 1805-1992 - Utah, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1887-1940 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1887-1926 - Western States Marriage Index. Includes Emery County 1887-1926.

Divorce
Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Utah Vital Records for excellent information.

Death

 * 1904 - 1964 - at FamilySearch — index and images. Utah requires a death certificate before a burial is completed. A death certificate may contain information as to the name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death, as well as the age, birthdate, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.

Websites

 * Emery County, UT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Utah Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

Archives, Libraries, etc.
Resources for are available in repositories (such as libraries and archives) at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.

Check websites and catalogs of archives and libraries for items for this county. Examples: items in.

See Archives·Courthouse·FamilySearch Centers·Libraries·Museums·Societies sections.

Archives

 * Emery County Archives, 75 East Main Street, Castle Dale, Utah 84513. Phone: 435-381-2671; E-mail: Archives@co.Emery.ut.us


 * Green River Archives, 1765 East Main Street, Green River, Utah 84525. Phone: 435-564-3427 ext. 2; Fax: 435-564-3526

Courthouse
County seat: Castle Dale

FamilySearch Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers


 * Castle Dale Utah Family History Center
 * Ferron Utah Family History Center
 * Green River Utah Family History Center
 * Huntington Utah Family History Center

Libraries
Local public libraries usually have histories, genealogies, indexes of cemeteries, copies of local newspapers, or other records for the area they serve. Many libraries in Utah have an area dedicated to local collections and manuscripts.

See also Utah Public Library Directory.
 * Emery County Library 115 North 100 East Castle Dale, Utah 84513-9999 Phone: 435-381-2554, Fax: 435-381-2699.
 * Collections:
 * Utah State University Eastern Library & Learning Commons 451 East 400 North Price, UT 84501
 * The library holds microfilm copies of newspapers from several towns in Carbon and Emery Counties. They are willing to help with research if the exact date of an event is known.

Museums

 * Pioneer History Museum, 65 East 100 North, Castle Dale, Utah 84513. Phone: 435-381-5154


 * John Wesley Powell River History Museum, 1765 East Main Street, Green River, Utah 84525. Phone: 435-564-3427


 * Museum of the San Rafael, 70 North 100 East, Castle Dale, Utah 84513. Phone: 435-381-5252; Email: museum@co.emery.ut.us

Societies
See also a List of Utah Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Emery County Historical Society P.O. Box 96 Castle Dale, Utah 84513 Phone: 435-381-2510 Fax: 435-381-2614

Towns and Communities

 * Cities: Castle Dale | Ferron | Green River | Huntington | Orangeville


 * Towns: Clawson | Cleveland | Elmo | Emery | Lawrence | Molen | Moore


 * Ghost Towns: Connellsville | Desert Lake | Mohrland | Victor | Wilsonville | Woodside