Utah, Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
These records include an index and images of the of the portraits and biographical sketches from Frank Esshom's Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah: Comprising Photographs, Genealogies, Biographies (Salt Lake City: Utah Pioneer Books, 1913). The collection covers the years 1847 to 1868.


 * The collection contains the following indexes and lists. Be aware that the pages numbers in the indexes apply to the printed volumes. They do not necessarily correspond to the page numbers in this collection:
 * Index to Portraits (pages 14-41)
 * General Index to Important events (page 42)
 * List of members of the Mormon Battalion (pages 43-45)
 * List of the pioneer company leaders who entered the Salt Lake Valley on 24 July 1847 (page 46)

Record Content
These records may contain the following information:


 * Pictures
 * Names
 * Parents' names
 * Birth places
 * Various biographical details
 * Information on military service
 * Various community leadership activities

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


 * Name of your ancestor
 * Identifying information such as parents' names or birth place

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection image by image. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Surname Letter" ⇒Select the appropriate "Surname" ⇒Select the appropriate "Name" which takes you to the images

Look at the images one by one. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * 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 video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

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.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Make a list of all the individuals with your surname. You may be able to sort many of them into individual families.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been included in the collection.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals with the same family number.

Related Websites

 * Utah State Historical Society
 * Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah

Related Wiki Articles
Utah

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Utah, Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, 1847-1868

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.