Utah Vital Records

State, county, and city governments have created records of births, marriages, and deaths. Records containing this information are commonly called "vital records," because they refer to critical events in a person's life.

This section describes the vital records kept by the civil government and where they are found. The Family History Library has many of the records listed here and many other records. The "Church Records" section of this outline describes other sources of vital information. Also, refer to Tracing LDS Families Research Outline for records pertaining to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Territorial Records
The library has some territorial vital records on compact disc for the 1800s to 1906. This index contains birth, marriage, guardianship, naturalization, divorce records and wills. The territory includes Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and Indian territory. Sources include Deseret News notices of vital records, marriages performed by justices of the peace, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints records, and Methodist marriages.

Territorial Vital Records: Births, Divorces, Guardianship, Marriages Naturalization, Wills. St. George, Utah: Genealogical CD Publishing, 1994. (FHL compact disc no. 15.)

State Records of Births and Deaths
State registration of births and deaths began in 1905 and was generally complied with by 1917. From 1977 to the present, the births and deaths are indexed by computer and may be found at the county vital records offices. For information about state birth and death records, write to:

Bureau of Vital Records Utah State Department of Health 288 North 1460 West Street Salt Lake City, UT 84114 Telephone: 801-538-6105 Internet: http://health.utah.gov/vitalrecords/

For genealogical purposes request a complete, "full copy" of the records.

The Utah State Archives at http://www.archives.state.ut.us/main/ now has digital copies of death records online for the years 1905 thru 1954. You can search the index and access the digital images at:

http://historyresearch.utah.gov/indexes/index.html. The death certificates are also on 145 films and cover the years from 1904 to 1947. You may call, write, visit, or e-mail the archives for information. The address is listed in the "Archives and Libraries" section of this outline. Their Internet site provides more details

Individuals who were born before 1905, or who did not have a birth certificate may have applied for a delayed birth certificate. The Bureau of Vital Records has issued delayed birth certificates since 1941.

At this time the Family History Library does not have copies of the state records of births and deaths.

County Records of Births and Deaths
Although a few counties kept earlier records, most counties began keeping ledger entries of births and deaths in 1898. County records to 1905 are kept in the county clerk's office. Since 1905 county birth and death records have been sent to the Bureau of Vital Records. Some of the local county health departments have retained copies of these records.

The Utah Genealogical Association at http://www.infouga.org/site/ has completed an index to the early death records. They have indexed 1898-1905 county death records for all counties except Salt Lake County. The index includes name, sex, age, death date, county page number, and entry or registration number.

Utah Genealogical Association. Professional Genealogists Chapter. Utah Death Index, 1898–1905, Excluding Salt Lake County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Society, 1995. (FHL 979.2 V42u.)

For Salt Lake County, Utah, the library at http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/ has birth and death records. These registers usually are indexed. They are:

Salt Lake County (Utah), County Clerk. Birth Records, 1898–1905. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1966. (FHL films 431230 and 929287.) This is for Salt Lake County. However, there is some overlap with the Salt Lake City records. You will find names of parents and child (if known) and the child's date of birth.

Salt Lake County (Utah). County Clerk. Register of Deaths, Salt Lake County, Book A, 1897–1905. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977. (FHL film 485535.) These records are for the county only and do not have Salt Lake City death records. They are indexed. The record gives name, birth and death information, address or city of residence, and sometimes burial information.

The Family History Library has copies of most of the county birth and death records from 1898 to 1905 and more recent records for some counties.

City Records of Births and Deaths
Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Logan have also kept records of births and deaths. The information below lists the years, the current addresses for obtaining city records and the records available through the library. Pre-1905 records are often incomplete.

Salt Lake City

Birth Records (1890-present) Death Records (1847-present)

Salt Lake City County Health Department 200 East 610 South Street Salt Lake City, UT 84111-99 Telephone: 801-534-4657 Internet: http://www.slvhealth.org/

The Family History Library has copies of Salt Lake City birth records and indexes from 1890 to 1950 and 1953. They can only be searched at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City (Utah). Office of Vital Statistics. Birth Records, 1890–1950, 1953. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1950. (On 76 FHL films beginning with 26477.) You will find parents' names, child's date of birth, and the child's name if known. Some later records show age of parents, number of children, address, and the doctor who attended the birth.

There are also death records and indexes for Salt Lake City:

Salt Lake City (Utah). Office of Vital Statistics. Death Records of Salt Lake City, Utah, 1848–Sept 1950. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1950. (FHL films 26553–83.) These records provide name, birth and death information, address or city, and sometimes burial information.

Ogden

Birth and Death Records (1890-present)

Weber County Health Department 2570 Grant Avenue Ogden, UT 84401 Telephone: 801-399-8386 Internet: http://www1.co.weber.ut.us/ordinances/show_content.php?title=14

The Family History Library does not have Ogden City vital records.

Logan

Birth and Death Records (1860s-1976). (The records before 1905 are incomplete.)

Bear River District Health Department 655 East 1300 North Street Logan, UT 84341 Telephone: 801-752-3730 Internet: http://www.drinkingwater.utah.gov/documents/general/lhd_phone_list.pdf

The Family History Library does not have Logan City vital records.

Midwives' records
The Family History Library has midwives' records for some cities and towns. Such as:

Talbot, Henry James. Record of Births Kept by H. J. Talbot of the Children Delivered by His Wife, Livinia Ann Wall Talbot. N.p., [18–1?] (FHL book 979 V2t; film 962649 item 4.) This covers the years 1878 to 1893 and includes the area from Hyde Park near Logan, Utah to Oxford, a small community northwest of Preston, Idaho. This book has been indexed in the Early Church Information File.

County Marriage Records
Records before 1887. Civil registration of marriages was not required in Utah until 1887; however, some records of marriages before 1887 are in the justice of the peace or probate court records. These early marriage records were usually interfiled with other court matters. For a description of records of marriage in Utah before 1887, see an explanation of sources in the Western States Marriage Index under "Pre-1887 Sources for Utah Counties."

Most of these court records are currently at either the county clerk's office or the Utah State Archives. Some are also in the personal journals of individual judges. The Family History Library has pre-1887 court records for a number of Utah counties.

Records after 1887. In 1887, the Edmunds-Tucker Act required that marriage records be kept in the office of the probate court. Beginning in the late 1890s they were kept by the county clerks. County marriage records from 1887 to the present are currently found in either the county clerk's office or the Utah State Archives. The Family History Library has film copies of these records to about 1960 for most counties.

The following records are a sampling of the records available at the library. The counties listed are among the most populated. Most marriage records show names of bride and groom, residences, and ages. Names of witnesses can help identify relatives or neighbors. Later records may include birth information and parents' names.

Salt Lake County (Utah). County Clerk. Marriage Records, 1887–1965. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1965–1966. FHL films 429035–312.) The first 18 films index the licenses and certificates. These records have been indexed in the Early Church Information File up to 1914.

There is an additional index from 1887 to 1987 available on fiche:

Salt Lake County (Utah). County Clerk. Alphabetic Marriage Listing 1887–1987. Salt Lake City, Utah: Management Information Systems, 1987. (FHL fiche 6052848–49.) There are 24 fiche for each number. The first set of fiche is an index to the grooms and the second is an index to the brides. These will lead you to the above record.

Cache County (Utah). County Clerk. Marriage Records, 1887–1966. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1966. (FHL films 430301–36.) Marriages up to 1914 are indexed in the Early Church Information File.

Utah County. (Utah). County Clerk. Marriage Records of Utah County, 1887–1966. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959. (On 45 FHL films beginning with 482939.) These are also indexed in the Early Church Information File for marriages up to 1914.

Weber County. (Utah). County Clerk. Applications for Licenses to Marry, and Original Marriage Certificates, 1888–1947. Ogden, Utah: Weber County Microfilming Dept., 1970–1971. (FHL films 1670859–85.) The applications are arranged by certificate numbers, then chronologically. For example, application number 1s from 1888, 1892, 1897, 1919, and 1935 would be filed together. The years on the films overlap and are mixed. No index is available to certificate numbers. The marriages index cards have been placed in the Early Church Information File. However, the cards give book and page numbers. You may have to search numerous films or order the certificate from the county.

Weber County Clerk 2549 Washington Blvd. Ogden, UT 84401 Telephone: 801-399-8019 Fax: 801-629-8011 Internet: http://www1.co.weber.ut.us/Clerk_Auditor/

Justices of the peace have continued to perform marriages from 1887 to the present. Most justices have given their marriage records to the county clerk, although a few pre-statehood marriages may be listed only in the justices' records. The best way to locate an available collection of justice of the peace records is to contact the county clerk or the Utah State Archives. The Family History Library has a few of these records.

Marriage Indexes to County Records
For Salt Lake, Utah, and Davis counties, a computer index is available. It is at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Marriage License Information System. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ja-Ne't Global-Data Search, 1993. (FHL compact disc no. 8.) This index covers the years 1800s through 1992. These can be searched by groom's name, bride's name, or date of marriage. The index provides the marriage license number and the county.

The following is a marriage index compiled from civil records by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and organized by the Genealogical Society:

Miscellaneous Marriage Index. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972. (FHL films 820155–73.) This source is an incomplete index for Utah counties for the 1860 to 1940 period. The index cards list marriage information for individuals from ten counties: Box Elder, Millard, Morgan, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Utah, Wayne, and Weber. A few counties from Idaho and Wyoming are also included. The original cards have been interfiled with the Early Church Information File.

Vital Records Kept by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Birth and death information for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the 1840s to the present is often available in membership records or annual reports. The Family History Library has records to 1948.

Many early marriages were performed in the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before the government recorded marriages, marriages or sealings were only recorded in temple records. Other marriages may have been recorded in Church records or journals of the bishops.

For vital records of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints see the Tracing LDS Families Research Outline.

Guide to Vital Records
You can learn more about the history and availability of Utah vital records through the Internet for Bureau of Vital Record at http://www.slvhealth.org/fh/html/vital.html and Utah State Archives at http://www.archives.state.ut.us/main/ Internet sites. The following book also provides information. The Utah State Board of Health sponsored the survey in 1941.

Guide to Public Vital Statistics of Utah. Salt Lake City, Utah: Historical Records Survey, 1941. (FHL book 979.2 A3v; fiche 6046623.) The book has four sections: birth, death, marriage, and divorce. It has samples of the documents being used and a copy of the instructions to the clerks and doctors on how to fill in the forms.

Other birth, marriage, death, and midwife records are available at the Family History Library. These can be found using the Family History Library Catalog Place Search under:

UTAH - VITAL RECORDS UTAH, [COUNTY] - VITAL RECORDS UTAH, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - VITAL RECORDS.

Web Sites
http://www.slvhealth.org/fh/html/vital.html