Utah, Cache County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of images of deeds and soldier discharges acquired from the Cache County courthouse in Logan.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Information about creaating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the Wiki article: Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

Record Content


Deed records usually contain the following:


 * Names of interested parties
 * Event or recording date
 * Event place
 * Names of witnesses

Depending on the record, it may also contain


 * Legal description of the piece of land
 * Amount of money exchanged
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Residence
 * Names of family members and their relationships
 * Name of the executor, administrator, or guardian

How to Use the Record
To begin your search you will need to know the name of your ancestor and the approximate date and place of the event.

Search the Collection
To search the collection select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "Record Category" ⇒Select the "Record Type, Volume, and Year Range" which takes you to the images.

It is helpful to search the indexes first. They are found with the Volume and Year options after the deeds. Search for the family name (surname) and then the given name. Indexes enable you to access land records quickly by searching for the names of owners. Realize that some entries in earlier years may have been missed. Indexes may also contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings or misinterpretations.

Make a list of the volumes and page numbers for each deed you wish to check. Then search the noted volume and page number. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Make a photocopy of the deed, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and census records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military service records.
 * Search for the land transactions of a couple and their children. The parents may have sold or given property to a son or daughter. Such transactions confirm relationships that might not be found in other records.
 * Search for records of people in the county who shared a surname. These may have been the couple’s parents, uncles, or other relatives. Your ancestor may have been an heir who sold inherited land that had belonged to parents or grandparents.
 * To find later generations, search the land records a few years before and after a person’s death. Your ancestor may have sold or given land to his or her heirs before death, or the heirs may have sold the land after the individual died. For daughters, the names of their husbands are often provided. For sons, the given names of their wives may be included. Heirs may have sold their interest in the land to another heir even though the record may not indicate this. Continue this process for identifying each succeeding generation.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Some counties were subdivided or the boundaries may have changed. Consider searching neighboring counties as well since that courthouse may have been more convenient for the person.
 * One deed does not usually give sufficient information about a couple and their children. A careful study of all deeds for the person or the family will yield a richer return of information.
 * For each parcel of land owned, you should obtain two documents: 1) the deed that documents when ownership transferred to the individual or the family and 2) the deed that documents when ownership was transferred to someone else.
 * Witnesses and neighbors, even those with a different surname, may have been relatives, in-laws, or even a widowed mother who has remarried. You may want to check the records of these witnesses and neighbors, especially if they are frequently found in your ancestor’s land records.
 * The information in the records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1900.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes for the “parent” county to find the original purchase of a parcel of land. You may also need to search a neighboring county since that courthouse may have been more convenient for the person to record the deed.
 * Check the land records of the people mentioned in your ancestor’s deeds to see if a different residence was ever mentioned for them.
 * Make a list of all residences mentioned in the records within a year or two of when your ancestors came to the county—regardless of surname. Then search the records of places that seem likely or that occur frequently.
 * Create a database for other people with the same surname who lived in the county. Doing this may help you identify which individuals were related. If your ancestor’s records do not contain the information you need, a county database might give you a more complete picture.
 * Search other areas of the index. For example, if the land was sold for taxes, the entry may be in the grantor index under “S” for “sheriff,” under “T” for “tax collector” or “treasurer,” under the names of those officials, or even under the county name. County histories or other records may give the names of these county officials.

Related Websites
Cache County, Utah Free Public Records Directory

Related Wiki Articles
Cache County, Utah

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also 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.

Citation Example for a Record Found in a This Collection
"Utah, Cache County Records, 1861-1947." digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 25 April 2012), Land and property records > Grantor index vol 4 1869-1940 > image 508 of 723; entry for Richard and Rachel E Smith, January 10, 1898, Cache County Clerk, Logan, Utah.Cache County Court and Public Offices.