Utah County, Utah Genealogy

United States Utah Utah County

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by:

Biography

 * public libraries.

Business Records and Commerce

 * public libraries.

Cemeteries

 * public libraries.


 * Please refer to the Towns and Communities for the information about the cemeteries in these places.
 * See Utah Burials Search at Utah State History
 * See USGenWeb Utah County Archives for the following cemeteries - American Fork Cemetery, Lindon Cemetery, Mill Fork Cemetery, Pleasant Grove City Cemetery, Santaquin City Cemetery, Woodmen of the World Burials.


 * Payson City Cemetery in Payson UT on Find a Grave.
 * Santaquin City Cemetery in Santaquin UT. Downloadable map and burial locations.
 * Santaquin City Cemetery in Santaquin UT on Find a Grave
 * Spanish Fork Cemetery in Spanish Fork UT. Searchable database on city website.

Census

 * The 1850 [1851], 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. federal population schedules of Utah County are available online, at Family Search Historical Records.


 * For tips on accessing census records online, see Utah Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in national indexes, try checking local indexes. Created by experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide indexes.


 * See Utah Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.


 * 1856


 * 1) "Utah Census Returns" Historical Department of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 * 2) Index (Index Publishing)
 * 3) Index (AIS)
 * 4) Family Search


 * GenWeb site containes an Index of the Utah 1850 Census. On the Index page you have five different censes pages to view.

Census Designation Places
Benjamin | Elberta | Lake Shore | Palmyra | Spring Lake | West Mountain

Church Records

 * public libraries.

Early, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Church records for Utah County Wards and Branches can be found on film and are located at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City or at the Family History at BYU. The film numbers, for each ward, can be locate through the Family History Library Catalog. Or by refering to Jaussi, Laureen R., and Gloria D. Chaston. Register of Genealogical Society Call Numbers. 2 vols. Provo, Utah: Genealogy Tree, 1982. (FHL book 979.2258 A3j; fiche 6031507). These volumes contain the film numbers for many (but not all) membership and temple record films.

Court Records

 * public libraries.
 * Utah County Justice Court deals with class B and C misdemeanors, violations of ordinances, small claims, and infractions committed within County jurisdiction. The Justice Court shares jurisdiction with the Juvenile Court over minors 16 or 17 years old, who are charged with certain traffic offenses. See the Juvenile Court below for other types of juvenile cases.


 * Utah County Justice Court 151 South University Avenue Suite 3300 Provo, Utah 84601 Phone: 801-851-7200 Fax: 801-851-7201


 * Juvenile Court handles juvenile cases concerning automobile homicide, alcohol or drug related traffic offenses, reckless driving, fleeing an officer, and driving on a suspended license are excepted. Juvenile Court shares jurisdiction with the Justice Court over minors 16 or 17 years old, who are charged with certain traffic offenses besides those listed above.


 * 4th District Juvenile Court - Provo Office 2021 South State St Provo, UT 84606 Phone: (801) 354-7200 Fax: (801) 373-6579


 * District Court

Directories

 * 1867 - Owens, George. Salt Lake City Directory: Including a Business Directory of Provo, Springville, and Ogden, Utah Territory. Salt Lake City: G. Owens, 1867. Digital version at Internet Archive.


 * 1879-1880 - Culmer, H.L.A. et al. Utah Directory and Gazetteer for 1879-80: Containing the Name and Occupation of Every Resident in the Towns and Cities of Salt Lake, Utah, Weber and Davis Counties: and a Very Complete List of the Merchants, Manufacturers, Professional Men and Officials: Together with Full Gazetteer Information. Salt Lake City, Utah: Printed for H.L.A. Culmer &amp; Co. by J.C. Graham &amp; Co., 1879. Digital version at Internet Archive.


 * public libraries.

Genealogy

 * public libraries.

History

 * public libraries.

Wikipedia

A Brief History of Utah County, on the Utah's Pioneer Library web site. The county seat and largest city is Provo.

Interesting Facts

Lehi is named after Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon.

Orem was known as Sharon, a Biblical name for a mostly level strip of land running between mountains and the sea; Another former name was Provo Bench.

History Timeline
NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the below events were gleaned from Wikipedia for Utah county.


 * 1849. Provo was originally called Fort Utahwhen settled, but was renamed Provo in 1850 for Étienne Provost, an early French-Canadian trapper who arrived in the region in 1825.
 * 1850. American Fork was settled by Mormon pioneers, and incorporated as Lake City in 1852.
 * 1850. Mormon pioneers settled the area now known as Lehi, at a place called Dry Creek, near the head of Utah Lake. It was renamed Evansville in 1851, after David Evans, a local bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Other historical names include Sulphur Springs and Snow’s Springs.
 * 1850. Mapleton was first settled, and for a time was known as Union Bench.
 * 1850. Payson first settled. Originally named Peteetneet, after a Ute Indian chief who lived near Payson's current location.
 * 1850. The original name of Pleasant Grove was Battle Creek. It was named for a battle which took place there in 1849 between Mormon settlers and a small band of Ute Indians.
 * 1850. Springville was originally settled. The city was first called Hobble Creek by early pioneers. Later, as the town grew, the name was changed to Springville because of the many freshwater springs in the area.
 * 1851. The first ward of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsin American Fork was organized with Leonard E. Harrington as bishop.
 * 1852. March 3- Utah County was created from the Utah Territory.
 * 1852. Lehi grew so rapidly that, Bishop Evans petitioned the Utah Territorial Legislature to incorporate the settlement. Lehi City was incorporated by legislative act on February 5, 1852 and approved a request to call the new city Lehi.
 * 1853. Daniel H. Wells, the head of the Nauvoo Legion(Utah Territorial Militia at the time), instructed settlers in American Fork to move into specific forts. At a meeting on July 23, 1853 at the schoolhouse in American Fork, Lorenzo Snowand Parley P. Prattconvinced the settlers to follow Wells' directions and all move together into a central fort.
 * 1855. The town of Fairfield was established when John Carson, his four brothers, and others settled in the Cedar Valley. The settlement was soon known as Frogtown.
 * 1855 to 1860.  Between 1855 and 1860, the arrival of pioneers from Iceland made Spanish Fork into the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States.
 * 1860. Settlers changed the name of Lake City to American Fork.
 * 1861. Frogtown became Fairfield; named after Amos Fielding, who participated in establishing the community.
 * 1861. Lindon was settled. It was originally named "String Town" because of the way the houses were strung up and down the street. An old linden tree (Tilia) growing in town in 1901 inspired the present (misspelled) name.
 * 1870. American Fork served as a rail access point for mining activities in American Fork Canyon.


 * 1870. Highland was settled by homesteaders,so named by Scottish Mormon immigrants who felt the area resembled the highlands of Scotland.

Named for the Ute Indians, Spanish word Yuta.

Local Histories
The City of Orem was named after W.C. Orem, builder of the railroad which ran through the town. Payson was named after an early settler, James Pace. The community was previously known as Fort Peteetneet after a Ute Indian chief. Of course, the County and the State are named after the Ute (or Utah) Indians. Springville was once known as Hobble Creek because a member of a Mormon exploring party lost his horse's hobbles in or near the creek. Pleasant Grove, named after a cottonwood grove near the original town site, was once known as Battle Creek since it was the site of the first conflict between Indians and settlers. Elberta was named for its Elberta peach orchards and Salem was named after New Salem, Massachusetts, but was first called Pond Town after the large pond that today is known as Salem Pond. The first library in Provo was opened in 1854 and there has been an official U.S. Post Office in the city since at least 1894. Provo General Hospital opened in 1903 and gave way to Utah Valley Hospital in 1939. The Utah State (Mental) Hospital dates back to 1880 but was formerly known by less politically correct names. Electric service first came to the valley in 1890. The Provo area is known worldwide as the home of Brigham Young University. Brigham Young issued a deed of trust to establish Brigham Young Academy on October 16,1875. The fledgling institution went through some rough years and nearly folded on occasion before officially becoming Brigham Young University on October 23, 1903. From humble beginnings with sometimes only a handful of students, it is now a major university with some 30,000 students. 1900 to the Present Day The County population grew slowly and steadily through the years of World War I, the Great Depression and World War II. The official census counted 23,768 citizens in 1890 and that number grew to only 49,021 in 1940. Today, the county has 516,564* residents. For many years, Geneva Steel was one of the few major employers outside of agriculture, government and schools. Geneva was built during World War II to provide steel for the war effort. But starting in the 1980s and throughout the 1990s, the valley became one of the entrepreneurial hot spots of the nation and, in particular, has become a Mecca for high-tech, computer-related companies.

Land and Property

 * public libraries.
 * Utah County Online has Web Access to Utah County Land Records. This includes property searches by name, address, etc., map searches, document searches and document images.
 * Most of the land in Utah was originally obtained from the US federal government by a patent. These General Land Office Records are available and searchable free of charge. The minimum information needed for a search is the state where the land is located and the name of the person receiving the patent. Surveys and Land Status Records can also be searched here.

Maps

 * public libraries.


 * County Maps from Utah County Online, both static (PDF) and interactive

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for emigrant settlers included:


 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah
 * Mormon Trail to Southern California 1847 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles, California
 * Central Overland Trail 1859-1869 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Carson City, Nevada (and usually on to northern California)
 * Union Pacific Railroad 1869 Ogden, Utah to Omaha, Nebraska
 * Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad 1883 Salt Lake City, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado (and Denver)

Military

 * public libraries.
 * public libraries.
 * Utah Military and Defence for Utah County from Dex Knows

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * public libraries.

Native Races

 * public libraries.

Newspapers

 * Provo Daily Enquirer, covering 1881 - 1897 is included.
 * Existing copies of newspapers
 * Utah County, Utah newspapers
 * Utah County Newspapers This is the FamilySearch Wiki page for "overflow" information on the newspapers of Utah County, including history and links to modern newspapers.
 * Utah County Newspapers This is the FamilySearch Wiki page for "overflow" information on the newspapers of Utah County, including history and links to modern newspapers.

Obituaries

 * 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


 * The Utah Valley Obituary Index has indexed obituaries from most Utah County newspapers. Each can be found at the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU.
 * On the GenWeb site you will find Deaths/Obits of Yergensen, Pearl, Nuttall V, and the Information from the Daily Hearald Obits from October 2004 - Feb 2004 (selected months).

Schools

 * public libraries.

Probate Records

 * public libraries.

www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Utah_County_Probate_Records_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records)

Courthouses
www.co.utah.ut.us/ Utah County, Utah Courthouse 100 E. Center Street Provo, Utah 84606 801-851-8000

Clerk/Auditor: Room 3600 Phone 801-851-8109 Fax 801-851-8232 and 801-851-7201

County seat: Provo

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Alpine Utah North Family History Center
 * Alpine Utah West Family History Center
 * American Fork Utah Family History Center
 * BYU Family History Library (Harold B. Lee Library, Provo)
 * BYU 8th Family History Center
 * BYU 11th Family History Center
 * BYU 17th Family History Center
 * BYU 18th Family History Center
 * Brigham Young University Utah Family History Center - Public Library
 * Eagle Mountain Utah Family History Center
 * Elberta Utah Family History Center
 * Genola Utah Family History Center
 * Goshen Utah Family History Center
 * Highland Utah Family History Center
 * Lindon Utah Family History Center
 * Mapleton Utah Family History Center
 * Mount Timpanogos Utah Family History Center
 * Orem FamilySearch Center
 * Orem Utah Geneva Heights Family History Center
 * Orem Utah Lakeridge Family History Center
 * Suncrest Family History Center
 * Orem Utah Sharon Park Family History Center
 * Orem Utah Sunset Heights Family History Center
 * Orem Utah YSA 2nd Family History Center
 * Payson Utah Family History Center
 * Pleasant Grove Utah East Family History Center
 * Pleasant Grove Utah Grove Creek Family History Center
 * Salem Utah Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Bonneville Family History Center
 * Utah South Area FHC Family History Training Center (Orem)
 * Utah South Hispanic Family History Center (Provo)
 * Springville Utah YSA Family History Center
 * Spanish Fork UT Landmark Seminary--Release Time
 * Spanish Fork Utah Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Cove Point Family History Center
 * Provo Utah East Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Edgemont North Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Grandview East Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Married Student Family History Center
 * Provo Utah North Park Family History Center
 * Provo Utah South Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Sunset Family History Center
 * Provo Utah University Married Student 2nd Family History Center
 * Provo Utah University Married Student 3rd Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Wasatch (Tongan) Family History Center
 * Santaquin Utah Family History Center

Libraries

 * }}public libraries.

Societies

 * public libraries.

Taxation

 * public libraries.
 * Utah County Tax Rates - 1999 to 2011

Vital Records:

 * public libraries.

Marriage

 * Marriages for Utah from 20 Feb 1851 to 25 Aug 1941 are listed on the Western States Marriage Index. Data is incomplete as there are no civil government recorded marriages in Utah County prior to 1887. Some early divorce records were also indexed and included.
 * 1887–1966 — Utah County. (Utah). County Clerk. Marriage Records of Utah County, 1887–1966 . These are also indexed in the Early Church Information File for marriages up to 1914.

Wiki articles describing a collection is found at: Utah, County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Death
Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956 -A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed as the Historical Records. 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.

Utah State Burial Index You can search this data base for deaths before 1904.

Communities
Birdseye | Dividend | Cedar Fort | Fairfield | Genola | Goshen | Vineyard | Woodland Hills

Ghost towns
Colton | Forest City | Mill Fork | Mosida | Thistle | Tucker

Cities
{| class="FCK__ShowTableBorders" width="80%"
 * valign="top" |
 * Alpine
 * American Fork
 * Cedar Hills
 * Draper
 * Eagle Mountain
 * Eagle Mountain


 * valign="top" |
 * Elk Ridge
 * Highland
 * Lehi
 * Lindon
 * Mapleton


 * valign="top" |
 * Orem
 * Payson
 * Pleasant Grove
 * Provo
 * Salem


 * valign="top" |
 * Santaquin
 * Saratoga Springs
 * Spanish Fork
 * Springville


 * }