Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy

United States Utah  Wasatch County 

Guide to Wasatch County, Utah genealogy. Birth records, marriage and death records, cemeteries, census, church records, probate records, and obituaries—resources to find parents and family history since 1862, when the county was formed.

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death
 * Church

County Courthouse
Wasatch County Administration Building 25 North Main Street Heber City, Ut 84032 Phone: 435-654-3211

County Clerk has birth and death records 1898-1905, marriage records from 1879, divorce and court records from 1898, probate Records from 1897, and land records from 1862.

Parent Counties
was created January 17, 1862 from: Davis | Green River (old)

Boundary Changes

 * Boundary changes timeline for from "UT: Index of Counties," Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Duchesne | Salt Lake | Summit | Utah

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.

Cemeteries

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

Wasatch county cemeteries at the Utah State Historial site

USGenWeb Archives contains names of individuals buried in the Heber City Cemetery.


 * Midway City Cemetery, Midway BillionGraves
 * a collection digitized by FamilySearch (free), includes 1918-1991 Charleston Interment/Disinterment Registers and also the Charleston Sexton records.

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

 * 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 (the Mormons)
(Section In process. Want to help?) Stake(s): Wasatch Stake, Utah

Places: Charleston· Daniel· Heber · Midway · Wallsburg

List of Wasatch County stakes and wards to about 1948


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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

Funeral Homes
Olpin-Hoopes Funeral Home 288 North Main St. Heber City, Utah 84032 Phone: 435-654-1161

Genealogy
UTGenWeb has an index to pedigrees found in "Bookcase A."

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.

History
Named for a Ute Indian word, meaning mountain pass or low place in the high mountains. The county seat is Heber City. It is largest city in the county.


 * Embry, Jessie L. A history of Wasatch County, Utah Centennial County History Series

History Timeline

 * Boundary changes timeline for from "UT: Index of Counties," Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

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


 * 1850's. Heber City was founded by English emigrants who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the late 1850s, and is named after the Mormon apostle Heber C. Kimball.
 * 1858. A wagon road was completed through Provo Canyon, which brought the first settlers to the area. Two small communities were established: Mound City and a lower settlement sometimes referred to as Smiths Grove. Smiths Grove was first settled by the Robey, Epperson, Bronson, McCarroll, and Smith families. Indian hostilities grew, and territorial governor, Brigham Young, encouraged settlers to build forts for protection. The two settlements built a fort, "midway" between the two communities.
 * 1859. The first house was built by William Manning late in the year. Manning and George Noakes were the only residents until 1863. Heber City was first settled in 1859 by Robert Broadhead, James Davis and James Gurr. John W. Witt built the first house in the area. The area was under the direction of Bishop Silas Smith who was in Provo.
 * 1860. Joseph S. Murdockbecame the bishop over the Latter-day Saints in Heber City and vicinity.
 * 1860's/1870's. A large number of Swiss immigrants arrived, including the Gertsch,Boss, Huber, Kohler, Probst, Zenger, Durtschi, Krebs, Murri, and Abegglen families. Descendants of some of these families still live in Midway. The finding of silver, gold and lead sparked the first silver mines in Park City.
 * 1861. John H. Van Wagoner constructed the first commercial gristmill. Bonner Mercantile Store was the first retail store.
 * 1862. Wasatch County was created 17 January 1862 from Davis and Green River Counties (old). There is no longer a Green River County. County seat: Heber City
 * 1862. Wallsburg was established.
 * 1877. The Charlston Ward was formed in July, with Nymphus C. Murdock as bishop.
 * 1898. Once the site of the largest silver-mining camp in the country, Park City was virtually destroyed by fire.
 * 1900's. The basin at the top of the canyon in Park City was good for grazing, and a few families settled there. Early on, the area was deeded to Samuel Snyder, Heber C. Kimball and Jedediah Grant. The settlers named it "Parley's Park City", which was shortened to "Park City" in the early 1900s.
 * 1902. Tragedy struck when 34 miners were killed in an explosion in the Day West Mine in Park City.
 * 1947. Midway Swiss Daysbrings thousands of people to the town. The event was started through the efforts of Luke's Hot Pots Resort owners, Joseph B. and Pauline S. Erwin and was originally called Harvest Days.
 * 1950's. While silver was thriving in Utah, other mines across the world were depleted, drawing many of these miners to Park City. The town flourished with crowds of miners and wealth. However, the city nearly became a ghost town by the end of the 1950s because of a drop in the price of silver, and the determent of World War I and the Great Depression.

Historical Facts
Wasatch county was named for a Ute Indian word meaning mountain pass or low place in the high mountains

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.

Maps
Google highway map of Wasatch County 2012

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.)


 * Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, a FamilySearch digital collection, contains certificates of naturalization, 1878-1896 and 1896-1933; declaration of intentions 1874-1896 and a1904-1906; petition and record 1907-1942.


 * a collection digitized by FamilySearch (free), includes 1896-1935 naturalization records.
 * Wasatch County, Utah Naturalization Record Books, 1896-1906 Ancestry.com ($) Cites as its data source: Utah State Archives and Records Service. Series 84056.
 * Wasatch County, Utah Citizenship Certificate Stubs, 1907-1924Ancestry.com ($) Cites as its data source: Utah State Archives and Records Service. Series 85182.

Newspapers

 * Wasatch Wave, covering 1889 - 1922 is included.
 * Existing copies of newspapers
 * Existing copies of newspapers

Obituaries

 * Pre-1960 - Wasatch County Pre-1960 Obituary Index at UTGenWeb - free.
 * 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

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. See Utah Probate Records for more information.


 * Utah, Probate Records, 1851-1961 at FamilySearch Historical Collections (free)

Birth before 1862

 *  was formed on 17 January 1862.

parent counties

Birth 1862 - 1897

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

Birth 1898 - present

 * 1898-1905 Series #83881 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index.
 * FamilySearch Library copy: . There are no names of children in the records.
 * Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
 * 1906-1910 online images


 * Wasatch County Health Department, 55 South 500 East, Heber City, Utah 84032, Phone 435-657-3307.

Marriage

 * 1887-2001 - Wasatch County Marriage Licenses Index (1887-2001) at UTGenWeb - free.


 * 1887-1906 - Western States Marriage Index. Includes Wasatch County 1887-1906.


 * 1916-present - Marriage License Lookup (Beta Version at Wasatch County Government site - free.

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
Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956 -A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed on the https://www.familysearch.org/. 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 for death before 1904

USGenWeb Archives contain the vital records of births in Wasatch County 1917-1918

Websites
Links to indexes or images of records:


 * FamilySearch.org. Collections are growing at record rates. If the county is not listed, check later.
 * Utah State Archives records, 1848–2001
 * Also see Utah to search items that include.

Links to collections:


 * FamilySearch Library Catalog
 * (Select topics)
 * (Space, then select town)

Sites that gather links to the Internet


 * Linkpendium
 * CyndisList

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  (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana).

See these headings for details: Courthouse·FamilySearch Centers·Libraries·Societies

Courthouse
www.co.wasatch.ut.us/ Wasatch County Courthouse 25 North Main Heber City, Utah 84032 Clerk/Auditor phone (435) 657-3190

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.


 * Wasatch County Library;465 East 1200 South, Heber City, UT 84032-3943. Phone: 435-654-1511.
 * Collections

See also Utah Public Library Directory, which provides links to library web pages, addresses, phone numbers, hours, and maps. Does not mention holdings.

Towns and Communities

 * Cities: Heber City | Midway


 * Unincorporated Communities: Bryants Fork | Buysville | Center Creek | Charleston | Cranmer | Daniel | Hailstone | Jordanelle | Keetley | Mound City | Mountain Spa | Parkview | Soapstone | Soldier Summit | Three Forks | Timber Lakes | Wallsburg