Summit County, Utah Genealogy

United States  Utah  Summit County 

Guide to Summit 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 1854, when the county was formed.

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death
 * Church

County Courthouse
Summit County Courthouse P O Box 128 Coalville, UT 84017 Phone: 435-336-3203

County Clerk has birth records 1898-1905, death records 1898-1901, marriage records from 1888, divorce, and probate records from 1896. County Recorder has land records.

Parent Counties
was created January 13, 1854 from: Salt Lake and Green River

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: Daggett | Duchesne | Morgan | Rich | Salt Lake | Wasatch | Wyoming counties: Sweetwater | Uinta

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).

Summit county cemeteries at theUtah State Historical site Wallsburg Cemetery, Wallsburg BillionGraves

USGenWeb Archives Summit County, Utah appears to be a partial list of individuals in three cemeteries.

Individual cemeteries:


 * Henefer Cemetery, Henefer BillionGraves

Census

 * See Utah Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1854, 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
 * See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.

Churches and Religious Groups
The information given in church records depends upon the practices of each religious group. Most include the names of members, often with ages and birth places. Several give birth, christening, or blessing dates for infants. See Utah Church Records for details about various denominations.


 * 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): Summit Stake, Utah

Places: Coalville· Echo· Henefer· Kamas· Park City· Wanship·


 * List of Summit 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
Walker Mortuary 168 South Main St., Coalville, UT 84017 Phone: 435-336-5521 Fax: 435-829-6337

Crandall Funeral Home 105 Center St. Kamas, UT 84036 Phone: 435-783-4786

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
The county is so named because it includes 39 of the highest mountain peaks in Utah. Its mean elevation is 8,388 feet (2,557 m) above sea level, which is the second-highest of any county outside of Colorado.


 * Hampshire, David, Martha Sonntag Bradley, and Allen Roberts. A history of Summit 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 Summit county.


 * 1850. A Mormon pioneer, Parley P. Pratt, was sent to this valley from Salt Lake City by Brigham Young to check on the possibility of establishing settlements along the Weber River and the nearby Provo River. His report was, ". . . a good valley, abundant grass and plenty of water".
 * 1853. The first white man to winter in Oakley, was Thomas Rhodes. An explorer, trapper, prospector, part-time farmer, and close friend of Brigham Young, he was occasionally called from his California prospecting by Brigham Young when there was a need for money for the church. Rhodes would disappear for a week or so into the Uinta Mountains and return with a supply of gold.
 * 1854. January 13 - Summit County was created from Salt Lake County and Green River district (old) which extended into what is now southwest portion of Wyoming at the time.
 * 1854/1858. In 1854 the territorial government in Utah offered a $1000 reward to anyone who could find coal within 40 miles of Salt Lake City. Four years later, Thomas Rhodes found a coal vein in the Chalk Creek area, and coal mining began in earnest. Hundreds of tons of coal were shipped to Salt Lake City, and soon a narrow gauge railroad was built. The settlement was renamed Coalville as a result of this early success mining coal.
 * 1859. Coalville was founded by William Henderson Smith, an early Mormon freighter. He noticed that wheat spilled by other wagons moving through the area would grow to maturity. He subsequently convinced four families to settle in the area with him. The settlement was originally called Chalk Creek.
 * 1868. The first settlers in Oakley were William Stevens and wife, Emma Crowden Stevens. Soon to follow were relatives and friends, among them the Fraziers, Hortins, Richards, Wildes and Gibbons, to name a few; all these names are still prominent in the town.
 * 1880's. Oakley's land was originally purchased from the Union Pacific Company by the early settlers in the land sale of the 1880s.
 * 1886/1887.  Oakley's original name was "Oak Creek", derived from the name of a creek that ran just east of the present town site and that was thickly overgrown with oak trees. The town changed its name to "Oakley" in late 1886 or early 1887; the new name was chosen from many names submitted by the settlers in a contest.

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.


 * a collection digitized by FamilySearch (free), includes land claim records, 1871-1878.

Maps

 * Google highway map of Summit County 2012

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American 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

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.

Newspapers

 * Park Record covering 1881-1970 is included.
 * Existing copies of newspapers
 * Existing copies of 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

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 a collection digitized by FamilySearch (free), includes Summit county probate case files, 1882-1917.

Birth before 1854

 *  was formed on 13 January 1854.

parent counties

Birth 1854 - 1892

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

Birth 1892 - present

 * 1892-1897 Park City birth register inventory of series 85147 by the City Recorder at Utah State Archives. Not online, no index.
 * FamilySearch Library copy:
 * 1898-1905 Series #84238 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index. There are no names of children in the records.
 * Copies available through FamilySearch Library copy:.
 * Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
 * 1906-1910 online images


 * Summit County Health Department Coalville Office, 85 North 50 East, Phone 435-336-3234; Kamas Office, 110 North Main, Phone 435-783-4351 ext. 3071; Park City Office, 650 Round Valley Drive, Phone 435-333-1500.

Marriage

 * 1864-1905 - Western States Marriage Index. Includes Summit County 1864-1905.

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

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.summit.ut.us/ 60 North Main Street P.O. Box 128 Coalville, UT 84017 435-336-3200

County seat: Coalville

FamilySearch Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Coalville Utah Family History Center
 * Kamas Utah Family History Center

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.


 * Summit County Library System - Kimball Junction Branch & Administration; 6505 North Landmark Drive, Park City, UT 84098. Phone: 435-615-3900.
 * Collections
 * Park City Library;1255 Park Avenue, P.O. Box 668, Park City, UT 84060. Phone: 435-615-5600
 * Collections:

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

Populated Places

 * Cities: Coalville | Echo | Henefer (Originally Heneferville) | Hoytsville| Kamas | Park City | Wanship

Daughters of Utah pioneers wrote a small history titled: "Henefer Our Valley Home" available on microfilm from the Family History Library.