Historical Geography of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Because wards, branches, stakes, and missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were often divided and their names and boundaries changed, you may need to determine previous church units to locate an ancestor’s records. Many wards and branches were dissolved or combined with other wards. Some branches were dependent on other branches or wards, so their records were sometimes kept with that parent unit.

Gazetteer for places in Church History

 * Mormon Places - online, interactive gazetteer of thousands of places of interest to the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Ward and Branch Boundary Information
The following sources help identify ward, branch, stake, and mission boundaries:
 * Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FamilySearch Library book 289.309 J453e; film 496776; fiche 6053258 [set of 12]; index on film 928073 item 8; fiche 6051304 [set of 3]) includes brief histories of early wards and branches. It tells when they were formed and names early priesthood leaders up to 1930. It covers Utah and the mountain West in great detail, and other places in a more general way. This is indexed in the Early Church Information File.
 * Online versions:
 * FamilySearch Books
 * Hathitrust
 * Internet Archive.
 * Ancestry - includes online index


 * LDS Place Names Gazetteer (Family History Library book 289.3 W213L; film 1059499 item 5) identifies many small areas in the western United States, Mexico, and Canada where members lived and names of the wards or branches they attended. Many obsolete ward and branch names are given with their new names. This book includes many references not found in the Encyclopedic History of the Church.


 * The Mormon Subject/Locality File. [Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1981?] This set of drawers contain cards that lists the date a ward or branch was organized, which Church unit it was created from, and the Church units into which it was divided. The file is worldwide in scope.

For more current ward boundary information, contact local Church leaders. You can find local congregations listed in a local telephone directory under "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
 * Alphabetical Index to Ward and Branch Organization (FamilySearch Library films 471843 and 471844) includes dates of organization, name changes, and other information about wards, branches, and missions. The reference numbers on cards are obsolete reference numbers to the Historical Department (now Church History Library) Membership Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, these numbers still appear on the membership films. Researchers can use this source to see if the membership records in the FamilySearch Library are the same ones available in the Church History Library.
 * MormonPlaces is "an interactive database (a gazetteer) of the geographic locations that are significant to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its sister churches of Joseph Smith's Restoration movement. This will eventually include congregations, settlements, cemeteries, buildings, and even historical events." It is hosted by Brigham Young University.

Ward Boundary Maps
You may need to use maps along with other sources to determine the ward a Church member lived in. For example if you only have your ancestor’s address, you may be able to use a map to find out which ward he or she attended. For sources that help you find an address see Latter-day Saint Directories or Census Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Ogden, Utah.
Ellis, D. W. The D. W. Ellis Map of Ogden City, Utah Territory, 1891. Scale 1:6000. N.p., 1891. (FamilySearch Library map 979.228/O1 E7e). Includes boundaries of five wards.

Ogden City, Utah. Engineering Department. Map of Ogden City, Weber County, Utah Showing Names of Streets. Scale 1:1000. Ogden, Utah: Ogden City Corp., 1928. (FamilySearch Library map 979.228/01 E7oc). Shows boundaries of 21 wards.

Provo, Utah.
Map of Provo City, Utah, North of Center Street. Scale 1:3,600. N.p., 1985. (FamilySearch Library map 979.224/P1 E7m). Includes 1884 Church ward boundaries.

Saint George, Utah.
Hardesty, Patricia N. Pioneer Map City of St. George, Washington County, Utah, Index with LDS Wards. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1982. (Family History Library book 979.248/S1 E7p index; fiche 6031575).

Salt Lake City, Utah, and Vicinity.
"General Plan of Great Salt Lake City" in B.H. Roberts’ A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Volume 3. 1930. Reprint, Orem, Utah: Sonos Publishing, 1991. (FS Library book 289.309 R541c). This map is found between pages 281 and 282. The map shows 20 Salt Lake City wards in 1860. The ward numbers are the numbers in larger type font on the map (not the smaller numbers in the middle of each block). Sugarhouse ward boundaries went east and south of the 1st ward. Since the ward boundaries have not changed much since they were established, this map is useful for over a long period of time. This map is not found in the compact disc version of this book.

Street names were slightly different before 1970. You can mark the old street names on the map as follows. The street (running east and west) at the bottom of the map was Ninth South Street. Heading north the streets went in order from Eighth South Street to First South Street. Continuing north you came to South Temple Street, and then North Temple Street. The next street north was First North Street. The streets continued in this order up to Fifth North Street. The street (running north and south) on the right-hand side of the map was Tenth East Street. Heading west from Tenth East the streets went from Ninth East Street to Second East Street. Continuing west was State Street, then Main Street, and then West Temple Street. To the west of West Temple Street was First West Street, on over to Eighth West Street.

Heading north or south away from South Temple Street, the even numbered addresses are on the right side of the street and odd numbered addresses on the left. Heading east or west away from State Street, the even numbers are on the right, and the odd numbers are on the left side of the street. Most blocks were allotted 100 possible address numbers, so that Ninth South Street was also known as 900 South, and Eighth South Street was also called 800 South, Seventh South was 700 South, and so forth. The address 956 East 800 South would be on the north side of block 1 on the map.

Morgan, Nicholas G. Pioneer Map: Plat "D" and Empire Mill Tract, Great Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah. N.p., 1847. (FamilySearch Library map 979.225 E7mn). This source includes an index to land owners and lists the wards where they lived.

Morgan, Nicholas. G. Pioneer Map: Great Salt Lake City, Great Basin, North America. Salt Lake City, Utah N.p., [1851?] (FamilySearch Library map 979.225 E7man; fiche 6051237). This source contains the names of the major land owners in Salt Lake wards in the 1850s. For an index see:

Grundvig, David L. Index to Pioneer Map, Great Salt Lake City, for 1850s. Salt Lake City, Utah Typescript, 1981. (FamilySearch Library book 979.225 E7man index). This map includes an alphabetical list of the landowners. It is indexed in the Early Church Information File.

"Salt Lake City 1885." Deseret News 1985 Church Almanac. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 1984. (FamilySearch Library book 289.305 D457). Page 317 has a map of the 1885 ward boundaries in Salt Lake City.

Map of Salt Lake City and Vicinity, Utah, 1888. Scale 1: 2,534,400. New York: G. W. and C. B. Colton, 1888. (FamilySearch Library map 979.2258 E7mo; fiche 6017085). This map includes the names of property owners. For an index see:

Grundvig, David L. Index to Map of Salt Lake City and Vicinity, Utah, 1888: Listing Names of Major Landowners and Tentative Ward Areas Outside of S.L.C. Proper. Manuscript, 1981. (Family History Library book 979.2258 E7mo index; fiche 6017085). This is indexed in the Early Church Information File.

Salt Lake City and Southern Suburbs: LDS Wards as of September 1, 1954, Subject to Change. Scale 1: 30,000. Salt Lake City, Utah: Salt Lake Real Estate Board, 1954. (FamilySearch Library map 979.225 E7s 1954). This map shows ward boundaries in the Salt Lake area in 1954.