Grand County, Utah Genealogy

Guide to Grand County, Utah ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for the Colorado River, which at the time of statehood was known as the Grand River. The County is located in the east center area of the state.

County Courthouse
Grand County Courthouse 125 E. Center St. Moab, UT 84532 Phone: 435-259-1334 Grand County Courthouse County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1890, divorce and court records from 1896 and land records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Grand County
 * 8000 BC. Humans have occupied the region since the last ice age.
 * 1300 Fremont people and Ancient Pueblo People lived in the area.
 * 1775 Spanish missionaries encountered Ute and Paiute tribes in the area.
 * 1855 First European-Americans to attempt settlement in the area were the Latter-day Saints.
 * 1890 March 13, Grand County was created from Emery and Uintah Counties.
 * 1910-20’s Moab area settled and the economy, originally agriculture, gradually shifted to mining of Uranium and Vanadium.
 * 1923 Arches area considered as a National Park.
 * 1939, 1949 Western movie director John Ford filmed Stagecoach and then Wagon Master in Moab.
 * 1950s The uranium boom brought the first real population expansion to the area

Cemeteries

 * Territorial-1966 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Church Records
 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) Historically, most people in Utah were Latter-day Saints. Their records are, therefore, very important for early Utah research. For additional information, see Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors and Utah Church Records.
 * 1877-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1847-1868 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & links to images

Funeral Homes
Spanish Valley Mortuary 386 North 100 West Moab, UT 84532 Phone: 435-259-3980 Fax: 435-259-3987

Guardianship
Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the county probate court and the Federal District courts. See Utah Court Records.

Local Histories

 * Firmage, Richard A. A history of Grand County, Utah Centennial County History Series
 * National Register of Historic Places - Grand County, Utah
 * Pioneer: Utah's Online Library includes a brief history of Grand County.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Google highway map of Grand County
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Territorial-1966 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

 Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images at Partner site

World War I
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * USGenWeb Archives, Grand County, Utah.; Draft Cards - Birth Information 1917-18 - Grand County,Utah;BIRTH INFORMATION: RESIDENTS OF THIS COUNTY IN 1917-18;

 World War II
 * 1939-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1940-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1930 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1930 Utah, Federal Naturalization Records, 1906-1930 at Ancestry- index & images ($)

Newspapers

 * 1850-2003 Utah Newspapers, 1850-2003 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * Utah Digital Newspapers Project gives newspaper images online. Search All Newspapers by name or keywords, or Browse by County to view the digitized newspapers.
 * Grand Valley Times and Times Independent - 1896-1966

Obituaries

 * 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & links to images
 * 2010-2013 Utah, U.S., Obituary Index, 2010-2013 at Ancestry - index ($)

Prisons

 * 1892-1949 Board of Pardons Prisoners' Pardon Application Case Files, 1892-1949 at Utah Division of Archives and Records Service – index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1985 Utah Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth
Below are the best sources to find birth information (dates and places of birth and names of parents) for this county.


 * 1898-1905 | Register of Births
 * 1903-1914 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1905-1917 Vital Records and Statistics Birth certificates, 1905-1917
 * Southeastern Utah District Health Department

Marriage

 * 1805-1992 Utah, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1871-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1887-1937 Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1937 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1887-1999 Utah, Marriages, 1887-1999 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho — includes some divorces and alternative sources

Death

 * Pre-1904 Utah Division of State History Cemeteries and Burials for death before 1904.
 * 1904-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Castle Valley Utah FamilySearch Center
 * East Carbon Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Green River Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Moab Utah FamilySearch Center

Libraries

 * Grand County Library - Castle Valley Branch Castle Valley Community Center, Town Building 2 Castle Valley Drive, Castle Valley, UT 84532 Phone: 435-259-9998 Website
 * Grand County Library - Moab 257 East Center Street, Moab, UT 84532 Phone: 435-259-1111 Website
 * Utah Public Library Directory, which provides links to library web pages, addresses, phone numbers, hours, and maps. Does not mention holdings.

Websites

 * Website
 * Grand, Utah GenWeb
 * Grand, Utah USGW Archive


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.