Indigenous Peoples of Utah

If you believe your family has Indian ancestry, first identify a specific time period and locality for your ancestor by using other Utah and United States records. Knowing and studying the history of the tribe is vital in finding available records.

Many tribes are found in Utah. They are: Bannock, Dieguenos, Fremont, Gosiutes, Hopi, Knosh, Koosharem, Indian Peak, Mojoves, Navajo, Paiute, Quenchans, Shivwits, Shoshoni, Ute, Uintah, White River, Wiminuche, White River Band, Uncamahre Band, Yuta, and Zuni.

=== Utah Superintendency (1850 to 1870) ===

American Indians living in Utah were administered by the Utah Superintendency of the United States Office of Indian Affairs from 1850 to 1870. Copies of records for the Utah Superintendency from 1853 to 1870 are at the National Archives—Denver Branch, and the Family History Library.

United States. Office of Indian Affairs, Utah Superintendency. Records of the Utah Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1853–1870. National Archives Microfilm Publication, M0834. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1971. (FHL films 1025139–40). The record is arranged chronologically and does not have an index. The second film, "Miscellaneous Records," includes names of American Indians.

Records Created by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) (1870-present) 

In 1870, BIA agencies replaced the Utah Superintendency. The largest agency in Utah is as follows:

Uintah and Ouray Reservation Uintah and Ouray Tribal Business Council P.O. Box 190 Fort Duchesne, UT 84026 Telephone: 801-722-5141 Fax: 801-722-2374 Internet: http://www.onlineutah.com/uintah-ourayreservationhistory.shtml

Other agencies serving Utah's American Indians are the Southern Paiute Field Station in Utah, Western Navajo and Shiprock in Arizona, Fort Hall in Idaho, Elko in Nevada, and Ute Mountain in Colorado. Their addresses are found in:

Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian. 7th ed. West Nyack, New York: Todd Publications, 1995. (FHL book 970.1 R259e 1995). This book contains directories for the United States and Canada. In addition to the addresses, there are bibliography and biography sections. The book is indexed.

The local agency and the area office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs usually have records of Indians currently associated with a reservation. Some earlier records have been sent to the National Archives or to the National Archives branch that serves the area. The National Archives—Denver Branch has important collections of BIA records for Utah. The Laguna Niguel, San Bruno, Fort Worth, and Seattle Branches also have some records relating to American Indians in Utah.

The Family History Library has copies of some agency records. Two examples of agency records are:

United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Uintah and Ouray Agency. Vital Records of the Ute Indians to 1946. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1953. (FHL films 01763–69). The record is alphabetically arranged by family name. It gives degree of Indian blood, tribe, birth and death dates, parents' names with their birth and death dates, and siblings' birth, death, and marriage information.

United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Indian Census Rolls, Fort Hall, Utah 1883–1939. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0595. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1965. (FHL films 576493–99). This record covers Bannock tribes from 1885 to 1939. It is arranged into family units and gives sex, age, and family relationship information. The Indian and English names are also listed.

Major James McLaughlin was assigned to the American Indians in Utah for many years. His correspondence and documents contain many records about the Navajos and the Utes. The papers are found in the following:

McLaughlin, James. Major James McLaughlin Papers, 1855–1937. Richardton, North Dakota: Assumption Abbey Archives, 1968. (On 39 FHL films beginning with 494467). These records include enrollments, school records, absentee Indians, and censuses. Two rolls of films index the collection. The indexes are on films 541379–80 and contain more than a hundred cards about Utah.

Tribal Records
Tribal organizations have kept statistics, enrollment, and other records since the 1930s. Tribal organizations in Utah are the Ute Indian Tribe, the White Mesa Utes, Goshiute Indian Tribe, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Navajo Nation, North West Band of Shoshone Tribe, and the Skull Valley Goshiute Tribe. For current tribal addresses, contact:

Division of Indian Affairs 324 S. State, Suite 500 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Telephone: 801-538-8808 Internet:  http://indian.utah.gov/

The Family History Library has some tribal records. You may locate others through the BIA agency or tribe. One tribal record is found in:

Family Records of Uintah and Whiteriver Utes, 1867–1948. Two Volumes. N.p., 1958. (FHL book 970.3 Ut2f; film 1035932 item 3). The family group sheets are arranged alphabetically and also found by an index. The degree of Indian blood and tribe, parents, and spouses are listed.

Church and Cemetery Records
Helpful information about reservation families can often be found in church and cemetery records. Search tribal histories or contact the agency, the tribal office, or the reservation for information about specific religious denominations and local cemeteries.

The Family History Library has a few records of this type. For example, the library has a record of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints baptisms in 1875 entitled:

Records of the Baptisms of the Indians in Grass Valley in 1875. N.p., 19--? (FHL book 970.1 A1 no. 63; film 982289 item 5). Grass Valley is now known as Koosharem, Sevier County, Utah. The book and film have a typed list and a photocopy of the original baptisms. The names of the American Indians and the person who baptized and confirmed them are listed along with the date of baptism.

The records will be listed in the Family History Library Catalog Subject Search under the name of the tribe, or in the Place Search under the town as follows:

UTAH, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS

UTAH, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - NATIVE RACES

UTAH, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CEMETERIES

Federal Population Censuses
The 1900, 1910, and 1920 U.S. population censuses enumerated American Indians associated with reservations or agencies. These censuses are found in the population schedules of the federal census. The "Census" section of this outline explains these records.

Genealogy
Several sources include genealogies of the American Indians. These genealogies provide information about parents and other ancestors. Individuals and societies have gathered genealogies. One example is:

Cury, Rex D. Indian Genealogical Records, 1835–1946. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1981. (FHL film 1033685 item 6). The names of the families are arranged in alphabetical order. The record includes name, tribe, birth and death information, and degree of Indian blood. The names of parents, spouse, and children are included with their birth and death information.

History
You may need to begin by learning some history of Utah Indian reservations. Two sources are:

Indian Reservations of the West. Heart Throbs of the West,1, (1939): 127–145. (FHL book 979.2 H2cah). This brief article outlines the history of eight separate reservations. It provides details of the beginning of the reservation and some history on the tribe. Narrations are quoted from journals of leaders.

Taylor, Eli F. Indian Reservations in Utah. Utah Historical Quarterly 4, Number 1 (January 1931): 29–32. (FHL book 979.2 H2u). This article gives a brief history of the different reservations throughout Utah. It give information such as dates established, size, and by whose authority they were established.

Histories of some tribes are available at the Family History Library or through public libraries. Some state and county histories give a background history on the tribes in their area. Check the "History" section of this outline for general Utah histories. An example of history about the Ute Indians is:

Dixon, Madoline Cloward. These Were the Utes. Provo, Utah: Press Publishing Limited, 1983. (FHL book 970.3 Ut2d). This source discusses lifestyle, wars, and legends. There are historical and biographical stories.

Other Repositories
Libraries and societies have published sources, manuscripts, or collections of materials relating to American Indians. For example, the Marriott Library at the University of Utah at http://www.lib.utah.edu/ is a repository for the Oral History Program of the Doris Duke Grant. This grant is devoted to collecting American Indian oral histories.

The United States Research Outline provides an overview of major federal records helpful for researching American Indian ancestry. The outline includes step-by-step suggestions for researching the records. The agency records and tribal records are listed in the Family History Library Catalog in the Place Search under:

UTAH - NATIVE RACES

UNITED STATES - NATIVE RACES

Also, look under the Subject Search for the name of the tribe, such as:

NAVAJO INDIANS

PAIUTE INDIANS

UTE INDIANS

Additional records may be in the Subject Search under:

INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA - UTAH

Web Sites
http://www.lib.utah.edu/

http://www.flra.gov/decisions/v52/52-060-4.html