San Juan County, Utah Genealogy

Guide to San Juan 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 San Juan River. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
San Juan County Courthouse 297 South Main St. Monticello, UT 84535 Phone: 435-587-2544 Monticello, UT County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1888, divorce and court records from 1891.

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:

‡ This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

History Timeline

 * 1878-1895 Aneth had a variety of titles, including Riverview (1878-85), Holyoak (1886 to around 1895), Guillette, and finally Aneth, a Hebrew word meaning "The Answer," given by Howard Antes, a Methodist missionary who lived there beginning in 1895.
 * 1879 The first white man to build a cabin in the Monticello area was likely cattleman Patrick O'Donnell.
 * 1880 Under the direction of John Taylor, Silas S. Smith led about 230 Latter-day Saints on expedition to start a farming community in southeastern Utah. After forging about 200 miles (320 kilometers) of their own trail over difficult terrain, the settlers arrived on the site of Bluff in April 1880. (The trail followed went over and down the "Hole In the Rock", which now opens into one of the tributaries of Lake Powell.)
 * 1880 February 17 San Juan County was created.
 * 1887 Monticello is the county seatand was settled in July 1887 by pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The families of George A. Adams, Frederick I. Jones, Parley R. Butt and Charles E. Walton went from Bluff to establish a new settlement. They first set up camp at Verdure near the South Fork of Montezuma Creekon March 11, six miles (10 km) south of what is now Monticello. By the first part of July, the men had begun to plant crops, survey an irrigation ditch, and layout a town site.
 * 1895 Monticello, named in honor of Thomas Jefferson's estate, became the county seat.
 * 1914 First known as Grayson (after Nellie Grayson Lyman, wife of settler Joseph Lyman), the town changed its name when a wealthy easterner, Thomas W. Bicknell, offered a thousand-volume library to any town that would adopt his name. Grayson competed with Thurber, Utah (renamed Bicknell) for the prize. Grayson was renamed Blanding after the maiden name of Bicknell's wife, and each of the towns received 500 books.
 * 1915 The San Juan Record, the county newspaper, was established in Monticello by Oscar Walter McConkie.
 * 1997 On October 4, President Gordon B. Hinckley, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced that the Church would begin to build a new series of "miniature temples." The first of such temples was built in Monticello.
 * 1998 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Monticello Utah Temple, the first in a series of mini temples and the 53rd temple for the Church.

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


 * Monticello - Portrait of our past: a history of Monticello Utah Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints FS Library US/CAN book 979.25 K2

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

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * The County Court and county records are located in the county seat
 * Court minutes of San Juan County, Utah 1892-1921 FamilySearch Catalog

Emigration and Immigration

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
American Indians The Navajo Mountain Community a Social Organzation and Kinship Terminology by Mary Shapardson and Blodwen Hammond, Publication University of California Press,c 1970 FamilySearch Library (FS Library) US/CAN book 970.3 N227

Funeral Homes
San Juan Mortuary 370 South Main St. Blanding, UT 84511 Phone: 435-678-2612 Fax: 435-678-7848

Genealogies

 * Genealogies for San Juan County at Genealogy Trails

Local Histories
NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for San Juan County, Utah.
 * McPherson, Robert S. A history of San Juan County in the palm of time, Utah Centennial County History Series
 * A History of San Juan County online at Marriott Library Digital Collections.
 * Lonesome Trails of San Juan the Ranching legacy of J. A. (Al) Scorup FS Library US/CAN book 979.25 H2v
 * Before 1300 the Anasazi Indians were inhabiting the land that would some day become San Juan. The cliff dwellings and petroglyphs of the Anasazi still interest many. When pioneers came to the area they not only found a wild country, but Piutes and Navajos. The Spanish explorers had left the country naming the river that flowed though the area, San Juan in memory of Saint John. The State Legislature named the county after the the San Juan River.
 * The County is located in the southeastern corner of the State having 7,725 square miles more land than any other county in Utah. It also has many state and national parks including Edge of the Cedars Museum and the Goosenecks of the San Juan River. The National parks include part of Canyonlands, Glen Canyon, Hovenweep and Manti-La-Sal Forest. The Natural Bridges and Rainbow Bridge National Monuments are within San Juan County, as well as Cedar Mesa and Comb Wash.
 * San Juan County had a great deal of growth in the 1940's and 1950's because of the uranium mines in the County and oil which accounted for 94 percent of all property tax in those years. Today the only operating Uranium Processing plant operates in Blanding, San Juan County. Today in all the towns, a major economic resource is tourism because of the many parks within the County both National and State, the other economic resources are livestock and agriculture.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Google Highway map of San Juan County 2012
 * Utah Gazetteers
 * 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

 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
 * 1848-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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.
 * San Juan Record, covering 1919-1953 is included.

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 ($)
 * 1851-1961 at FamilySearch — images
 * County and State Probate Records

Birth

 * 1898-1905 Inventory to Series #84239 at Utah state archives. Not online, not indexed.
 * 1903-1914 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1906-1910 1906-1910 online images

Marriage

 * 1805-1992 Utah, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1887-1937 Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1937 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1871-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1887-1999 Utah, Marriages, 1887-1999 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1888-1931 San Juan County Utah Marriage Licenses (1888 to 1931)at UTGenWeb - free
 * Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho — includes some divorces and alternative sources

Death

 * 1904-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Pre-1904 Utah State Burial Data Base This site includes information on many Utah residents, who died before 1904.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Blanding Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Bluff Utah FamilySearch Center
 * La Sal Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Monticello Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Monument Valley Utah FamilySearch Center
 * Tropic Utah FamilySearch Center

Libraries

 * San Juan County Library(Admin Library System), 25 West 300 South Blanding, UT 84511-3829 Phone: 435-678-2335.Website
 * Utah Public Library Directory Provides links to library web pages, addresses, phone numbers, hours, and maps. Does not mention holdings.

Societies

 * San Juan County Historical Society Website

Websites

 * San Juan GenWeb, Utah GenWeb
 * San Juan USGW Archives, Utah USGW Archives


 * – 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.