Box Elder County, Utah Genealogy

Guide to Box Elder County, Utah ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage and death records, cemeteries, census, church records, probate records, and obituaries—resources to find parents and family history since 1856, when the county was formed.

Utah Online Genealogy Records

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death
 * Church

Description
The County was named for the box elder trees that abound in the county. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Court House
Box Elder County Courthouse 1 South Main Street Brigham City, Utah 84302 Phone: 435:734-3388

County Clerk has birth and death records 1898-1905, marriage records from 1887, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1856.

Records Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Parent Counties
was created January 5, 1856 from: Unorganized territory | Weber and Green River (old)

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Utah County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Utah County Boundary Maps" (1849-1960) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.


 * Boundary changes timeline for from "UT: Index of Counties," Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Tooele | Davis | Weber | Cache | Idaho counties: Cassia | Oneida; Nevada county: Elko

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:

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.

Biography

 * History of Box Elder County
 * Box Elder County, Utah newspaper card index historical, biographical, vital records


 * Newspaper card index to births, deaths, divorces, marriages, and subject index, 1890-1915
 * Newspaper card index, locality index
 * Newspaper card index, biographies
 * Newspaper card index, subject and vital record index - Corinne newspapers, 1869-1875

Business Records and Commerce
See United States Business Records See also Utah Business Records

Cemeteries



 * To 1966 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Box Elder County Interment Register, 1893–1961, part of Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, a FamilySearch digital images collection.
 * Utah Cemeteries Utah Division 0f State History

Additional information on Box Elder County cemeteries
 * List of Box Elder County, Utah Cemeteries that exist or in some cases no longer exist.
 * The Garland, Utah Interment &amp; Disinterment Registers are part of the FamilySearch Historical Record Collection: Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001
 * This register appears to have been started in 1908; but includes references to burials prior to 1908 that presumably came from tombstones standing in 1908.
 * USGenWeb Archives Box Elder County, Utah provides names in Plymouth Cemetery and Woodmen of the World of Box Elder County.

Census

 * See Utah Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
 * See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.
 * Check county indexes when online indexes fail. Created by people who knew the families of the area, they are often more accurate and they may have added insights. See periodicals and local libraries or other record holders.

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 (Mormons)

 * 1877-1918 - at FamilySearch — index

(Section In process. Want to help?) Stakes in the county:


 * Bear River Stake, Utah
 * Box Elder Stake, Utah
 * Curlew Stake, Idaho
 * Malad Stake, Idaho

Places: Beaverdam· Bothwell· Brigham City· Cedar Creek· Corinne· Deweyville· Elwood· Fielding· Garland· Honeyville· Howell· Mantua· Park Valley· Perry· Plymouth· Promontory· Snowville · Tremonton· Washakie· Willard· Yost

List of Box Elder County stakes and wards to about 1948

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List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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


 * Current records may be at the Box Elder County Justice Court. Phone: 435-734-3390

Directories
See Utah Directories

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1847-1868 - at FamilySearch — index

Funeral Homes
Gillies Funeral Chapel and Crematory 634 East 200 South Brigham City, UT 84302 Phone: 435-723-5236 Toll Free Phone: 888-723-5236 Fax: 435-723-6905

Myers Mortuary 205 South 100 East Brigham City, UT 84302 Phone: 435-723-8484 Fax: 435-723-7170

Rogers and Taylor Funeral Home 111 North 1st East Tremonton, UT 84337 Phone:435-257-3424 Fax: 435-257-7384

Gazetteers
See Utah Gazetteers
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

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

 * Huchel, Frederick M. A history of Box Elder County, Utah Centennial County History Series.
 * Google Books has several online history books about Box Elder County.

History Timeline
NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Box Elder County.


 * 1800’s- The Bear River Valley was originally inhabited by the Fremont and Shoshoni Indians. Then French-Canadian trappers entered the valley.
 * 1851. First permanent homes in county at site of present Brigham City. Early name was Box Elder.
 * 1851. Willard settled by Latter-day Saint settlers.
 * 1852. Perry was settled by Orrin Porter Rockwell. Early name was Three Mile Creek.
 * 1853. Lorenzo Snow created first self-sufficient city (present-day Brigham City).
 * 1856. Box Elder County formed.
 * 1861. Honeyville settled. Agricultural community.
 * 1863. Mantua settled by Danish families called by authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to settle in valley.
 * 1864. Deweyville settled by William Empey.
 * 1868. Elwoodsettled by homesteaders and families with "squatter rights."
 * 1869 May. Golden spike driven at Promontory Summit to connect Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads.
 * 1869. Plymouthfounded. Named for imagined resemblance of nearby large rock to the Plymouth Rock.
 * 1869. Corinnelaid out by Union Pacific and settled by people of different religions.
 * 1871. Snowville settled at direction of Brigham Young. Named after Lorenzo Snow an Apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 * 1886. Bear River City incorporated.
 * 1890. Penrose named for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Apostle Charles W. Penrose.
 * 1892. Town of Fielding erected. Named after Mary Fielding Smith.
 * 1929. Elwood established.  Early name was Manila Ward.
 * 1940’s. Economic boost during WWII, with creation of Bushnell General Hospital
 * 1950-1960’s. Major growth in county, with Thiokol plant built in 1957.

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.


 * Utah, Box Elder County Records, 1856–1960 FamilySearch Historical Record Collection. Collection cover 1857 to 1940 and the index covers 1847 to 1942.
 * Utah, Box Elder County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records Wiki article describing the online collection.
 * Indian Land Records, 1884-1930.
 * Box Elder County, Utah. Box Elder Mining District (Utah). Recorder. "Box Elder County, Utah Mining Notices of Location, 1889-1893" This is a digital version of Utah State Archives and Records Service. Series 18128. Collection provides the name of the claim, locators, location, legal description, and the mining district.
 * Box Elder County, Utah. Box Elder Mining District (Utah). Recorder. "Box Elder County, Utah Mining Records, 1890-1892" This is a digital version of Utah State Archives and Records Service. Series 18129. Collection provides the name of the grantee or grantor, mine name, date the record was made, and the page number on which the record can be found.

Maps
For historical maps of Utah and Box Elder County, see:


 * David Rumsey Collection for Utah
 * Perry-Castaneda Map Collection for Utah
 * 1876 Utah MapBox Elder County is in the upper left corner
 * Historical Maps of Utah has several maps of Utah counties
 * 1895 U S Atlas of Box Elder County
 * Google highway map of Box Elder County 2012
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for emigrant settlers included: :


 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1848 to 1869 from Iowa to Utah
 * Central Pacific Railroad since 1869 from Ogden, Utah to Sacramento, California

Land and Property
Indian Land Records, 1884-1930. Brigham City, UT. FHL film 480866 Item 5 (includes index.)

Military

 * To 1966 - Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1917-1957 Utah, Box Elder County Records, 1856–1960 FamilySearch Historical Records Collection.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

World War I

 * 1914-1918 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1914-1918 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1917-1918 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1917-1918 - at FamilySearch — index

World War II

 * Casualties from Box Elder County in World War II (Army and Air Force)
 * 1929-1954 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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.)


 * Naturalization Records, 1896–1929, part of Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, a FamilySearch digital images collection.
 * 1869-1945 - FamilySearch Historical Records Collection.
 * 1868-1869 - Box Elder County, Utah. Box Elder County (Utah). Probate Court. "Box Elder County, Utah Certificates of Citizenship Record Books, 1868-1869" Ancestry.com ($) This is a digital version of the Utah State Archives and Records Service. Series 85171. Collection provides the applicant's name, date certificate was issued, country of origin, and a page number referring to the location of the original record.
 * 1906-1930 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
Resources include:


 * Box Elder News and Corinne Reporter, covering 1871-1926 are included.
 * Existing copies of newspapers
 * Existing copies of newspapers

Obituaries

 * 1850-2005 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1930-2015 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1959-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Newspapers of major cities: Deseret News and/or The Salt Lake Tribune both in Salt Lake City
 * 2002-2005 - USGenWeb Archives Box Elder County, Utah contains the obituaries of 2002-2005 from Box Elder Journal

Prison

 * 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
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.

Online Probate Records
 * 1800 – 1985 Utah Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1851 – 1961 at FamilySearch — images
 * Utah, Box Elder County Records at FamilySearch Historical Records

Public Records

 * An online collection is linked to and described on Utah, Box Elder County Records

Vital Records
See also How to order Utah Vital Records or download an application for Utah Birth Certificate, Marriage or Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Applications to mail.

Birth before 1856

 *  was formed 5 January 1856.

parent counties

Birth 1856 - 1897

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

Birth 1898 - present

 * 1898 - 1905 - Series #84098 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index. Copies available through FamilySearch Library copy:  . There are no names of children in the records. (Census or church records will help.)


 * 1903 - 1914 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1906 - 1910 - 1906-1910 online images
 * Bear River Health Department, 817 West 950 South, Brigham City, Utah 84302. Phone (435) 734-0845.
 * Bear River Health Department, 817 West 950 South, Brigham City, Utah 84302. Phone (435) 734-0845.

Marriage

 * 1805-1992 - Utah, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1887-1940 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1887-1942 Western States Marriage Index. Includes Box Elder County 1887-1942.

Wiki articles describing marriage a collection is found at:

Utah, Box Elder County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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.


 * 1875-1876 Box Elder county divorce records are included in the the FamilySearch digital collection: Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001.

Death

 * 1904 - 1964 at FamilySearch — index and images. 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 for death before 1904
 * Utah State Vital Records: Utah Department of Health Office of Vital Records & Statistics, P.O. Box 141010, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-1010; Phone: (801) 538-6101
 * Box Elder County Utah Vital Records: Box Elder County Clerk, 1 S Main Street, Brigham City, UT 84302. Phone: (435) 734-3388
 * First District Court (Divorce Records): 43 North Main, :P.O. Box 873, Brigham City, UT 84302-0873. Phone: (435) 734-4600 Fax: (435) 734-4610
 * repositories.
 * USGenWeb Archives Box Elder County, Utah provides the Death Certificates of 1903-1908

Websites

 * Box Elder County, UT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Utah Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

Links to indexes or images of records:


 * Box Elder County Records 1856–1960
 * 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 Courthouse·FamilySearch Centers·Libraries·Museums·Societies sections.

See also: Websites

Courthouse
Address: 1 South Main St, Brigham City, UT 84302 Phone (Brigham City): 435-734-3300 Phone (Tremonton): 435-257-5810 Hours: 8am - 5pm Monday - Friday Box Elder County Home Page History of the Box Elder County Courthouse

County seat: Brigham City

FamilySearch Centers



 * Bear River Valley Utah Family History Center (Tremonton)
 * Brigham City 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.


 * Brigham City Library; 26 East Forest Street, Brigham City, UT 84302. Phone: (435) 723-5850. Email: [mailto:reference@bcutah.org reference@bcutah.org]
 * Collections:
 * Garland Public Library; 86 West Factory Rd, Garland, UT 84312. Phone: (435) 257-3117.
 * Collections:
 * Tremonton City Library; 210 North Tremont Street, Tremonton, UT 84337. Phone: (435) 257-2690.
 * Collections:

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

Museums
Bear River City DUP Museum 4600 West 5900 North (in the park) Bear River, UT 84301 Open on request; free admission 435-279-8350 Brigham City DUP (Restored Log Cabin) 200 North 300 West (Pioneer Park) Brigham City, UT 84302 Open by appointment; free admission

Societies
See also a List of Utah Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Brigham City Museum 24 North 300 West Brigham City, UT 84302 (435) 226-1439 The de facto historical society for Box Elder County. Collections include historical artifacts, photographs, and other archival materials from areas throughout the county. Online collections (partial holdings only)