San Juan County, Utah

Places: Blanding · Bluff  · La Sal · Monticello  ·

Church units without place names: Aneth · Halchita · Halls Crossing  · Mexican Hat · Montezuma Creek · Monument Valley · Navajo Mountain · Spanish Valley · Tselakai Dezza · White Mesa ·

Court Records

The County Court and county records are located in the county seat :

Court minutes of San Juan County, Utah 1892-1899

District Court minutes 1896-1921, FHL US/CAN film 483511 Item 3

County Court minutes 1892-1899 FHL US/CAN film 483511 Item 4

Directories

• Directories. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

Ethnic and Other Groups

Funeral Homes

San Juan Mortuary ^[3]
370 South Main St.
Blanding, UT 84511
Phone: 435-678-2612
Fax: 435-678-7848

Gazetteers

Genealogy

 * Genealogies for San Juan County may be found at http://genealogytrails.com/utah/sanjuan/  

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

History

• History. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

NOTE:  Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for San Juan County, Utah. 

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.

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 Mormons 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 seat and 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 Creek on 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 theMonticello Utah Temple, the first in a series of mini temples and the 53rd temple for the Church.

Local Histories

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 FHL US/CAN book 979.25 H2v

"A History of San Juan County" In the Palm of Time, by Robert S. McPherson, Utah Centennial County History Series, 1995 Utah State Historical Society, San Juan County Commission

Land and Property

• Land and Property. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

Maps

• Maps. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

Maps of Hole-in- the Rock, Utah FHL US/CAN film 1019732

Google Highway map of San Juan County 2012

Migration

• Migration. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

Native Races

• Native Races. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

The Navajo Mountain Community a Social Organzation and Kinship Terminology  by Mary Shapardson and Blodwen Hammond, Publication University of California Press,c 1970 Family History Library (FHL) US/CAN book 970.3 N227

Military

• Military. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Small town newspapers contain obituaries, birth or death notices, community news (such as the visit of someone's relatives), legal notices and provide historical content. See Utah newspapers for tips, resources, and details.

• Utah Digital Newspapers Project presents newspaper images online. Search All Newspapers by name or keywords, or Browse by County to view all newspapers digitized for San Juan County, Utah.
  • San Juan Record, covering 1919-1953 is included.
• Existing copies of newspapers. newspapers for San Juan County, Utah] are listed in Chronicling America by Library of Congress (LOC).
  • The list by dates and towns (from Chronicling America)
• Newspapers. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

Obituaries

Obituaries may mention birth, marriage, spouse, parents, and living family members. See Utah Obituaries for state level compendiums and United States Obituaries for tips and insights regarding this record type.

Obituaries for residents may be found in:

• Newspapers of San Juan County, Utah
  *Local Funeral Homes, Societies, Libraries, or in family records.
  *Obituaries of neighboring counties
  *Newspapers of major cities: Deseret News and/or The Salt Lake Tribune both in Salt Lake City
  

Periodicals

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

In Utah, such records may be difficult to find. Try records of the church they may have attended. Realize, however, that such records may have not been preserved, and would not be in the typical records of membership.

It is possible there were records kept by civilian authorities. Ask town or county officials and local librarians and the State Archives. Also try National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (online).

Probate Records

Wills

Probate records 1888-1912 Record of wills 1922-1966 FHL US/CAN film 483510

Estate Packets

• Probate register of estates 1888-1966 FHL US/CAN film 483509
• San Juan County Probate Case Files, No. 1-164, 1888-1933 are included in the FamilySearch Historical Records collection Utah, State Archives

Additonal resources for probate records:

• Probate Records. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

For Inheritance Tax see Taxation.

Public Records

Resource Repositories

Courthouses

www.sanjuancounty.org
Clerk/Auditor: P. O. Box 338
Monticello, UT 84535
Phone: (435)587-3223
Fax: (435)587-2425

County seat: Monticello

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
• Blanding Utah Family History Center
• Bluff Utah Family History Center
• La Sal Utah Family History Center
• Monticello Utah Family History Center

Libraries

• Archives. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

Societies

Taxation

Inhertance tax 1907

Vital Records

• Probate Records. of San Juan County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

Birth

Below are the best sources to find birth information (dates and places of birth and names of parents) for San Juan County, Utah. Also available: How to Find Birth Information in Utah.

Follow the suggestions under the year span that matches when your ancestor was born:

Before 1880

San Juan County, Utah was formed on 17 February 1880.

Before county formation, go to Utah Censuses to locate the family around the time of birth.

1880-1897

No birth records were created for San Juan County, Utah by either by county or state civil authorities in this time period.

Follow these suggestions to find birth information for this time period:

• Utah Death Certificates 1904-1961 give birth date and place (recorded at the time of death), names of parents, and name of spouse. Search by names or by exact death date.
• Church records usually give birth date and place and names of parents.
• See also other records that give birth information, such as Death records, Census, Cemeteries, Obituaries
• See also neighboring counties for birth information, due to family members living in that area, religious preferences, convenience, and other reasons.

1898-present

County clerks became responsible for recording births beginning in 1898.^[4] In 1905, the State Department of Health assumed responsibility and required the counties to forward copies of the records to them.

It took a few years after the requirements for people, doctors, midwives, and officials to comply, so some early birth registrations were missed.

Records open to the public

Birth records created more than 100 years ago^[5] are open to the public.

• 1898-1905 Inventory to Series #84239 at Utah state archives. Not online, not indexed.
• 1898-1917 (gaps 1904-1912) at FamilySearch Library: FSL film 483511 items 1-2 . There are a few births for December 1897. Some entries include names of children in the records. 3 volumes of births were filmed.
  • Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
• 1906-1910 online images for San Juan County, Utah at the State Archives. Browse the "not yet indexed" area by year and county. Most entries do have names of children.
  
  • Later records open to the public are housed at the Utah State Archives, but not online.
• 1897-1910 Online Utah, Births and Christenings, 1892-1941, a FamilySearch Historical Records Collection. (Index only, free). Created from the old IGI, this is a mix of some extracted records and submissions by patrons. Please realize it is not complete.

Restricted records

Access to official birth records within 100 years is restricted to those who meet certain requirements. Order copies:

• Office of Vital Records and Statistics, 288 North 1460 West, Salt Lake City, Utah, Phone: (801) 538-6105. How to order online, by mail, or in person.

• Southeastern Utah District Health Department San Juan County, 117 S Main, PO BOX 127, Monticello, UT 84535. Phone (435) 587-2021 and 196 E Center St, PO Box E, Blanding, UT 84511. Phone (435) 678-2723.

Marriage

• 1888-1931 -San Juan County Utah Marriage Licenses (1888 to 1931) at UTGenWeb - free

• 1888-1930 - Western States Marriage Index.^[6]

• 1888-1966 - Marriage license records, 1888-1966 FHL US/CAN film 483508

• 1897-1917 - Register of births and deaths, 1897-1917 FHL US/CAN film 483511 Item 1-2

Death

• 1898-1917 - San Juan Register of Deaths. FHL film 483511 items 4-5. The catalog record is titled Register of births and deaths, 1897-1917 and it appears there are only 2 volumes of vital records on this film, but it appears that 2 volumes of deaths were filmed. They cover the years 1898-1905, 1910-1917.
• Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956 -A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed at https://www.familysearch.org/ . 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, birth date, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.

Utah State Burial Index for death before 1904

USGenWeb Archives San Juan County, Utah provides the Draft Cards - Birth information of 1917 -1918

Voting Registers

Towns and Communities

The earliest pioneer settlers to the San Juan area were part of a group which came to be called the "San Juan or Hole-In-The-Rock Mission." The Mission was sent by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints or Mormon's  to win the favor of the indians and to establish good relations thus they needed to find a route in that wild country. Before they could come Captain Silas Sanford Smith was asked to lead twenty-four scouts, cattle and other loose animals besides their pack-horses. Two families Harriman and Davis familys  were to prepare to help the other pioneers that would take part in the "Hole-In -The-Rock Mission" A list of many of those early settlers is available online.

References

1. ↑ Alice Eichholz, Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, 3rd ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Pub., 2004), 676-677. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27rb 2004.
2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), San Juan County, Utah Page 687 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
3. ↑ Funeral Home & Cemetery Directory.(Youngstown, OH: Nomis Publications, Inc., c2009,937.
4. ↑ Utah State Archives, Birth Records guide, accessed 28 July 2012.)
5. ↑ State Department of Health Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates page. Accessed 7/31/2012
6. ↑ "San Juan County, Utah: Family History and Genealogy, Census, Birth, Marriage, Death Vital Records and More," Linkpendium, http://www.linkpendium.com/genealogy/USA/UT/San_Juan/, accessed 1 February 2012.