Wayne County, Utah

Stake(s): Wayne Stake, Utah

Places: · Caineville · Fremont · Grover · Hanksville · Loa · Lyman · Teasdale · Torrey ·

Church units without above place names: Giles, see Torrey · Thurber

Places not found in Book: Bicknell

Court Records

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

Directories

Ethnic and Other Groups

Funeral Homes

Guardianship

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

Gazetteers

Genealogy

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

History

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

"Grit Enough to Stick With It" Stories from Blue Valley, edited and introduced by Kent Davis & Kristen Rogers Utah Historical Quarterly Summer 2000 vol. 68 no 3 pg 223

A History of Wayne County online at Marriott Library Digital Archives.

Wayne County Histories

The Family History Library has two Wayne County histories in its collection in Salt Lake City, Utah which can be accessed by visiting the Library. These books may also be available through interlibrary loan.

A History of Wayne County, by Mariam B Murphy (a Utah Historical Society publication) 979.254 H2m. It can also be purchased at the County Clerk's office in Loa.

Rainbow Views: a History of Wayne County, by Anne Snow (a Daughters of Utah Pioneers publication) 979.254 H2s 1977.

Interesting Facts

Hanksville was a supply post for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, who would hide out at Robbers Roost in the desert southeast of town.

History Timeline

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

• 1853-54. Fremont was named after the explorer John C. Fremont, who passed through on his last and near fatal winter expedition to the west. It lies along State Route 72 just northeast of the town of Loa.
• 1879. A.K. Thurber, built the first house in Thurber.
• 1880's. Torrey is established as a town by Mormon settlers, and initially known as Youngstown, after John Willard Young. Located on State Route 24 in, eight miles from Capitol Reef National Park.
• 1881. More cattlemen settled along Fish Creek. These early settlers referred to their settlement as Carcass Creek (now Grover).
• 1885 Hanksville took the name, after Ebenezer Hanks, who was the leader of the group of pioneers who established the small Mormon settlement.
• 1887 The Mormon residents in Carcass Creek were organized into a congregation called the Carcass Creek Branch.
• 1890s The growing town of Carcass Creek was granted a post office, and the name was changed to Grover in honor of U.S. President Grover Cleveland.
• 1892 Wayne County was created 10 March 1892 from Piute County. Most of its towns were settled after 1880 because of the remote location and limited resources. County seat: Loa ^[3]
• 1893 Lyman was originally known as East Loa and became a distinct place from Loa.The original townsite was changed to the present location at the advice of Apostle Francis M. Lyman and was named in honor of him.
• 1897 The town of Thurber moved to a new location due to sandy soil and poor water conditions and became Bicknell, a town along State Route 24 in Wayne County, Utah, United States.
• 1900 The first log school/church/community building was built in Grover.
• 1914 Thomas W. Bicknell, a wealthy eastern author, historian, and Education Commissioner for Rhode Island, offered a thousand-volume library to any Utah town that would rename itself after him. The town of Grayson also wanted the library prize, so in a compromise in 1916, Grayson took the name of Blanding, Mr. Bicknell's wife's maiden name, as a tribute to her parents. The two towns split the library, each receiving 500 books.

Land and Property

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

Maps

• Maps . of Wayne County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.
• Google highway map of Wayne County 2012

Medical Records

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

Migration

Military

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

USGenWeb Archives Wayne County, Utah lists approximately 426 names of WWI draftees from 1917 to 1918 and approximately 149 names of WWII Army enlistments.

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Naturalization and Citizenship Records . of Wayne County, Utah are listed in the FamilySearch Library. To obtain closer-to-home access to resources, see. public libraries.

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 Wayne County, Utah.
  • Presently no Wayne county titles are included.
• Existing copies of newspapers. newspapers for Wayne County, Utah] are listed in Chronicling America by Library of Congress (LOC).
  • The list by dates and towns (from Chronicling America)

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 Wayne 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

Poor and Welfare Records

Probate Records

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

Public Records

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

Resource Repositories

Courthouses

Wayne County Courthouse
18 South Main St., Loa, UT 84747

Wayne County Courthouse
18 S. Main, Box 189
Loa, Utah 84747
435-836-2765

Wayne County website

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
• Loa Utah Family History Center

Libraries

Wayne County Bookmobile Library
79 North 100 West
Bicknell UT, 84715, Wayne County
Phone: 435-425-3170
The bookmobile apears to be the closest thing to a public library for Wayne County. It makes thirty-three stops in three counties (Sevier, Juab and Wayne), serving thirty communities and six schools. There are over 6,000 books on the bookmobile. It is not known what genealogy holdings the bookmobile has.

Societies

Taxation

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

Vital Records

• Vital Records . of Wayne 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 Wayne 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 1892

Wayne County, Utah was formed on 10 March 1892.

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

1892-1897

No birth records were created for Wayne 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 Series #84084 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index. The child's name is written in the remarks column in the records.
  • FamilySearch Library copy: FSL film 484606 It. 3 .
• 1906-1910 online images for Wayne 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.
• 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.

• Central Utah Public Health Department, Wayne County Office, 18 South Main, Loa, UT 84747, Phone (435) 836-1317.

Marriage

• 1892-1935 - Western States Marriage Index. Includes Wayne County 1892-1935.^[6]

Death

Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed on the Family Search Record Search . 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

Voting Registers

Towns and Communities

Incorporated Places

Bicknell (originally Thurber), Hanksville, Loa, Lyman, Torrey 

Unincorporated places

Caineville, Fremont, Fruita, Grover, Notom, Teasdale

Ghost Towns

Fruita, Giles

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), Wayne County, Utah Page 688 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
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. ↑ "Wayne County, Utah: Family History and Genealogy, Census, Birth, Marriage, Death Vital Records and More," Linkpendium, http://www.linkpendium.com/genealogy/USA/UT/Wayne/, accessed 1 February 2012.