Kane County, Utah Genealogy

United States

Utah

Kane County

Guide to Kane 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 1865, when the county was formed.

Coyote Gulch, Kane Co. Utah

Utah Online Genealogy Records

Quick start:

• Census
• Birth
• Marriage
• Death
• Church

Kane County, Utah
Map
Location in the state of Utah, United States Genealogy
Facts
Founded	January 16, 1864
County Seat	Kanab
Courthouse
Address	76 North Main St., Kanab, UT 84741
Website: kane.utah.gov
Named for: Thomas_L._Kane
Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: Utah Genealogical Association who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Facts

Description

The County was named for Col. Thomas L. Kane, a friend of the Latter-day Saint settlers. The County is located in the south center area of the state.

County Courthouse

Kane County Courthouse
76 North Main Street
Kanab, Ut 84741
Phone: 435-644-2458

County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and court records.
County Recorder has land records.

Kane County, Utah Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1900	1887	1900	1878	1872	1878	1851
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1905. General compliance by 1917.

Records Loss

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

Parent Counties

Kane County, Utah Genealogy was created January 16, 1864 from: Washington

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.

See UT: Index of Counties... from Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, for a timeline of boundary changes for Kane County, Utah Genealogy.

Neighboring Counties

Kane County, Utah Genealogy is surrounded by: Garfield | Iron | San Juan | Washington | Arizona counties: Coconino | Mohave

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:

Cities
Kanab (county seat)
Towns
Alton Big Water	Glendale	Orderville
Unincorporated communities
Duck Creek Village	Mount Carmel Junction
Ghost towns
Johnson	Paria

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 Kane County, Utah Genealogy 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

Business Records and Commerce

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

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
FindAGrave	Family History Library	FindAGrave
UTGravestones	WorldCat	Tombstone Project
BillionGraves (name)	Utah Periodicals	Utah Cemeteries and Burials
BillionGraves		Linkpendium
USGenWeb		Genealogy Trails
UTGenWeb Archives		Hometown Locator
		[URL FamilySearch Places]
See Utah Cemeteries for more information.

Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information. The spouse and children who died young are frequently buried nearby.

More than tombstone inscriptions, cemetery records include sextons (caretakers) records and interment (burial) records, each with slightly different information. See Utah Cemeteries.

• To 1966 - Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch — index and images

• Published transcripts of cemetery records are listed in the FamilySearch Library catalog at the town (space, then select the town) or the county level (select Cemeteries).

• Alton Cemetery, 800 South 400 West, Alton, UT 84710; Phone: (801) 648-2142. The Survey is up to 1997 and includes Birth, Death, and Grave locations.

• Pahreah Cemetery: Note: This information comes from a metal plaque mounted on a rock monument. There are no longer any headstones on individual graves.  Conaines 13 names.

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	1,513	—
1880	3,085	103.9%
1890	1,685	−45.4%
1900	1,811	7.5%
1910	1,652	−8.8%
1920	2,054	24.3%
1930	2,235	8.8%
1940	2,561	14.6%
1950	2,299	−10.2%
1960	2,667	16.0%
1970	2,421	−9.2%
1980	4,024	66.2%
1990	5,169	28.5%
2000	6,046	17.0%
2010	7,125	17.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Census records 1850 and later list names, ages, and places of birth (state or nation) for everyone in the household. Censuses locate the family and have other clues to find more records about them.

• 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.

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 Kane County, Utah Genealogy at the town level (space, then select a town) or county level (select Church topics) in the FamilySearch Library Catalog.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.

• 1877-1918 - Utah LDS Mission Calls and Recommendations 1877-1918 at FamilySearch — index

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.

Click a church unit name in the chart below for its history, boundaries, and availability of records, which are often in microfilm format

Guide to history and records of wards and branches of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Stake(s): Kanab Stake, Utah Places: Alton  · Glendale · Kanab  · Mount Carmel Junction · Orderville Linked below are the ward and stake records for Kane County, Utah on microfilm at the Family History Library. Click on a ward for records (up to about 1948). Alton Ward • Cannonville Ward • Glendale Ward • Johnson Ward • Kanab North Ward • Kanab South Ward • Kanab Stake • Kanab Ward • Mount Carmel Ward • Orderville Ward • Pahrea Ward • Panguitch Stake For a timeline history and boundaries of wards that existed in 1930, click to Kanab Stake, Utah. For later records, check with the Church History Library.

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  · [[Kane County, Utah#Probate_Records|Probate]

Directories

See Utah Directories

Emigration and Immigration

• 1847-1868 - Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868 at FamilySearch — index

Ethnic and Other Groups

Funeral Homes

Mosdell Mortuary
676 South Highway 89A
Kanab, UT 84741
Phone: 435-644-2214
Toll Free 877-644-2214
Fax: 435-644-2321

Gazetteers

See Utah Gazetteers

• Kane County Utah Home Town Locator
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Genealogy

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.

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

History

• Bradley, Martha Sonntag. A history of Kane County, Utah Centennial County History Series

History Timeline

See UT: Index of Counties... from Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, for a timeline of boundary changes for Kane County, Utah Genealogy.

NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Kane County

• 1862. Glendale founded by Mormon pioneers John and William Berry
• 1864. Area around what later became Kanab first settled
• 1864 January 16: Kane County was created from Washington County County and Toquerville was designated as the County Seat.
• 1865. Alton was first settled by Lorenzo W. Roundy
• 1866. Glendale abandoned due to Indian attacks
• 1870. Kanab founded when 10 Latter-day Saint families moved there
• 1871. Glendale resettled by Mormon pioneers
• 1875. Brigham Young directed Orderville to be established and to live the United Order.
• 1883. County seat was moved to Kanab and Toquerville was moved back into Washington County.
• 1939-40’s. + Kanab was known as “little Hollywood” for the number of western movies and t.v. series filmed there

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.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

1895 US Atlas Kane County 1895

Google highway map of Kane County 2012

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration

Military

• To 1966 - Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - Utah, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

• 1914-1918 - Utah, World War I Army Servicemen Records Abstracts, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — index
• 1914-1918 - Utah, World War I Service Questionnaires, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — index
• 1917-1918 - Utah, World War I County Draft Board Registers, Name Index, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — index
• 1917-1918 - Utah, World War I Militia Lists, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — index
• Draft Cards - Birth Information 1917-18 - Kane County, Utah. Information from The USGenWeb Archives Kane County, Utah .

World War II

• 1929-1954 - Utah, World War II Index to Army Veterans of Utah, 1939-1945 at FamilySearch — index
• 1940-1945 - Utah, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1947 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Kane CountyWorld War II Army Enlistments Fold3 ($), formerly Footnote.com

• Kane County Military discharges 1945-1994

• The USGenWeb Archives, Kane County, Utah contains transcribed documentation of World War 2 Army Enlistment A-Z, 1938-1946 records.

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.)

• 1906-1930 - Utah Naturalization Records, 1906-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1906-1930 Utah, Federal Naturalization Records, 1906-1930 at Ancestry- index & images ($)

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.

• 1850-2003 Utah Newspapers, 1850-2003 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
• 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 Kane County, Utah Genealogy.
  • Kane County Standard, covering 1912-1950 is included.

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:

• 1850 – 2005 Utah, Obituaries from Utah Newspapers, 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — index

• 2010-2013 Utah, U.S., Obituary Index, 2010-2013 at Ancestry - index ($)

• Newspapers of Kane County, Utah Genealogy

• 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

• The USGenWeb Archives, Kane County, Utah containes three obituaries in transcribed form: Maira De Grey Smith, Ella and Sarah Spilsbury.

Other

Prison

• 1892 – 1949 Board of Pardons Prisoners' Pardon Application Case Files, 1892-1949 at Utah Division of Archives and Records Service – index and images

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

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 Indexes and Records

• 1800 – 1985 Utah Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001.
• Probate record books 1862-1896 Scope and content of Series 24249 (microfilmed. Originals in permanent storage.)

Public Records

Taxation

Vital Records

Vital records of birth, marriage, death, and divorce are created by civil (state, county, or city) officials. See Utah Vital Records for details and history of the 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

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

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

Kane County, Utah Genealogy was formed on 16 January 1864.

      If your records show the person was born here before the county was formed,
      search parent counties

Birth 1864 - 1897

No birth records were created for Kane County, Utah Genealogy 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.

Birth 1898 - present

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

Records open to the public

Birth records created more than 100 years ago State Department of Health Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates page. are open to the public.

• 1900 - 1902 - Online index to births 1900–1905 Series 83801 for Kane County, Utah Genealogy by the Utah State Archives. (Free) Search by names of parents, as many entries do not give the child's name. Each entry includes date of birth, sex, residence, etc. This collection has no child's names from 1900-1902.
  • Inventory of originals, Series 83801 at Utah State Archives.
  • FamilySearch Library copy: FHL film 48819 item 1 . There are child's names from 1903-1905.
  • Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.

• 1903 - 1914 - Utah, Birth Certificates, 1903-1914 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1906 - 1910 - 1906-1910 online images for Kane County, Utah Genealogy 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. .

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.

• Southwest Utah Public Health Department (Kane County) 445 North Main, Kanab, UT 84741,(435) 644-2537.

Marriage

• 1805-1992 Utah, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
• 1866-1938 Western States Marriage Index. Includes Kane County 1866-1938.
• 1887-1937 Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1937 at MyHeritage - index ($)
• 1887-1940 Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1940 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1887-1966 Kane County Marriage license records 1887-1966 and applications 1920-1966 are on film at the Family History Library, films numbers 484815 & 484816.
• 1887-1999 Utah, Marriages, 1887-1999 at MyHeritage — index ($)

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.

• Divorce records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the Family History LibraryCatalog for Kane County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see Archives, Libraries, etc.

Death

• 1904-1964 -Utah Death Certificates, 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, birth date, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.

• Pre-1904 - Utah State Burial Data Base This site includes information on many Utah residents, who died before 1904.

Death Record Substitutes

• 1870 - U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry ($). Includes 1870 Kane County, Utah Genealogy mortality schedule.
  

Voting Registers

Websites

• Kane County, UT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Utah Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

Links to indexes or images of records:

• FamilySearch Historical Collections for Utah Many items include Kane County, Utah Genealogy.

Links to Kane County, Utah Genealogy collections:

• FamilySearch Library Catalog
  • Kane County, Utah Genealogy (Select topics)
  • Towns in Kane County, Utah Genealogy (Space, then select town)

Sites that gather links to the Internet

• Linkpendium
• CyndisList

Archives, Libraries, etc.

Resources for Kane County, Utah Genealogy 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: Kane County, Utah Genealogy items in FamilySearch Library (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana). When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

See Courthouse · FamilySearch Centers · Libraries · Societies sections.

Courthouse

County seat: Kanab

FamilySearch Centers

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Glendale Utah Family History Center
• Kanab 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.

• Kanab City Library; 374 North main, Kanab, Utah 84714. Phone: 435-644-2394.
  • Collections:

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

Societies

Utah Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

The Kane County UTGenWeb Project, a member of The UTGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project. The USGenWeb Archives Project for Kane County. The USGenWeb Archives Project for Kane County. (Backup site)

Towns and Communities

Kanab

Alton | Big Water | Glendale | Orderville

Duck Creek Village | Mount Carmel Junction

Paria

References

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.