Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection is a database from the Church History Library containing a compilation of names obtained from rosters and other reliable sources of individuals who immigrated to Utah from 1847-1868. Most companies are listed with the name of its captain and a brief summary of the company's experience during their journey. Many company pages include a list of diaries, journals, letters, and reminiscences written by company members, as well as contemporary reports about the company. The content of several thousand of those narratives have been transcribed and are included in the database.

 Related Collections
 * Utah Immigration Card Index, 1847-1868.
 * Andrew Jensen. Pioneer Land Rosters: General Migration to the Great Salt Lake Valley
 * Andrew Jensen. Latter-day Emigration.
 * Andrew Jensen. Day by Day with the Utah Pioneers, 1847: a chronological record of the trek across the plains; a revision of the account published April 6, 1897 in the Salt Lake Tribune.
 * List of the pioneers of 1847 : with biographical notes, copied from the Journal History of the Church, 1847, and the Historical Records vol. 9
 * Utah. Semi-Centennial Commission. ''The book of the pioneers who arrived in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847 : including the names, ages, autographs and location of all the survivors who could be found on July 24, 1847, "the year of the Jubilee!"

 California Trail 

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Full name of ancestor
 * Event type
 * Event date
 * Birth date
 * Death date
 * Pioneer Company name


 * Gender
 * Previous residences
 * Names of other family members
 * Relationships
 * Photographs when available
 * Other biographical details

Collection Content
Sample of indexed information: †It must be noted that when the first settlers arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley, it belonged to the province of Alta California, Mexico. Deseret was first proposed as the name in 1849 and was never recognized by the United States government.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The date of arrival into Utah Territory

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

Found the Person who I was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the date of death to find a death record
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, records
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses

Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Utah.
 * Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors
 * Beginning Research in United States Immigration and Emigration Records
 * Utah Guided Research
 * Utah Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1905 | 1900-Present

Related Family History Library Holdings

 * Historic sites and markers along the Mormon and other great western trails
 * Mormon pioneer companies crossing the plains (1847-1868) narratives : guide to sources in Utah libraries and archives
 * The Latter-day Saints' emigrants' guide : being a table of distances ... from Council Bluffs to the valley of the Great Salt Lake ...

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.