Utah County, Utah Genealogy

United States Utah Utah County

Guide to Utah County, Utah genealogy. Birth records, marriage and death records, cemeteries, census, church records, probate records, and obituaries—resources to find parents and family history since 1852, when the county was formed.

County Courthouse
Utah County Courthouse 100 East Center #3600 Provo, Utah 84606 Phone: 801-370-8108

County Clerk has marriage records from 1887, divorce and probate records from 1859, and court records from 1885. County recorder has land records.

Parent Counties
was created March 3, 1852 Utah Territory.

See also Green River County

Boundary Changes

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

Neighboring Counties
is surrounded by: Carbon | Duchesne | Juab | Salt Lake | Sanpete | Tooele | Wasatch

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

 * public libraries.

Business Records and Commerce

 * Items about public libraries.

Cemeteries

 * public libraries.
 * Please refer to the Towns and Communities for the information about the cemeteries in these places.
 * See Utah Burials Search at Utah State History
 * Utah County, Utah Cemetery IndexAncestry.com ($) Prepared by the Utah Valley Regional Family History Center for Utah County.
 * See USGenWeb Utah County Archives for the following cemeteries - American Fork Cemetery, Lindon Cemetery, Mill Fork Cemetery, Pleasant Grove City Cemetery, Santaquin City Cemetery, Woodmen of the World Burials.
 * See USGenWeb Utah County Archives for the following cemeteries - American Fork Cemetery, Lindon Cemetery, Mill Fork Cemetery, Pleasant Grove City Cemetery, Santaquin City Cemetery, Woodmen of the World Burials.


 * Alpine City Cemetery in Alpine UT. City data and cemetery booklet.  Find-a-grave
 * American Fork City Cemetery in American Fork UT. Names in Stone. Find-a-grave
 * Benjamin City Cemetery in Benjamin, UT. No city site.  Find-a-grave
 * Camp Floyd Cemetery in Fairfield, UT. Military cemetery. Find-a-grave
 * Cedar Fort City Cemetery in Cedar Fort, UT. No city site. Find-a-grave
 * Cedar Hills City Cemetery in Cedar Hills, UT. No city cemetery. See Pleasant Grove.
 * Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Cemetery, Lehi, UT. Historic cemetery. Find-a-grave
 * Eagle Mountain City Cemetery in Eagle Mountain, UT. No city Cemetery.  See Lehi.
 * East Lawn Cemetery in Provo, UT. Private cemetery.  Find-a-grave
 * Evergreen - Springville City Cemetery in Springville, UT. Find-a-grave
 * Fairfield City Cemetery in Fairfield, UT. No city site.  Find-a-grave
 * Genola City Cemetery in Genola, UT. No city site.  Find-a-grave
 * Goshen City Cemetery in Goshen, UT. No city site.  Find-a-grave
 * Goshen Pioneer Cemetery in Goshen, UT. Historic cemetery. Find-a-grave
 * Highland City Cemetery in Highland, UT. City data.  Find-a-grave
 * Lehi City Cemetery in Lehi UT. City data, plot map and Names in Stone. Find-a-grave
 * Lindon City Cemetery in Lindon, UT. City data and Names in Stone. Find-a-grave
 * Mill Fork Cemetery in Mill Fork, Utah. Historic cemetery. Find-a-grave
 * Old Pioneer Cemetey in Cedar Fort, UT. Historic cemetery.  Find-a-grave
 * Orem City Cemetery in Orem, UT. City data, map, search. Find-a-grave
 * Payson City Cemetery in Payson UT. City data. on Find a grave
 * Pioneer Heritage Cemetery in Spanish Fork, UT. Find-a-grave
 * Pioneer Memorial Cemetery in American Fork, UT. Find-a-grave
 * Pleasant Grove City Cemetery in Pleasant Grove, UT. Names in Stone.  Find-a-grave
 * Provo City Cemetery in Provo, UT. Map, original and current burials.  Find-a-grave
 * Salem City Cemetery in Salem, UT. Maps, directory, burials. Find-a-grave
 * Santaquin City Cemetery in Santaquin UT. Map and burial locations. Find-a-grave
 * Saratoga Springs City Cemetery in Saratoga Springs, UT. No city cemetery. See Lehi.
 * Springville City Historic Cemetery in Springville, UT. City Data.Burial search.  Find-a-grave
 * Spanish Fork Cemetery in Spanish Fork UT. Searchable database. Find-a-grave
 * Spring Lake Cemetery near Hwy 6. Historic cemetery. Find-a-grave
 * Timpanogos Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Orem, UT. Private cemetery.  Find-a-grave
 * Tucker Cemetery in Tucker, UT. Historic cemetery. Find-a-grave

Census

 * The 1850 [1851], 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. federal population schedules of Utah County are available online, at Family Search Historical Records.


 * For tips on accessing census records online, see Utah Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in national indexes, try checking local indexes. Created by experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide indexes.


 * See Utah Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.


 * 1856


 * 1) "Utah Census Returns" Historical Department of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 * 2) Index (Index Publishing)
 * 3) Index (AIS)
 * 4) Family Search


 * GenWeb site containes an Index of the Utah 1850 Census. On the Index page you have five different censes pages to view.

Census Designation Places
Benjamin | Elberta | Lake Shore | Palmyra | Spring Lake | West Mountain

Churches and Religious Groups

 * public libraries.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons)
Stake(s), 1930: Alpine Stake, Utah· Kolob Stake, Utah· Lehi Stake, Utah · Nebo Stake, Utah · Palmyra Stake, Utah · Sharon Stake, Utah · Timpanogos Stake, Utah · Tintic Stake, Utah · Utah Stake, Utah


 * Wards in the County, 1930
 * Wards formed after 1930 (to about 1948):

Places: Alpine· American Fork· Fairfield· Genola· Goshen· Highland· Lehi· Lindon· Mapleton· Mill Fork· Payson· Pleasant Grove· Provo· Salem· Santaquin· Spanish Fork· Springville· Thistle· Vineyard


 * }

Court Records

 * public libraries.
 * Utah County Justice Court deals with class B and C misdemeanors, violations of ordinances, small claims, and infractions committed within County jurisdiction. The Justice Court shares jurisdiction with the Juvenile Court over minors 16 or 17 years old, who are charged with certain traffic offenses. See the Juvenile Court below for other types of juvenile cases.


 * Utah County Justice Court 151 South University Avenue Suite 3300 Provo, Utah 84601 Phone: 801-851-7200 Fax: 801-851-7201


 * Juvenile Court handles juvenile cases concerning automobile homicide, alcohol or drug related traffic offenses, reckless driving, fleeing an officer, and driving on a suspended license are excepted. Juvenile Court shares jurisdiction with the Justice Court over minors 16 or 17 years old, who are charged with certain traffic offenses besides those listed above.


 * 4th District Juvenile Court - Provo Office 2021 South State St Provo, UT 84606 Phone: (801) 354-7200 Fax: (801) 373-6579


 * District Court

Directories

 * 1867 - Owens, George. Salt Lake City Directory: Including a Business Directory of Provo, Springville, and Ogden, Utah Territory. Salt Lake City: G. Owens, 1867. Digital version at Internet Archive.


 * 1879-1880 - Culmer, H.L.A. et al. Utah Directory and Gazetteer for 1879-80: Containing the Name and Occupation of Every Resident in the Towns and Cities of Salt Lake, Utah, Weber and Davis Counties: and a Very Complete List of the Merchants, Manufacturers, Professional Men and Officials: Together with Full Gazetteer Information. Salt Lake City, Utah: Printed for H.L.A. Culmer &amp; Co. by J.C. Graham &amp; Co., 1879. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * Utah Directory, 1890: Salt Lake City, Logan, and Provo Ancestry.com ($) Data from Utah Gazetteer and Directory of Logan, Ogden, Provo and Salt Lake City, 1884.


 * public libraries.

Funeral Homes
Anderson &amp; Sons Mortuary 49 East 100 North American Fork, UT 84003 Phone: 801-756-3564 Fax: 801-763-0799

Warenski Funeral Home 1776 North 900 East American Fork, UT 84003 Phone: 801-763-5000 Fax: 801-763-5002

Wing Mortuary 118 E Main St. Lehi, UT 84043 Phone: 801-768-9514 Fax: 801-768-3534

Berg Mortuary 185 East Center Street Provo, Utah 84606 Phone: 801-373-1841 Fax: 801-371-0110 500 North State Street Orem, Utah 84057 Phone: 801-225-2131 Fax: 801-371-0110  525 East Fourth South Springville, Utah 84663 Phone: (801) 489-4233 Fax: (801) 371-0110

Sundberg-Olpine Mortuary 495 South Statee St Orem, UT 84058 Phone: 801-225-1530 Fax: 801-225-9720

Walker Sanderson Funeral Home 646 East 800 North Orem, UT 84097 Phone: 801-226-3500 Fax: 801-226-3531 85 East 300 South Provo, UT 84606 Phone: 801-373-6668 Fax: 801-374-2151  587 South 100 West Payson, UT 84651 Phone: 801-465-3846 Fax: 801-465-2507  187 South Main St Spanish Fork, UT 84660 Phone: 801-798-2169 Fax:801-798-0733

Olpin Family Mortuary 494 South 300 East Pleasant Grove, UT 84062 Phone: 801-785-3505 Fax: 801-785-9963

Brown Family Mortuary 66 South 300 East Santaquin, UT 84655 Phone:801-754-3692 Fax: 801-754-1225

Wheeler Mortuary 211 East 2nd South Springville, UT 84663 Phone: 801-489-6021

Genealogy

 * public libraries.

History

 * Holzapfel, Richard Neitzel. A history of Utah County, Utah Centennial County History Series
 * A Brief History of Utah County, on the Utah's Pioneer Library web site. The county seat and largest city is Provo.
 * Wikipedia
 * Memories that live : Utah County centennial historyAncestry.com ($)
 * public libraries.

Interesting Facts

Lehi is named after Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon.

Orem was known as Sharon, a Biblical name for a mostly level strip of land running between mountains and the sea; Another former name was Provo Bench.

Boundary Changes

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

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


 * 1849. Provo was originally called Fort Utahwhen settled, but was renamed Provo in 1850 for Étienne Provost, an early French-Canadian trapper who arrived in the region in 1825.
 * 1850. American Fork was settled by Mormon pioneers, and incorporated as Lake City in 1852.
 * 1850. Mormon pioneers settled the area now known as Lehi, at a place called Dry Creek, near the head of Utah Lake. It was renamed Evansville in 1851, after David Evans, a local bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Other historical names include Sulphur Springs and Snow’s Springs.
 * 1850. Mapleton was first settled, and for a time was known as Union Bench.
 * 1850. Payson first settled. Originally named Peteetneet, after a Ute Indian chief who lived near Payson's current location.
 * 1850. The original name of Pleasant Grove was Battle Creek. It was named for a battle which took place there in 1849 between Mormon settlers and a small band of Ute Indians.
 * 1850. Springville was originally settled. The city was first called Hobble Creek by early pioneers. Later, as the town grew, the name was changed to Springville because of the many freshwater springs in the area.
 * 1851. The first ward of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsin American Fork was organized with Leonard E. Harrington as bishop.
 * 1852. March 3- Utah County was created from the Utah Territory.
 * 1852. Lehi grew so rapidly that, Bishop Evans petitioned the Utah Territorial Legislature to incorporate the settlement. Lehi City was incorporated by legislative act on February 5, 1852 and approved a request to call the new city Lehi.
 * 1853. Daniel H. Wells, the head of the Nauvoo Legion(Utah Territorial Militia at the time), instructed settlers in American Fork to move into specific forts. At a meeting on July 23, 1853 at the schoolhouse in American Fork, Lorenzo Snowand Parley P. Prattconvinced the settlers to follow Wells' directions and all move together into a central fort.
 * 1855. The town of Fairfield was established when John Carson, his four brothers, and others settled in the Cedar Valley. The settlement was soon known as Frogtown.
 * 1855 to 1860.  Between 1855 and 1860, the arrival of pioneers from Iceland made Spanish Fork into the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the United States.
 * 1860. Settlers changed the name of Lake City to American Fork.
 * 1861. Frogtown became Fairfield; named after Amos Fielding, who participated in establishing the community.
 * 1861. Lindon was settled. It was originally named "String Town" because of the way the houses were strung up and down the street. An old linden tree (Tilia) growing in town in 1901 inspired the present (misspelled) name.
 * 1870. American Fork served as a rail access point for mining activities in American Fork Canyon.


 * 1870. Highland was settled by homesteaders,so named by Scottish Mormon immigrants who felt the area resembled the highlands of Scotland.

Named for the Ute Indians, Spanish word Yuta.

Local Histories
The City of Orem was named after W.C. Orem, builder of the railroad which ran through the town. Payson was named after an early settler, James Pace. The community was previously known as Fort Peteetneet after a Ute Indian chief. Of course, the County and the State are named after the Ute (or Utah) Indians. Springville was once known as Hobble Creek because a member of a Mormon exploring party lost his horse's hobbles in or near the creek. Pleasant Grove, named after a cottonwood grove near the original town site, was once known as Battle Creek since it was the site of the first conflict between Indians and settlers. Elberta was named for its Elberta peach orchards and Salem was named after New Salem, Massachusetts, but was first called Pond Town after the large pond that today is known as Salem Pond. The first library in Provo was opened in 1854 and there has been an official U.S. Post Office in the city since at least 1894. Provo General Hospital opened in 1903 and gave way to Utah Valley Hospital in 1939. The Utah State (Mental) Hospital dates back to 1880 but was formerly known by less politically correct names. Electric service first came to the valley in 1890. The Provo area is known worldwide as the home of Brigham Young University. Brigham Young issued a deed of trust to establish Brigham Young Academy on October 16,1875. The fledgling institution went through some rough years and nearly folded on occasion before officially becoming Brigham Young University on October 23, 1903. From humble beginnings with sometimes only a handful of students, it is now a major university with some 30,000 students. 1900 to the Present Day The County population grew slowly and steadily through the years of World War I, the Great Depression and World War II. The official census counted 23,768 citizens in 1890 and that number grew to only 49,021 in 1940. Today, the county has 516,564* residents. For many years, Geneva Steel was one of the few major employers outside of agriculture, government and schools. Geneva was built during World War II to provide steel for the war effort. But starting in the 1980s and throughout the 1990s, the valley became one of the entrepreneurial hot spots of the nation and, in particular, has become a Mecca for high-tech, computer-related companies.

Land and Property

 * Utah County Online has Web Access to Utah County Land Records (1980's forward) . This includes property searches by name, address, etc., map searches, document searches and document images.
 * Most of the land in Utah was originally obtained from the US federal government by a patent. These General Land Office Records are available and searchable free of charge. The minimum information needed for a search is the state where the land is located and the name of the person receiving the patent. Surveys and Land Status Records can also be searched here.
 * public libraries.

Maps

 * public libraries.


 * County Maps from Utah County Online, both static (PDF) and interactive
 * Highway map of Utah County 2009

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


 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah
 * Mormon Trail to Southern California 1847 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles, California
 * Central Overland Trail 1859-1869 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Carson City, Nevada (and usually on to northern California)
 * Union Pacific Railroad 1869 Ogden, Utah to Omaha, Nebraska
 * Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad 1883 Salt Lake City, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado (and Denver)

Military

 * public libraries.
 * public libraries.
 * Utah Military and Defence for Utah County from Dex Knows

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * public libraries.

Native Races

 * public libraries.

Newspapers

 * Provo Daily Enquirer, covering 1881 - 1897 is included.
 * Existing copies of newspapers
 * Utah County Newspapers This is the FamilySearch Wiki page for "overflow" information on the newspapers of Utah County, including history and links to modern newspapers.
 * Utah County Newspapers This is the FamilySearch Wiki page for "overflow" information on the newspapers of Utah County, including history and links to modern newspapers.

Obituaries

 * The Utah Valley Obituary Index includes most Utah County newspapers, which can be found at the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU. They have a microfilm collection and a set of the original book version published in 2001 in their Religion and Family History Department.
 * Newspapers of
 * 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


 * On the GenWeb site you will find Deaths/Obits of Yergensen, Pearl, Nuttall V, and the Information from the Daily Herald Obits from October 2004 - Feb 2004 (selected months).

Schools

 * public libraries.

Probate Records

 * Probate records (browseable images 1878- 1930) online for
 * public libraries.

Repositories
Resources for are available in repositories (such as libraries and archives) at all levels: the town, the county, the state, and the nation. Check their websites and catalogs for items.

See Courthouse·FamilySearch Centers·Libraries·Societies sections.

See also: Websites

Courthouse
www.co.utah.ut.us/ Utah County, Utah Courthouse 100 E. Center Street Provo, Utah 84606 801-851-8000

Clerk/Auditor: Room 3600 Phone 801-851-8109 Fax 801-851-8232 and 801-851-7201

County seat: Provo

FamilySearch Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Alpine Utah North Family History Center
 * Alpine Utah West Family History Center
 * American Fork Utah Family History Center
 * BYU Family History Library (Harold B. Lee Library, Provo)
 * BYU 8th Family History Center
 * BYU 11th Family History Center
 * BYU 17th Family History Center
 * BYU 18th Family History Center
 * Brigham Young University Utah Family History Center - Public Library
 * Eagle Mountain Utah Family History Center
 * Elberta Utah Family History Center
 * Genola Utah Family History Center
 * Goshen Utah Family History Center
 * Highland Utah Family History Center
 * Lindon Utah Family History Center
 * Mapleton Utah Family History Center
 * Mount Timpanogos Utah Family History Center
 * Orem FamilySearch Center
 * Orem Utah Geneva Heights Family History Center
 * Orem Utah Lakeridge Family History Center
 * Suncrest Family History Center
 * Orem Utah Sharon Park Family History Center
 * Orem Utah Sunset Heights Family History Center
 * Orem Utah YSA 2nd Family History Center
 * Payson Utah Family History Center
 * Pleasant Grove Utah East Family History Center
 * Pleasant Grove Utah Grove Creek Family History Center
 * Salem Utah Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Bonneville Family History Center
 * Utah South Area FHC Family History Training Center (Orem)
 * Utah South Hispanic Family History Center (Provo)
 * Provo YSA 19th Family History Center
 * Spanish Fork UT Landmark Seminary--Release Time
 * Spanish Fork Utah Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Cove Point Family History Center
 * Provo Utah East Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Edgemont North Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Grandview East Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Married Student Family History Center
 * Provo Utah North Park Family History Center
 * Provo Utah South Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Sunset Family History Center
 * Provo Utah University Married Student 2nd Family History Center
 * Provo Utah University Married Student 3rd Family History Center
 * Provo Utah Wasatch (Tongan) Family History Center
 * Santaquin 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.


 * BYU Family History Library
 * Collections:
 * Utah County Mobile - Repository Library (Headquarters); 125 West North, Mapleton, UT 84664. Phone: 801-489-4833; Fax: 801-806-9126.
 * [http://afcity.org/Departments/Library/tabid/166/Default.aspx/American Fork Library]; 64 South 100 East, American Fork, UT 84003-2326. Phone:  801-763-3070.
 * Collections:

Check for items in catalogs and holdings of: Utah Archives and Libraries·University Libraries and Special Collections in Utah·United States Archives and Libraries

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

Taxation

 * public libraries.
 * Utah County Tax Rates - 1999 to 2011

Vital Records:

 * public libraries.

Birth before 1852

 *  was formed on 3 March 1852.

parent counties

Birth 1852 - 1897

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

Birth 1898 - present

 * 1898-1905 Series #84185 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index.
 * FamilySearch Library copy: . There are some names of children in the records, but not all.
 * Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
 * 1906-1910 online images


 * Utah County Health Department, Health and Justice Building, 151 S. University Ave., Provo, UT 84601, Phone 801 851-7000.

Marriage

 * Marriages for Utah from 20 Feb 1851 to 25 Aug 1941 are listed on the Western States Marriage Index. Data is incomplete as there are no civil government recorded marriages in Utah County prior to 1887. Some early divorce records were also indexed and included.
 * 1887–1966 — Utah County. (Utah). County Clerk. Marriage Records of Utah County, 1887–1966 . These are also indexed in the Early Church Information File for marriages up to 1914.

Wiki articles describing a collection is found at: Utah, County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Death
Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956 -A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed as the Historical Records. 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 You can search this data base for deaths before 1904.

Communities
Birdseye | Dividend | Cedar Fort | Fairfield | Genola | Goshen | Vineyard | Woodland Hills

Ghost towns
Colton | Forest City | Mill Fork | Mosida | Thistle | Tucker

Cities
{| width="80%" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
 * valign="top" |
 * Alpine
 * American Fork
 * Cedar Hills
 * Draper
 * Eagle Mountain
 * Eagle Mountain


 * valign="top" |
 * Elk Ridge
 * Highland
 * Lehi
 * Lindon
 * Mapleton


 * valign="top" |
 * Orem
 * Payson
 * Pleasant Grove
 * Provo
 * Salem


 * valign="top" |
 * Santaquin
 * Saratoga Springs
 * Spanish Fork
 * Springville


 * }