Utah Probate Records

Online Resources

 * Utah, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985, ($), index and images, incomplete.
 * Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, images/no index
 * [http://archives.utah.gov/research/indexes/ Utah Department of Administrative Services Division of Archives & Records Service Name Indexes
 * [http://archives.utah.gov/research/indexes/ Utah Department of Administrative Services Division of Archives & Records Service Name Indexes

Background Information
Probate cases include the proving of wills and the administering of estates for individuals who have died. They also include such matters as guardianship and insanity proceedings.They are a good source for locating relatives, death dates, and property. Families with property are more likely to be found in probate records than poorer families.

Territorial Period
Probate records in Utah have been kept by several courts. During the territorial period probate records were kept by both the county probate court and the federal district court.

Statehood Period
At statehood in 1896, the probate courts were abolished, and the powers of the federal district courts were transferred to the state district courts. The state district courts have maintained jurisdiction of probate matters since 1896. Probate divisions of the state district courts in each county handle probate matters.

Availability
Probate records from the territorial period to the present may be found in either the county clerk's office or the Utah State Archives. You may also find some probate records from the territorial probate courts in the personal journals of early probate judges.

The Family History Library has copies of probate records for many Utah counties. Usually the Library only has part of the files created during the probate process. Contact county clerks for additional records.

FamilySearch has begun to publish Utah probate records:


 * 1851-1961 - - free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description. Currently includes Cache, Davis, Juab, Salt Lake, Summit, Utah and Wasatch counties.

 FamilySearch Catalog - Probate Case Files 
 * 1848-2001 - Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001. free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description. Includes county probate case files for Carbon, Emery, Piute, Salt Lake, San Juan, and Sevier counties . 
 * Beaver County probate case files, 1851-1932
 * Box Elder County, probate case files, 1885-1916
 * Duchesne County, probate records, ca. 1915-1932
 * Garfield County,probate records, 1890-1917
 * Grand County, probate records, 1898-1931
 * Iron County, probate case files, ca. 1880-1931
 * Sanpete County, probate records, 1851-1924
 * Tooele County, probate records, 1851-1961
 * Uintah County, probate records: case files, 1886-1936
 * Washington County, probate records, 1852-1934
 * Weber County, Probate files from Second District Court, 1851-1918

Additional records are available on microfilm or in print. For example, the Library has microfilm copies of the following Salt Lake County probate records:


 * 1852-1910 - Utah. District Court (Salt Lake County). Probate Records. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1966. . These records include an index and records from 1852 to 1910. Includes estates records and guardianship cases.


 * 1876-1966 - Utah. District Court. (Salt Lake County). Register of Estates or Abstracts of Probate Filed 1876–1966, Index 1876–1964. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1966. . Includes guardianships and adoptions.

Probate records are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under the following headings

UTAH, [COUNTY] - PROBATE RECORDS UTAH, [COUNTY] - GUARDIANSHIP