Utah, Birth Certificates - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection consists of an index and images of birth certificates acquired from the Utah State Archives for the years 1903 to 1914. The records are arranged by year, county,and month within a numerical arrangement by box and folder number. This collection is from Series 81443.

Registration of births prior to 1905 is irregular. No government agencies in Utah were required by law to record birth before 1898. Though not required to do so, Salt Lake City and Ogden began registering births in 1890 and Park City began registering births in 1892. In 1905, state registration of births and deaths began and was generally complied with by 1917. The information in birth records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant. For more information on how to locate birth records in Utah, read the article How to Find Utah Birth Records.

Sample Record Content
Birth records may include the following genealogical information:


 * Birth date
 * Birth place
 * Parents' names (usually includes the mother’s maiden name)
 * Sex
 * Residence or address of parents
 * Parents' birth dates
 * Parents' birth places
 * Parents' ages
 * Parents' occupation
 * Race
 * Attending physician or midwife

Search the Collection
Many of these volumes have indexes at the beginning or end. You should search these first. If your ancestor is in the index download a copy or write down the page numbers listed for your ancestor. You can then quickly turn to those pages.

If you do not find your ancestor in the index, look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name and your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the wiki article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks. To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "County" ⇒Select the appropriate "Year of Birth" ⇒Select the appropriate "Month and Day Range" which takes you to the images.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s birth record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records which can provide new information about the family.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Request a copy of the birth certificate from the State of Utah or the County Clerk in county of birth.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The father’s occupation can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * The parents' birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile birth entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the birth records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born in the same county or nearby.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Utah Vital Records
 * Utah Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Related Websites
Utah State Archives and Records Service - A division within the Dept. of Administrative Services that manages records created by state and local governmental entities in Utah, and provides access to historical government records.

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image

Collection Citation:

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