House Working bills inventory links
1899 House Bill 32
The series inventory for the House of Representatives Working bill files has been updated to include direct links to digital archives for each folder from 1896 to 1989.
The House Working bills were digitally scanned from microfilm in 2008 up through 1989. Bills from 1990 to the present are available from the Utah State Legislature.
Most legislative resources at the Archives, however, will not be online. For research, begin with some of these guides:
- Legislative Records
The records of many offices provide history of legislation; you may need to access records created by the House, Senate, Legislative Research and General Counsel (who conduct legal and policy research for drafting bills), Legislative Fiscal Analyst (who reviews bills for cost implications), Governors and Lieutenant Governors, etc. - Legislative Intent and History
Legislative intent refers to what lawmakers had in mind in passing an act or statute. Judges, attorneys, historians, and others study intent for guidance in interpreting a statute. Legislative history is the written and spoken record that documents the stages in the passage of a bill or resolution as it goes through the legislative process. Legislative history is used for discovering sources of information about the legislative intent.
Inventory of Working bills from Legislature. House of Representatives, i 1896-2009
Thanksgiving
Member of Salt Lake Volunteer Fire Department "Careful cooking those turkeys"
Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!
The Utah State Law Library provides a short history of the holiday:
The first presidential proclamation about Thanksgiving was made by George Washington in 1789. He declared the 26th of November as the date of celebration. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed that the last Thursday in November was a national holiday. Finally, in 1941 Congress and President Truman proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November the legal holiday that it is today.
The Research Center will be closed Thursday, November 25, 2009 for Thanksgiving. Normal hours will resume Monday, November 30, 2009.
New Online Catalog Unveiled
Search the new online catalog
As part of the Utah State Collections Consortium, the Utah State Archives has upgraded to the newest version of the Symphony integrated library system from SirsiDynix. An online catalog is just one of the ways to search for information on the permanent, historic holdings of the Utah State Archives. As we learn more about the new system, we will work to make sure it is easy to use and works well for archival collections.
The Utah State Collections Consortium consists of the Utah State Archives, Utah State History, Utah State Library, Utah State Law Library, Division of Administrative Rules and Utah Department of Transportation Library.
Military Records guide updated
John Walter Holbrook
Just in time for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, 2009*, the research guide for military records organized by wars and conflicts has been updated. The text now includes more historical context for such key records as those of the Territorial Militia (or Nauvoo Legion) which are some of the earliest records at the Utah State Archives, as they begin in 1849 before Utah was even a territory. Also, excerpts from related laws are included along with links to online versions of the original documents.
See also Military Discharge and Benefit Records and Military Service Records research guides.
*The Research Center will be closed. Normal hours (8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.) resume Thursday, November 12.
Newly processed: October 2009
All public records at the Utah State Archives are accessible through the Research Center. However, once processed the records are easier to use with proper storage and fuller descriptions, including online series inventories. The following list includes record series that were processed during the month of October 2009:
Division Archives and Records Service
Division of State History
Uintah County (Utah). County Commission
Newly processed: August 2009
All public records at the Utah State Archives are accessible through the Research Center. However, once processed the records are easier to use with proper storage and fuller descriptions, including online series inventories. The following list includes record series that were processed during the month of August 2009:
Governor (2005-2009 : Huntsman)
Department of Community and Culture. Division of State History
- Published Utah Historical Quarterly manuscripts, 1985-
- Unpublished Utah Historical Quarterly manuscripts, 1955-
Recent Naturalization Records
Naturalization records after 1906 are available from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, as explained in our Research Guide on Naturalization.
The records discussed as part of the Genealogy Program, however, end in 1956. If you were naturalized in the time since, you may be able to request a Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document from BCIS. Submit Form N-565 which is available online at www.uscis.gov/n-565.
Utah Archives Month programs planned
The Utah State Archives will observe Utah Archives Month throughout October with weekly events each Wednesday at noon. Classes geared to community and family historians will be offered each week. The statewide theme for 2009 is “Connecting With the Human Experience.”
Janina Chilton, State Hospital historian, will examine the history of the State Hospital on October 7.
Laurie Bryant, retired paleontologist and citizen historian, will present “Away from the Smoke and Dust: A Century on Salt Lake City’s East Bench,” a slideshow and talk on the history of the 15th & 15th neighborhood, on October 14.
Alan Barnett, lead reference archivist at the Utah State Archives, will discuss the growth and development of Sugar House, including a history of the territorial prison, on October 21.
“Wake the Dead,” a popular class on family history sources and research in Utah, will be presented by Tony Castro, reference archivist at the Utah State Archives, on October 28. A tour of the research center is included.
All events will be held in the Courtyard Meeting Room in the State Archives Building, 346 S. Rio Grande Street (455 West), Salt Lake City. An exhibit of capitol artifacts is on display in the lobby of the Archives building. The display includes notable artifacts, such as a capitol dome light, original office furnishings, historic photographs, design submission competition entries, program of competition booklets, a piece of granite, and commemorative items.
Post-1906 Naturalization records moving to U.S. National Archives
Naturalization records maintained by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services since 1906 will be transferred from the Department of Homeland Security to the National Archives and Records Administration beginning in 2010. Public access will be available if the immigrant has passed away or turned 100 years old. Previously, these files were available through a laborious Freedom of Information Act request as explained in our guide to Naturalization and Citizenship Records.
U.S. Bares ‘Alien Files’ Kept on Immigrants
By JANIE LORBERPublished: August 12, 2009A wealth of immigrant information collected by American border agents, some of it dating from the late 19th century, will be opened to the public soon. Read complete article from New York Times >>
Family Tree Magazine 101 Best
Family Tree Magazine 101 Best Web Sites 2009
The Utah Death Certificate Index was named one of Family Tree Magazine’s 101 Best Web Sites under the category of 10 Best Sites for Vital Records.
[T]hanks to humanity’s development of 10 fingers and 10 toes, we count things in 10s, group the years in decades and celebrate anniversaries ending in 0—such as this 10th annual installment of Family Tree Magazine’s 101 Best Web Sites…
Utah Death Certificate Index
If only your ancestors had died in Utah, you could find them in this searchable database of more than 250,000 death certificates, from 1904 to 1956, linked to images of the originals.
We appreciate the mention! If you are new to this resource, make sure and try and search to learn about any predecessors that may have died in Utah. Not to mention more indexes, frequently updated research guides and 1,000+ records inventories online.
