Marriage Records Research Guide updated
Signing of Marriage License
The Research Guide to Marriage Records at the Utah State Archives has been updated. Historical background has been added to the introductory text related to how civil registration of marriage came to be in Utah, which helps explain why there are generally no government records of marriage before about 1888.
The list of record series has not been comprehensively updated, however the best way to request such records is still contacting the clerk of the county where the marriage took place for all dates.
Does the guide leave some questions unanswered? Do you have suggestions for it? Leave us a comment using this page.
(Image from here)
Newly processed: January 2010
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 January 2010:
Duchesne (Utah)
Naples (Utah)
Salt Lake City School District (Utah)
Vernal (Utah)
Millard County (Utah). Justice of the Peace : Delta
Newly Processed: December 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 December 2009:
Department of Administrative Services
District Court (Second District : Davis County)
District Court (Third District)
- U.S. Commissioner criminal case docket book, 1889-1895.
- U.S. Commissioner Harmel Pratt’s civil case docket books, 1889-1894.
- U.S. Commissioner Harmel Pratt’s criminal docket book, 1889-1892.
- U.S. Commissioner John W. Greenman’s civil case docket book, 1889-1890.
- U.S. Commissioner W.C. Jennings civil and criminal docket book, 1894-1895.
District Court (Sixth District : Sanpete County)
District Court (Fourth District)
- U.S. Commissioner B. Ternes’ Weber county docket book, 1892-1895.
- U.S. Commissioner E.T. Hulaniski’s Weber county docket books, 1891-1895.
- U.S. Commissioner M.A. Breeden’s Weber county docket book, 1892.
- U.S. Commissioner Valentine Gideon’s Weber county docket books, 1893-1895.
Granite School District (Utah)
State Industrial School
Weber County (Utah). County Clerk
Newly processed: November 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 November 2009:
Governor Leavitt
Gunnison (Utah)
Death Certificates 1957-1958 Now Online
Death Certificate
Visit the Utah Death Certificate Index to access digital copies of death certificates from 1957 to 1958. Previously, one could access certificates from the beginning of their creation (late 1904) to 1956, though the records themselves are public once after 50 years.
More information:
- Death Records Research Guide
- Inventory of Department of Health. Office of Vital Records and Statistics Death certificates
Imaging work was completed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
The Archives would like to thank Allen Clark for his work as a volunteer to link the images to the index.
Please direct any research questions, including how to use these records online, to the Research Center. If you find an error in the index, submit an “order form” available for each record and explain what needs updating. A staff member will contact you with results by e-mail.
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
