Utah Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Utah online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
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For more information on census records, see Utah Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Utah statewide beginning in 1905, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
Births
- 1892-1941: Utah Births and Christenings at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Findmypast ($)
- 1892-1944: Utah Birth Registers at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1903-1911: Utah Birth Certificates at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1903-1914: Utah Birth Certificates at FamilySearch; index & images
- Search Name Indexes at Utah Department of Administrative Services Division of Archives & Records Service
Marriages
- 17thc-20thc: US Marriages at Findmypast; index only ($)
- 1845-1935: US Marriages at Findmypast; index only ($)
- 1887-1914: Utah Select Marriage Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1887-1935: Utah Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- 1887-1937: Utah County Marriages at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1887-1999: Utah Marriages at MyHeritage - index only ($)
- Search Name Indexes at Utah Department of Administrative Services Division of Archives & Records Service
Deaths
- 1847-1966: Utah Death Registers at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1848-1960: Utah Deaths and Burials at Findmypast; index only ($)
- 1888-1946: Utah Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index only; Also at MyHeritage ($)
- 1904-1956: Utah Death Certificates at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1904-1958: Utah Death Certificates at MyHeritage - index only ($)
- 1904-1961: Utah Death and Military Death Certificates at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1904-1965: Utah Death Certificates at FamilySearch; index & images
- Search Name Indexes at Utah Department of Administrative Services Division of Archives & Records Service
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Utah, see How to Find Utah Birth Records, How to Find Utah Marriage Records, and How to Find Utah Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1905. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- 1850-2005: Utah, Obituaries from Utah Newspapers at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1933-1939: Daughters of Utah Pioneers Obituary Scrapbook at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1980-2014: US GenealogyBank Obituaries at FamilySearch; index & images
- 2010-2013: Utah ObitsUtah Obituary Index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
- Utah Obituaries at Legacy.com
- Utah Obituaries at Obituary Link Page
Cemeteries
- Find-A-Grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection
- Utah Burials at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- Utah Cemeteries and Burials at Utah Division of State History
- Utah, Cemetery Abstracts at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- Utah Cemetery Inventory, 1847-2000 at Ancestry
- Utah Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Utah Cemetery Records at Interment
- Utah Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online Utah Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection, Findmypast ($), My Heritage ($), Ancestry ($)
- Utah Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see Utah Obituaries and Utah Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Utah, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Utah, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Utah Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Utah Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.